Calgary Civic Election Poll #1: Who do you support for Mayor?

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy McGillicuddy

The poll also shows little support for the development of Calgary's ring road. That's a laugher. This poll is likely the work of inner city elitists. It can't be taken seriously.

Sample size of 200. Margin of error of +/- 7%. That's pretty much all you need to know.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Not sure you can be taken seriously using a term like "inner city elitists". Surprised you didn't call them "latte sippers". Nonetheless, I agree, the poll is clearly not representative, but not because of some sort of perceived inner-city vs suburban split.

88% of the poll stated that the suburban expansion was a rotten idea.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

Sample size of 200. Margin of error of +/- 7%. That's pretty much all you need to know.

And online, so I doubt the randomness and integrity of the sample.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Anyhoo, back to the Nenshi propaganda, it's interesting that he chooses Curitiba as a model city.

Curitiba is actually very "sprawly" (compare their metro density to ours), but they have a very extensive public transit system that allows for pretty decent travel all across the city. They actually don't have much of a central area. I wonder who paid for that infrastructure.

Also interesting is that Curitiba is mostly white, with poor (coloured) people getting such wonderful privileges like "low-income families living in shantytowns unreachable by truck bring their trash bags to neighbourhood centres, where they exchange them for bus tickets and food." This would solve Forest Lawn's problems!

I also find it strange that Nenshi thinks Toronto's a great city. The GTA is sprawl to the extreme.

Re: Curitiba - I don't think he's lauding every aspect of the city, but it is well known as having implemented an effective BRT system and in some places effectively tying in higher density land uses in close proximity to that transit system. Something Calgary and many cities can learn from.

Re: Toronto - as much as it pains some Calgarians to admit, Toronto is a great city in many ways. I agree that it does have issues with sprawl on its periphery. In some places in the 905 worse than anything you see in Calgary, but that shouldn't dismiss other aspects of Toronto, which in my opinion are great. It has really lively streets, extensive walkable communities, healthy pedestrian-friendly main streets, great cultural diversity, etc.

[Slava]

^ How serious should we take a guy who lives in Toronto commenting about who he would like to see as Mayor of Calgary?

[kermitology]

I voted for Nenshi.

I'm trying to follow all the candidates as much as possible, but he's stood out to me as someone who isn't speaking political rhetoric.

Kent Hehr hasn't sounded sure of himself in what I've heard from him directly to date.

This city should be afraid of McIver in my opinion. You cannot run a city this large effectively with such a narrow objective on cost control.

What I'd love to know about city spending is why roads are paved, demolished, paved, demolished and then paved again.. This happened on 69th street by 17th ave a few years ago, it's happened on 9th ave in the East Village, and I'm sure it happens in other areas as well. WTF?!

[kermitology]

I'm hoping that this project helps to organize a lot of candidate information in one location to make it easier for people to become informed:

http://calgarydemocracy.ca/

[Muta]

I'll move out of the city if McIver becomes mayor. Hopefully that never happens. Then again, it'd be a great opportunity to experience living somewhere else in North America for the first time!

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Muta

I'll move out of the city if McIver becomes mayor. Hopefully that never happens. Then again, it'd be a great opportunity to experience living somewhere else in North America for the first time!

Usually these are empty threats, but there is a significant chance that I would actually do this if my GF ends up being a victim of his cost control measures, which most of the people in her area suspects she could be. It sucks because she's actually good at her job, and is currently over-worked.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Slava

^ How serious should we take a guy who lives in Toronto commenting about who he would like to see as Mayor of Calgary?

Well, that's up to you. But I remain heavily engaged in Calgary issues, despite my current place of residence (also, I am in the process of planning my move back to the city).

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Slava

^ How serious should we take a guy who lives in Toronto commenting about who he would like to see as Mayor of Calgary?

Perhaps you don't know this poster as well as some of us, but I can say that he is still heavily involved and engaged in what is happening in the city he used to call home until a few years ago.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Well, that's up to you. But I remain heavily engaged in Calgary issues, despite my current place of residence.

I'm not saying that you aren't heavily engaged, and its not like you are not focusing on the issues here. Just find it funny that you are advocating a candidate in a municipal election that you live 3000 miles away from!

[Muta]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Usually these are empty threats, but there is a significant chance that I would actually do this if my GF ends up being a victim of his cost control measures, which most of the people in her area suspects she could be. It sucks because she's actually good at her job, and is currently over-worked.

I wouldn't make a threat like this, I'd actually do it. Career-wise, I can find more in other certain cities anyways. I'm one of those types that will just up and leave.

In the last four years of living in Calgary, I've actually only spent about two years physically being here; the home address part is just a formality to me.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Slava

I'm not saying that you aren't heavily engaged, and its not like you are not focusing on the issues here. Just find it funny that you are advocating a candidate in a municipal election that you live 3000 miles away from!

He attended said candidates talk last week at Arts Central.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Perhaps you don't know this poster as well as some of us, but I can say that he is still heavily involved and engaged in what is happening in the city he used to call home until a few years ago.

I have no idea who the poster is. When he says "I don't how serious we should take you" to someone who uses a term he doesn't like though and he lives in a completely different province he opened the door to have his opinion questioned.

He might be more involved than me....I have no idea. It just turns out that his voice in the election is worth a little less than mine though...by approximately one vote!

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Re: Curitiba - I don't think he's lauding every aspect of the city, but it is well known as having implemented an effective BRT system and in some places effectively tying in higher density land uses in close proximity to that transit system. Something Calgary and many cities can learn from.

Re: Toronto - as much as it pains some Calgarians to admit, Toronto is a great city in many ways. I agree that it does have issues with sprawl on its periphery. In some places in the 905 worse than anything you see in Calgary, but that shouldn't dismiss other aspects of Toronto, which in my opinion are great. It has really lively streets, extensive walkable communities, healthy pedestrian-friendly main streets, great cultural diversity, etc.

As much as I dislike Toronto because of the Leafs, I've visited the city twice in my life, and both times I've thought "man, I wish downtown Calgary was as happening as Toronto downtown". There's just no comparison. It is so much more pedestrian friendly, and there seems to be something happening all the time. There's always something to see or somewhere to be. I come back to Calgary, and it's downtown just seems filled with yuppies who go to work, and then go home.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

He attended said candidates talk last week at Arts Central.

Figured that by the video. I was also going to note that he also posted the same comment here verbatim that a friend of mine put on facebook....so I get the fact that he is connected to the campaign in some way.

Anyway, I wasn't trying to start anything here. I happen to know Naheed and quite like the guy and his ideas. Like I say though, when he questions the opinions of others he should expect that his city of residence is going to be called into question on the same topic.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

As much as I dislike Toronto because of the Leafs, I've visited the city twice in my life, and both times I've thought "man, I wish downtown Calgary was as happening as Toronto downtown". There's just no comparison. It is so much more pedestrian friendly, and there seems to be something happening all the time. There's always something to see or somewhere to be. I come back to Calgary, and it's downtown just seems filled with yuppies who go to work, and then go home.

What part of Toronto do you consider downtown? Is Bay Street much different than downtown Calgary? Aren't the areas you talk about more like our belt-line?

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by Slava

I'm not saying that you aren't heavily engaged, and its not like you are not focusing on the issues here. Just find it funny that you are advocating a candidate in a municipal election that you live 3000 miles away from!

Really? The carpetbagger argument?

CP has contributers from all over the world that grew up in Calgary and are still heavily interested in the Flames and Calgary issues in general. Plenty in China in particular it seems.

For what it's worth, I currently don't live in the City either, but I will be back before the election and have kept quite involved in many Calgary news, issues, politics, events in my time away.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

Really? The carpetbagger argument?

CP has contributers from all over the world that grew up in Calgary and are still heavily interested in the Flames and Calgary issues in general. Plenty in China in particular it seems.

For what it's worth, I currently don't live in the City either, but I will be back before the election and have kept quite involved in many Calgary news, issues, politics, events in my time away.

Right....so the poster questions whether he should take someones opinion seriously because of the phrase they use, and I ask how seriously we should take his opinion because he lives in Toronto. Can no one see why I would ask that? I fail to see how my asking how serious we should take his opinion is in any way insulting or question anything over the top here?