3 replies to this topic

[Wayne Hollohan]

I thought I give some of you out there an example of one the many surveys and or questionnaires we as candidates receive daily. I hope my reply to one of the more recent ones will put my overall position on many topics into perspective. I’ll thank you now for taking the time to read my reply. Cheers >>> Wayne Hollohan for Victoria City Council

Dear Candidates,
I am seeking your views on the subject of the Harbour Airport to get to know you better and to decide on whom I will be voting for. Only 3 questions that you are to answer, to your best ability.

MY FIRST QUESTION TO YOU IS........ As a Mayor or Councillor, will you take action and use the City's power of permit restrictions to force the Floatplane Operators to do their business in a more respectful way towards the residents of the Harbour?.
MY SECOND QUESTION TO YOU IS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Knowing that this present Airport is illegal and unacceptable anywhere else in Canada, what will your resolution be to get TC and the Floatplane Operators to conform to the Regulations already in place everywhere else in Canada regarding Airport Operations near a residential area, and to make them apply those regulations here as well?.
AND MY LAST QUESTION TO YOU IS......... Will you put the best interest of the residents of the Harbour FIRST, or will you prefer to stay on the side of the business community and help them to fill their pockets with more money, on the back of the resident's health and wellbeing...like the present Administration where so good in doing in the past?.

Wayne’s response

Newton’s third law “To every action there is an opposite and equal reaction” . Each day I have more and more people approaching me or email me with so much frustration built up after years and years of trying to have their issues and concerns heard and properly addressed by our current council and the city. They are seeking my immediate (action) and commitment without me having any consideration or understanding of what the (reaction) might be to others. Could it possibly be that sense of being ignored for so long has turned a concern into a crusade, where everything now has to be black or white, right or wrong, either you're on their side or you're on mine, “WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER”. It is an attitude or lack of vision that has us in the mess we are in today. The majority of our current council has been acting or failing to act, without much consideration for the impact it might have on others, now and in the future. Putting their own priorities and agendas first, has caused a lack of an overall vision and plans for our city and your community. Years of this have been physically and mentally damaging to Victoria and Victorians. I am having difficulty getting people to join the Board of Directors for the community association and our committees. Typical response “Why bother, nobody listens to us”. That response has got to change. We should all be able to enjoy this great city together that is my mandate, my goal.

I sense the frustration of Victorians. Remember, as I am President of the community association and Chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee, I am very very familiar with being frustrated by our current council. Your current council spent 6 to 15 years creating the problem. If you’re going to judge me solely on how I answer three questions you ask, then fill your boots. If you want councillors who will put their personal opinion ahead of the public and only look at one side of the equation, then I would suggest you get everybody you possibly can to ensure the same people get re-elected to council, but if you want change you have put that same energy into putting 5 new faces on council under new leadership.

Every time one of our current councillors gets up to speak it starts off with “we need experience”. We had umpteen years of experience and where has it gotten us. We need fresh faces and people who are open to new ideas….. Your ideas. The choice of who should be on council has always been yours to make, it still is. I won't get into how many questions and surveys I get each day. Suffice is to say my day starts at 6:00 am, and shuts down at 1:00 am and I can’t give you any more than that. All I ask in return is that you don’t vote alone.

Three questions for me three choices for you

1. put the same people back on council and watch the situation get worse

2. vote for the people who answer your questions in the manner you seek and watch every single one of them break their campaign promises (Any and everything you request would have to be brought before the Committee of the Whole in the form of a motion by a councillor. I can assure no motion will be worded in the manner you present, therefore they could not possible honour your request. For a motion to get passed it would take 5 councillors to agree to the exact wording and intent of the motion.)

3. work as hard as you can to get 5 new faces on council under a leader that will not just listen to what you have to say, but will act on it. These new councillors will be guided in their future decisions by people with strong links to the community and with community trust based on their years of fighting for the rights of community.

We are in the mess we are in, because council has been putting their personal opinions ahead of public policies and community plans. I going to bring my experience and values to council and try to leave my personal opinions at home. I see my role on council is to do everything in my power to see that problems get solved and if I have to use the tools that my position empowers me with to ensure the people don’t leave the table until that has been accomplished, I will.

Thank you for your interest in your Community and our City
Wayne Hollohan

[Sue Woods]

I thought I give some of you out there an example of one the many surveys and or questionnaires we as candidates receive daily. I hope my reply to one of the more recent ones will put my overall position on many topics into perspective. I’ll thank you now for taking the time to read my reply. Cheers >>> Wayne Hollohan for Victoria City Council

Dear Candidates,
I am seeking your views on the subject of the Harbour Airport to get to know you better and to decide on whom I will be voting for. Only 3 questions that you are to answer, to your best ability.

MY FIRST QUESTION TO YOU IS........ As a Mayor or Councillor, will you take action and use the City's power of permit restrictions to force the Floatplane Operators to do their business in a more respectful way towards the residents of the Harbour?.
MY SECOND QUESTION TO YOU IS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Knowing that this present Airport is illegal and unacceptable anywhere else in Canada, what will your resolution be to get TC and the Floatplane Operators to conform to the Regulations already in place everywhere else in Canada regarding Airport Operations near a residential area, and to make them apply those regulations here as well?.
AND MY LAST QUESTION TO YOU IS......... Will you put the best interest of the residents of the Harbour FIRST, or will you prefer to stay on the side of the business community and help them to fill their pockets with more money, on the back of the resident's health and wellbeing...like the present Administration where so good in doing in the past?

I got that questionnaire as well. It is the only one that I chose NOT to reply to. And the author has now sent me three harassing emails this week for not responding - and threatening to "expose my lack of answers to all the people living around the inner harbour". Oh well. Sue

[jklymak]

We are in the mess we are in, because council has been putting their personal opinions ahead of public policies and community plans.

Care to expand on the "mess we are in"? I think Victoria is a great place. We have a homeless crisis, but it is not really fair to lay that at the feet of council. Did you have another "mess" in mind?

[Caramia]

Thanks for posting those questions Wayne. They are extremely slanted, and obviously meant to pin you into a corner as far as desired response is concerned. It's an object lesson for those involved in crafting questions - to try to phrase them in a way that is respectful of the differing points of view. I respect candidates who aren't afraid to give the answers that special interest groups don't want to hear.

Regarding the current council, I'm of the same mind as jklymak - I think we have had some very hard workers on council, and we should be proud of them. It is too easy to blame every grievance on those 9 people who are trying to balance the demands of 1000 different special interest groups while still looking out for the good of the city at large. No matter what course of action they choose, the majority of citizens will be pissed off. But choose they must, because the alternative is worse - don't choose - and be ineffectual. Any degree of power is an invitation to be treated as a scapegoat. Anyone who is elected will soon find themselves on the other side of that ugly coin.