625 replies to this topic

[Bernard]

Since Barry has been very much against the marina, would it be smart for the Developers added this to the plan now ... even if they didn't plan to before ... simply to create a conflict of interest and prevent him from being involved if elected?

That is really devious, but it would work. If the developer came up with something like that, then Barry would have no choice.

[Barra]

I need someone to step forward with the third option - Necessary repairs to the existing bridge and no more. No third bridge, no road realignment, no 8.5-quake fix, no nothin' more than welding up what's falling apart on the existing bridge and a few new motors. I cannot believe that the whole thing is all falling apart at once. That defies reason.

I agree.

[Bernard]

It is now the second week of August and we still only have a single declared candidate for council - Barry Hobbis.

Rumours of possible candidates:

Rob Randall
Simon Nattrass

I have not heard a whiff of anyone else.

[gumgum]

Come on Rob!

[VicHockeyFan]

Barry Hobbis will win this by-election, as long as he keeps on-message with the bridge issue, and if he also vows to fix the 900-blk Pandora problem with some good old-fashioned law and order policing. That's what VOTERS want. Oh, throw in a healthy does of pro-amalgamation talk too, for some extra sizzle. If the marina issue is still up in the air at by-election time, Hobbis brings with him a good 1000 extra organized votes right there.

[Hotel Mike]

Hobbis wasn't even close last time VHF. Don't you think there are some credible candidates out there just waiting for the right opportunity to announce?

[VicHockeyFan]

Hobbis wasn't even close last time VHF. Don't you think there are some credible candidates out there just waiting for the right opportunity to announce?

Hobbis was a relative unknown last time. Last time, there was not a big media spotlight, we had 13 mayors and over 100 councilors to elect.

This time, we have ONE person to elect. We have three big issues, the ones I spoke to above. 900-Pandora, the bridge and the marina were not really issues last election, now they are #1 #2 and #3. I've always said a very pro-amalgamation candidate could easily win in Victoria, I don't know why nobody else has run heavily on that platform. Maybe they like to stay in power. Hobbis doesn't need the money, he wants to fix the city for the benefit of the city, and to help his own business. Quite frankly, many of the councilors there count/counted on social woes to keep them employed (Fortin, Luton, Lucas, Chandler).

[Lorne Carnes]

VV endorsed a list of candidates for the 2008 Victoria civic election. This list seems to have gone missing. Can anyone refresh my memory?

[VicHockeyFan]

VV endorsed a list of candidates for the 2008 Victoria civic election. This list seems to have gone missing...

Maybe they all lost?

[Mike K.]

Lorne, the 2008 endorsement document was part of the old site design and during the transition to the new site in mid-2009 multiple articles were unfortunately lost.

It would appear as though the 2008 endorsement piece was one of them.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Quite frankly, many of the councilors there count/counted on social woes to keep them employed (Fortin, Luton, Lucas, Chandler).

Interesting. It's true there isn't much emphasis on success - that seems to be suspect, generally speaking, whereas hand-wringing gets the attention.

[Sparky]

Hobbis was a relative unknown last time. Last time, there was not a big media spotlight, we had 13 mayors and over 100 councilors to elect.

This time, we have ONE person to elect. We have three big issues, the ones I spoke to above. 900-Pandora, the bridge and the marina were not really issues last election, now they are #1 #2 and #3. I've always said a very pro-amalgamation candidate could easily win in Victoria, I don't know why nobody else has run heavily on that platform. Maybe they like to stay in power. Hobbis doesn't need the money, he wants to fix the city for the benefit of the city, and to help his own business. Quite frankly, many of the councilors there count/counted on social woes to keep them employed (Fortin, Luton, Lucas, Chandler).

In all fairness one needs to embrace VHF's entire statement..... not just a sentence or two.

His prediction will come to pass unless a dark horse rises to claim his/her place in history.

Otherwise samo samo. Hobbis may find that the odds will not be in his favour.

Swing to the right....dance to the left.

[VicHockeyFan]

Maybe someone should take a page out of Hazel McCallion's book:

Hazel McCallion, CM (born February 14, 1921) is the mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, the sixth largest city in the country. McCallion has been Mississauga's mayor for 31 years, holding office since 1978.

Mississauga is one of the few cities in Canada that is debt-free; it has not had to borrow money since 1978.[10] However, Mississauga may have to borrow money to build new capital projects in 2012.[11] She has been described as a "small-c" conservative.

http://en.wikipedia....itical_ideology

[LJ]

Barry Hobbis will win this by-election, as long as he keeps on-message with the bridge issue, and if he also vows to fix the 900-blk Pandora problem with some good old-fashioned law and order policing. That's what VOTERS want. Oh, throw in a healthy does of pro-amalgamation talk too, for some extra sizzle. If the marina issue is still up in the air at by-election time, Hobbis brings with him a good 1000 extra organized votes right there.

I don't think a pro-am stance will help anyone in Victoria, they would all? love to amalgamate.

It would take a bunch of pro-am candidates in the surrounding munis to make anything happen. Of course they wouldn't get elected but there you go.

[Chris J]

If I were running I would not be promising to 'fix' the 900 block with a 'law and order' solution. It would be good though to have a dialogue on this whole tough on crime fantasy, it is has badly blinded too many people here and across the country.

I don't imagine I'd win an election because I would not be able to promise to 'fix' this problem. I'd be telling you the truth, as would be the case with any candidate with the guts to admit it.

I think it's too easy for a politician to say that the solution is for all levels of government to work together. That is the solution of course, but is as likely to happen as all militarized nations to put down their weapons and promise to live in peace with each other forever. We need to either get planning and acting to bring the three levels of government together on this, or we need to take new approaches, and not just quick fixes or imaginary solutions such as more police.

A robust harm reduction strategy including safe consumption sites, accessible and well-funded treatment options (emphasis on options), higher wages, higher income assistance rates, better working conditions, better healthcare and education, more options for healthcare, education, income assistance, etc, these are all critical to ending this problem. Most of this is quite beyond the ability of a city councillor to promise, so if anyone promises to fix the problem, I would distrust them immediately. That's just saying what you need to say to get elected, and no one who has a grasp of the issue and the roles and responsibility of the various levels of government can take such a claim seriously.

The 'fix' as I see it, is like stabilizing a patient while waiting for an ambulance that might never come. Obviously we need and want something to be done. Making statements that all three levels of government should be working together or that we should have a national housing policy or a poverty reductions strategy or whatever is not what we are expecting from anyone on council right now as the 'fix'.

It starts with having a democratic approach where effort is made to bring all of the stakeholders together to work out solutions, and to communicate the realities of the situation to the public in a way that cuts through the bs. Things that haven't been happening on the 900 block issue.

I don't expect a candidate to have all the answers for all the issues. What's important is that we have a council that can work together to get things done, with council members who are well informed and constantly processing that serious amount of information required of the job, making decisions that skillfully balances the needs and wants of the community and can skillfully determine what is going to work to keep this city safe, welcoming, and solvent. (Infrastructure deficit, anyone?)

Personally, a candidates 'position' is almost irrelevant to me in terms of whether I think they are a fit for this job. Once you get in that chair you will have a lot of information coming at you, and you must make your decisions based on weighing all the factors, not on what you believe is right.

I don't expect everyone on council to all think alike on issues, but another important factor is a respectful, team oriented approach to getting things done, to working together to come up with ways to make lemonade out of bathwater, not just butting heads and trying to push forward a personal agenda. I don't expect everyone to be on the same page, but if that respect is not there, if the atmosphere is too venomous, it just doesn't work.

I would vote for someone who I disagreed with on certain issues if I felt they were skilled at the actual job, and not just the politics of it.

[VicHockeyFan]

You'll note I did not say "law and order" would be right, or would work. I said it would get votes.

CFAX listeners, a very, very high-voting demogarphic:

Polls

Do you think enough is being done to deal with the problems in the 900 block of Pandora?
Answer Votes %
a) Yes 44 6%
b) No 662 94%
Total: 706 100%
This poll is no longer open to voting.

[Chris J]

I agree it would get votes.
I also agree with the CFAX voters that not enough is being done. That doesn't imply anything to do with tougher law enforcement, except that 'more' for most people likely means more arrests, forced treatment, etc.

[Jared]

I think it's too easy for a politician to say that the solution is for all levels of government to work together. That is the solution of course, but is as likely to happen as all militarized nations to put down their weapons and promise to live in peace with each other forever. We need to either get planning and acting to bring the three levels of government together on this, or we need to take new approaches, and not just quick fixes or imaginary solutions such as more police.

Given that municipal politicians say the solution to almost every problem is "beg a higher level of government to fix it", I'd like to see some public and civil servants running for local office. What could be a better qualification than understanding the Powers That Be? Given how much Victoria is a company town, it just makes sense to have a worker on the provincial factory floor representing that constituency.

[VicHockeyFan]

Given that municipal politicians say the solution to almost every problem is "beg a higher level of government to fix it", I'd like to see some public and civil servants running for local office. What could be a better qualification than understanding the Powers That Be? Given how much Victoria is a company town, it just makes sense to have a worker on the provincial factory floor representing that constituency.

Dean Murdoch (Saanich councilor) is a provincial employee.

[VicHockeyFan]

Dave Obee: A helpful guide to winning a Victoria council seat

By Dave Obee, Times Colonist August 26, 2010 6:02 AM Comments (1)

A relatively small number of voters in Victoria will head to the polls this fall to choose a councillor to replace Sonya Chandler, who is heading to Europe to study.

Read more: http://www.timescolo...l#ixzz0xipvJRkR