12 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Image courtesy of City of Victoria

Councillor Pamela Madoff is seeking re-election to Victoria council in 2011.

Political affiliations: NDP; Victoria Civic Electors
Campaign website: not available
Resident of: City of Victoria

[Nparker]

...So it seems Pam Madoff was at the helm of crushing this...

Keep in mind people we have the opportunity to make a change for the better on Victoria city council this November.

[jklymak]

Unfortunately, you can't vote "no" on a candidate. There have to be viable alternatives, and given that Pam was 2nd last time, you'd best have 8 good replacements (well 7+Geoff Young).

[rjag]

Please, please, please bring in term limits for this exact reason!!!

Its a known fact that most incumbents get re-elected based purely on name recognition, our city core is dying and here is one of the reasons imho

[Nparker]

Please, please, please bring in term limits for this exact reason!!!

Its a known fact that most incumbents get re-elected based purely on name recognition. Our city core is dying and here is one of the reasons imho

Truer words were never spoken.

[jklymak]

I'm not a huge fan of term limits - after all the job is basically on a volunteer basis.

But I wouldn't mind seeing wards, where you could actually have concentrated races. Right now there is no way for candidates to query each other and contrast with one another in a meaningful way.

Wards need not even be spatial - you could just have races for seats, and people vote for the best candidate for each seat. To make things more interesting, you have the election every two years, and only half of council is up for election. Allows continuity, but also allows for new blood.

[mikedw]

Pam Madoff represents the inertia that plagues Victoria. Her Heritage work stymies development. This approach means that a few businesses are paying a high premium to be downtown.
If the Heritage Foundation followed the TLC model of purchasing and caring for properties, I could see its point. But instead, they choke off new uses for old buildings making it impossible to use, refurbish or curate heritage sites.
She comes across as a champion for the arts, but she's a champion for the last generation's concept of art and performance. She's tuned into the voter's desires, but not the residents of the city.
As said earlier this this thread: she's gets the most to second-to-most votes in each election. There is a silent majority of Victorians that rubber stamp her return each election. To get her out, we need to make her the ninth or tenth most popular candidate.
We need to get the vote out. 10,000 new Victoria voters is not impossible. Those voters sit on their hands. If they were pressed to act and vote for change, Pam Madoff and her ilk would not continue to cause their impact on our city.

[Mike K.]

Agreed. But what makes the job even harder for candidates fighting for change is that they lack the massive support and financial backing of unions and labour orgs and they are up against the efforts of the "NDP machine" that coordinates to assist pro-NDP municipal politicians.

Madoff, Hunter, Luton, Fortin and Alto have a massive political enterprise behind them that guarantees each of them a huge portion of their votes.

[Bingo]

Pam Madoff represents the inertia that plagues Victoria. Her Heritage work stymies development. This approach means that a few businesses are paying a high premium to be downtown.
If the Heritage Foundation followed the TLC model of purchasing and caring for properties, I could see its point. But instead, they choke off new uses for old buildings making it impossible to use, refurbish or curate heritage sites.

Even though the Kalman Report said that the Johnson Street Bridge had "significant heritage value" the bridge never had a heritage designation from the city. This is a project that the majority of the present council ignored, and failed to see a "new use for an old bridge".

[mikedw]

Agreed. But what makes the job even harder for candidates fighting for change is that they lack the massive support and financial backing of unions and labour orgs and they are up against the efforts of the "NDP machine" that coordinates to assist pro-NDP municipal politicians.

Madoff, Hunter, Luton, Fortin and Alto have a massive political enterprise behind them that guarantees each of them a huge portion of their votes.

You're totally right. In the by-election, there were different players vying for that seat. On the Friday afternoon, local unions sent an email to their members telling them to vote for Marianne Alto. Municipal elections are usually snore fests. All the good worker bees likely had no strong opinion of who to vote for so they voted her in.
I've said that if the eligible share of the 1100+ employees in the City of Victoria vote for their boss that would put him over the top. If you add in like-minded CRD employees it's easy enough for the government to elect its own officials.

The trick in this election is to ask the hard questions of the candidates during the debates-- those that will show how Madoff, etc. impact the City.

[MarkoJ]

Victoria Coun. Pam Madoff, who attended the report’s launch, said housing affordability is a huge issue.
“When you look at the percentage [of income] people have to have, not only to purchase but to rent, it’s clear that it’s just not sustainable,” Madoff said.


Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/business/Cost+living+Victoria+main+issue+Vital+Signs+report/5500382/story.html#ixzz1ZrxBlZmH

So is her solution to vote down every single development proposal? What the?

[Mike K.]

Councillor Madoff conveniently sidesteps housing supply (which she helps restrict) and demand (which keeps increasing).

She also fails to link the escalating burden City Hall is placing on tax payers through ever-increasing municipal budgets and their direct effect on rental rates (increasing property taxes and municipal fees = higher rents).

[Jacques Cadé]

Councillor Madoff is on CFAX 1070 today at 10 am.