209 replies to this topic

[tedward]

I find it incredibly ironic the people who are in uproar about her living in Saanich, not Victoria, yet are so pro-amalgamation. 

 

Two separate issues. If amalgamation happens she would be a resident of the community which she wants to represent. As it stands today however she is a carpet-bagger no matter how good or bad her ideas may be.

[jklymak]

At least Chong is aware of and able to articulate some of the critical, pressing issues that are facing this city.

 

I agree.  So far that is a big negative for me about Helps' campaign - which so far as I can see is about being able to order lunch effectively during council meetings.  

 

On the other hand, I don't know that Chong has any particular solutions for those pressing issues.   

[HB]

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[Holden West]

This is Ida Chong's dilemma; people generally don't like voting against something--they want to vote for something. Sure, there will be some anti-Fortin voters putting a checkmark beside Ida's name but often angry voters simply stay home. This is why Paul Brown did so poorly last election. In some ways 2014 is a replay of 2011 with an embattled Fortin and a challenger (this time Ida instead of Brown) angrily calling for accountability. The difference is that in 2014 there's a credible third candidate for the first time in years. 

 

So people will only vote positively: either Fortin (experience, continuity, homelessness fixer, labour supporter) or Helps (renewal, leadership, fresh outlook). 

 

The best Chong can hope for is to top Paul Brown's votes in the last election. But that will be less than half the votes needed to win.

[John M.]

This is Ida Chong's dilemma; people generally don't like voting against something--they want to vote for something. Sure, there will be some anti-Fortin voters putting a checkmark beside Ida's name but often angry voters simply stay home. This is why Paul Brown did so poorly last election. In some ways 2014 is a replay of 2011 with an embattled Fortin and a challenger (this time Ida instead of Brown) angrily calling for accountability. The difference is that in 2014 there's a credible third candidate for the first time in years. 

 

So people will only vote positively: either Fortin (experience, continuity, homelessness fixer, labour supporter) or Helps (renewal, leadership, fresh outlook). 

 

The best Chong can hope for is to top Paul Brown's votes in the last election. But that will be less than half the votes needed to win.

There are a lot of reasons beside being the "anti-fortin" candidate to vote for chong

[UDeMan]

charlayne thornton-joe lives in saanich too. never stopped people from voting for her

[Nparker]

charlayne thornton-joe lives in saanich too. never stopped people from voting for her

It stopped me.

[LJ]

Maybe this is a stop Lisa campaign. Ida knows she will be splitting the vote allowing Fortin to win. Wonder what he promised her?

[North Shore]

Free lunch, in perpetuity, at a restaurant of her choice?

[NotHudsonMack]

Maybe this is a stop Lisa campaign. Ida knows she will be splitting the vote allowing Fortin to win. Wonder what he promised her?

 

A BC Liberal and a BCNDP working together? What world do you live in?

[StudentOfLife]

Once the 4 core municipalities amalgamate then she can run for mayor of the new city; until then she has no vested interest in securing the best future for Victoria.

 

No vested interest? Victoria is the economic heart of this region, and its vitality is absolutely essential to the vitality of its neighbours. People from all the municipalities spend lots of their time in the municipality of Victoria, for events, parades, community celebrations, work, and leisure. I live in one municipality and work in another, so do most people in the region. That means we all have a vested interest in the vitality of regions around us. It's more than just who we pay property taxes to.

[LJ]

I keep forgetting to use smiley faces.

[Mike K.]

No vested interest? Victoria is the economic heart of this region, and its vitality is absolutely essential to the vitality of its neighbours. People from all the municipalities spend lots of their time in the municipality of Victoria, for events, parades, community celebrations, work, and leisure. I live in one municipality and work in another, so do most people in the region. That means we all have a vested interest in the vitality of regions around us. It's more than just who we pay property taxes to.

Amalgamation first, then representation.

[Nparker]

Amalgamation first, then representation.

This.

[NotHudsonMack]

I am still holding out for a 4th candidate in this race. I agree with what Ida Chong is saying, I just don't like that i'll have to vote for her.

 

Help me Rob Reid, you're my only hope! 

[Rob Randall]

 

Welcoming City:   As Mayor, Ida will…

• Ensure that Victoria once again enjoys clean, green, safe streets that once exemplified the ‘Garden City’; 
• Increase on-the-street police presence downtown;
• Ensure that parking is not an obstacle to coming downtown.

 

Point #1: this is admirable if vague. It costs money. More landscaping and garbage pickup requires more City labour.

Point #2: Another call for more beat cops. You hear this every election. A senior police officer told me that beat cops give you a sense of security but they are not really the best use of scarce resources. If your goal is to reduce crime, you get a better bang for your buck by putting an investigator behind a desk, coordinating and communicating with other jurisdictions, sharing information on which criminals are on their radar and what current crime sprees need to be targeted, whether they be arsons, armed robberies or break-ins; basically stopping crime before it starts. But that is a tough sell during an election campaign. No politician ever got elected promising more desk jobs for cops. 

Point #3: Victoria has just implemented new parking rules after a long period of study and public feedback. And a parking manager has been kind enough to regularly come on this forum to explain future plans. It's not enough for Chong to give vague promises of improvements without specifics. 

[Mike K.]

Good points, Rob.

 

As for parking, what more can we possibly do? This isn't downtown Sidney, we actually have tens of thousands of vehicles vying for limited parking spots and we need to charge rates and restrict parking to allow a constant turn over. If someone can't handle that then so be it.

[Rob Randall]

If you want to kick the mayor out of office shouldn't you suggest solutions that City Hall isn't already doing? I've yet to see anything new on Chong's platform besides the tax freeze but she doesn't say if there would be a revenue shortfall. Remember, cities cannot go into debt, they have to have a balanced budget or a surplus. If you reduce taxes you must increase revenue or reduce spending. But Chong is promising more City labour in the form of unionized beat cops and street cleaners.

[Rob Randall]

The other thing that bothers me about the tax freeze is that it ignores a serious problem with our present tax setup. Right now, businesses pay proportionally more than homeowners do for property of a similar value. Commercial property owners (and their tenants), most of whom are located Downtown have long complained of this unfairness. The City has tried to solve this imbalance by making tiny reductions in the business rate and increases in the residential rate. It's a delicate act: you can't make home ownership unaffordable yet you also have to keep up with inflation. 

[spanky123]

^ Agreed.

 

I think that most people would support a property tax increase in line with the CPI each year. Promises not to increase taxes ring pretty hollow when accompanied by promises to increase spending.

 

It is no surprise to me that the business community is focusing on issues that they think will sound attractive to voters, but the fact that Ida is just parroting them without any critical thought is bothersome.