32 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

http://douglasmagazi...aret-lucas.html

 

http://www.victoria....candidates.html

 

http://www.margaretlucas.ca/

[Mike K.]

I have been a resident of Greater Victoria for over 35 years.  I'm married, have four grown children, a beautiful new granddaughter with another grandbaby on the way and three grandpuppies.

 

 

Don't tell me we have yet another contestant from "Greater Victoria" hungry to run the affairs of the residents of the City of Victoria.

[Mr Cook Street]

Don't tell me we have yet another contestant from "Greater Victoria" hungry to run the affairs of the residents of the City of Victoria.

From the sounds of it, she at least has a lot of history working in Victoria.

[Mike K.]

Not good enough IMO. 2/3's of the population works in Victoria but they run off elsewhere when the day is done. There's no reason why people who both live AND work here have to put up with non-residents minding our affairs. That's not right.

[Nparker]

Not good enough IMO. 2/3's of the population works in Victoria but they run off elsewhere when the day is done. There's no reason why people who both live AND work here have to put up with non-residents minding our affairs. That's not right.

Agree!!!!

[Hotel Mike]

Margaret Lucas has been around downtown Victoria for many years and involved. She would be a good candidate. I wonder if she'll throw in with the new mayoral candidate announcing tomorrow, who may be Stephen Andrew.

[Hotel Mike]

Mind you, if she is a non-resident that is a big strike against her.

[Mike K.]

Yes exactly. If she really wants to make a difference, run for council in your own municipality and push for amalgamation with Victoria.

 

We don't need any more "I love Victoria, I work in Victoria, I want to make a difference in Victoria" candidates. Move here, vote here, then campaign here. Despite my appreciation for all that Thornton-Joe has done her being a Saanich resident isn't right, and don't even get me started on Alto (but her entry as councillor just proves how powerful the NDP machine is).

[R0ark]

Her platform is very light on substance. She's definitely a Chamber of Commerce candidate, as a past Chair. She has been on a lot of commitees, but I would rather see a list of their results and her contribution to them, rather than being presented with the simple fact of her presence. For some, committees and boards are nothing more than free meals and easy money. I am not suggesting that is the case here, but honestly, I want to see substance.

 

For example: I want to know more about how exactly she contributed to the Johnson Street Bridge

Citizen Advisory Committee, which she joined in 2009. (see here: http://www.victoria....9/090822_pr.pdf )

 

The citizen committees around the bridge project were probably nothing more than citizen engagement window-dressing, but I would really love to know what their output was, and what influence they had, if any, on the tragically over-complicated and over budget design for the new bridge that we are wrestling with right now.

 

Her platform, which only covers tourism, the Johnson Street Bridge, and Amalgamation, says this about the bridge project:

 

 

The decision to build a new bridge was decided by a referendum so now our job is to complete the bridge on time & on budget.  We need to work with all the stakeholders involved and together we can finish the bridge that will have improved safety and will benefit our cyclists, pedestrians and vehicle traffic for many years to come.

 

It's an easy position to take, even though it's impossible (it's already over time and over budget), and considering how she has been attached to the project from an early stage, I would expect something more in-depth.

 

Lastly, while her web-site is simple, it's static rather than dynamic (modern sites should accommodate mobile and desktop resolutions dynamically), and far too shallow for my taste.  It's a bare minimum effort. Based on what I see I wouldn't vote for her.

Edited by R0ark, 09 October 2014 - 12:36 PM.

[VicHockeyFan]

I agree her platform looks weak on details.

[R0ark]

Not good enough IMO. 2/3's of the population works in Victoria but they run off elsewhere when the day is done. There's no reason why people who both live AND work here have to put up with non-residents minding our affairs. That's not right.

 

Also, I want to add that I completely agree. Unlike provincial and federal politics, it doesn't matter where you live when representing a riding. If you're an MP, you're working on laws for all Canadians, yourself included. The same goes for MLAs and provincial laws and projects.

 

When you get down into the municipal level, it changes. You are making bylaws and decisions that have no effect on your property taxes (unless you own property that you don't live in). It's galling, and honestly, I want the next mayor and council to see if they can change the rules for being a councillor to require them to live in the municipality they are setting policy for.

Edited by R0ark, 09 October 2014 - 12:48 PM.

[rjag]

I personally know Margaret through my years in the Chamber Board. She is a good person with loads of drive and ideas. Regardless where she sleeps at night she spends the bulk of her waking hours in Victoria. She would be a great asset to Victoria.

[Mike K.]

That's fair enough, but how about she become an asset on the books too rather than earning an income here that she then uses to support another municipal coffer.

Seriously folks, this non-resident, none voter song and dance needs to end. Amalgamate or stop making a mockery of the tax payers with candidates from all over the place.

[rjag]

Mike, I agree with you, however under the current setup using your logic, you are more likely to get another Ben Isitt before another Margaret Lucas.....I don't know about you, but I know who I would consider to better serve the interests of the primary Municipality of our region.

Edited by rjag, 09 October 2014 - 12:54 PM.

[R0ark]

I personally know Margaret through my years in the Chamber Board. She is a good person with loads of drive and ideas. Regardless where she sleeps at night she spends the bulk of her waking hours in Victoria. She would be a great asset to Victoria.

 

Working in Victoria is not good enough. Just imagine if Thorton-Joe and Alto get re-elected (very likely), Ida Chong pays enough canvassers to get her elected mayor (god help us), and then Lucas joins the team. We'll then have 4 out of the 9 (44%) members of council making bylaws and policies that will have little to no impact on their own lives. The bridge project triples in price? So what. Everyone else pays.

 

The Bay Street bridge needs to get replaced or fixed soon enough. Is Margaret Lucas going to be just as effective as a councillor as she was as a citizen advisor for the Johnson Street Bridge project, when literally, the outcome has little or not impact on her taxes?

 

Regardless, even outside of the fact that she doesn't live in Victoria (I would love confirmation on this) Changes the Clown has put more time into his platform compared to Lucas, as ludicrous as some of his planks are (5% municipal tax on coltan products? Right.)

 

If she is going to get my vote, despite her not even being able to vote for herself, I'd like to see her put her loads of energy and drive into a well thought-out, concrete platform. 

 

Lastly, if you want a business friendly candidate who isn't tied to the hip of the Chamber of Commerce and has done more than manage a golf course and hotel, I would suggest supporting Justin Stephenson. He likes Victoria so much that he lives here, and has a career and charitable works resume that is truly impressive: http://www.justinstephenson.ca/about

Edited by R0ark, 09 October 2014 - 04:19 PM.

[rjag]

All good points Roark. Goes to show you how ridiculous it is to have 13 municipalities for such a small region and how differing opinions can have an effect on this. Personally I would much rather have a good candidate that lived in the next municipality than have a poor candidate but they live here. What if the candidate just moved to victoria from another country, does that make them more qualified?

[Mike K.]

rjag, I know, that's the problem. We may lose out on someone like Lucas and get another Isitt, but this is where amalgamation comes into play. If we got rid of a half dozen municipalities and merged them into one we'd have a much larger pool of politicians form which to pick, and believe me, if Saanich joined with Victoria gone would be the days of politicians wasting time and resources fretting over oil tankers and spending millions on separated bike lanes when we can't afford half a dozen other (and more pressing) expenses.

[R0ark]

All good points Roark. Goes to show you how ridiculous it is to have 13 municipalities for such a small region and how differing opinions can have an effect on this. Personally I would much rather have a good candidate that lived in the next municipality than have a poor candidate but they live here. What if the candidate just moved to victoria from another country, does that make them more qualified?

 

If a person cannot even vote in the election they are participating in, I don't want them in the race. If someone is fresh moved from another country but lives in the municipality and can vote, then yes, they are more qualified. They have skin in the game. It's poker with stakes, rather than just playing at politics with no personal consequences.

 

People who live in one municipality yet get elected in another may as well be living in a different country, as far as municipal governance is concerned. They are spending someone else's money, not their own.

 

So really, until we get amalgamation done, there needs to be a hard and fast law that blocks people from running in elections they can't vote in.

Edited by R0ark, 09 October 2014 - 04:26 PM.

[LJ]

So what if they do live in Victoria, get elected, then move out of Victoria?

[Nparker]

So what if they do live in Victoria, get elected, then move out of Victoria?

That's easy; they resign their seat.