5915 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

Isitt bolds the way Trump CAPITALIZES in his tweets. I have zero respect for either one of them.

[Rob Randall]

I honestly can’t believe the hubris of some people. Mayor’s chair or nothing. Victoria’s recent electoral history is fraught with also rans who refuse to learn the lesson that successful mayoral campaigns are built on a track record as a councilor. Helps, Fortin and Lowe are prime examples. You can do a lot of good/evil in a weak mayor/city manager system of governance.

I understand that Bruce McGuigan was advised this and ignored said advice. I don’t get why people seem intent on repeating history.

 

Precisely. I understand that some feel an unsuccessful run is good practice for a "real" run next time around. But a failed councillor is regarded more kindly than a failed mayoral condidate, which carries more of a stigma.

 

I'd like to know what's going through McGuigan's noggin. Is he merely delusional or is he setting up some sort of elaborate 3-D chess strategy? He would be very lucky to reach third place.

[On the Level]

These sound great...except it is missing the "by doing" part.  

• live with dignity in safe, energy-efficient, affordable housing;
• live in a healthy environment with a stable climate, sustainable transportation options and access to nature, clean air, fresh water and nutritious food;
• participate actively in an inclusive community, with adequate income, support services and access to arts, culture and recreation;

How are the CoV residents going to fund and afford "affordable housing" for others?

How is voting in a CoV Councillor going to create a "healthy environment with a stable climate"?

What is actually meant by an "inclusive community" when it comes to city residents?  What can CoV residents expect for paying for "adequate income and support services"....?

 

When the Victoria Council's job is managing city budgets, staff, zoning, and infrastructure, how are these going to get impacted?

Edited by On the Level, 04 September 2018 - 09:32 PM.

[Pam]

Precisely. I understand that some feel an unsuccessful run is good practice for a "real" run next time around. But a failed councillor is regarded more kindly than a failed mayoral condidate, which carries more of a stigma.
 
I'd like to know what's going through McGuigan's noggin. Is he merely delusional or is he setting up some sort of elaborate 3-D chess strategy? He would be very lucky to reach third place.

Lol. He was not advised, he was told by a transplanted Vancouverite (who ran Ida Chong’s remarkably poor campaign 4 years ago) that he didn’t believe McGuigan could beat Steven Hammond.

As I said that morning, welcome to Victoria boys. We do things differently here.

[rmpeers]

he attended the dismantling day though. hey he still might run for mayor the nominations do not close until the 14th.

In an email sent out today, he says he is running for council.

[Mike K.]

Geoghegan has announced he's running for City of Victoria mayor.

 

The Saanich website is still live: https://www.mikeforsaanichcouncil.ca/

[nagel]

Where'd you see that Mike?

Edited by nagel, 05 September 2018 - 06:50 AM.

[spanky123]

Lol. He was not advised, he was told by a transplanted Vancouverite (who ran Ida Chong’s remarkably poor campaign 4 years ago) that he didn’t believe McGuigan could beat Steven Hammond.

As I said that morning, welcome to Victoria boys. We do things differently here.

 

Well judging by the VV poll, all 4 of the main Mayoral candidates could split the vote and each of them would still beat Helps!

 

I have nothing against Bruce or Gary, but until I see some semblance of any organization or grassroots approach to getting the vote out then Hammond has the best chance of winning so he will get my vote.

 

I think what tends to happen is you get some deep pocketed folks with personal interests that convince a candidate that he/she has a chance of winning and then ego does the rest.

[Mike K.]

A little birdie tipped us off that a Facebook group belonging to Geoghegan has changed its name.

 

So now we have four serious contenders for mayor other than Helps:

- Hammond

- Geoghegan

- Beyer

- McGuigan

[nagel]

Well judging by the VV poll, all 4 of the main Mayoral candidates could split the vote and each of them would still beat Helps!

 

I have nothing against Bruce or Gary, but until I see some semblance of any organization or grassroots approach to getting the vote out then Hammond has the best chance of winning so he will get my vote.

 

I think what tends to happen is you get some deep pocketed folks with personal interests that convince a candidate that he/she has a chance of winning and then ego does the rest.

 

That's just not how it works.

 

The city is like 90K people, including kids and ineligible voters, and about 25K will actually vote for mayor.  Lisa could get 9K, or 10% of the actual population to vote for her, and the others could split the remaining 16K and hand her the win.

 

If it was Lisa vs Hammond one on one, she loses.  If it's Lisa vs Hammond and Gary and MG PLUS a ton of silly also-rans who carve up the 16K even further, it's very likely she wins.

[Stephen Andrew]

THE CROWDED SPACE FOR MAYOR - from experience

Running for Mayor of Victoria seemed like a good idea back in 2014. The result was, and this is an understatement 😉, not as I had intended. I thought vote splitting would help and it’s obvious to me now that I was somewhat blinded by the reality of running.

I didn’t think Dean Fortin, Lisa Helps or even Ida Chong should be Mayor - at least the electorate agrees with me on two of those 😀. Helps won the race in the last week of the 2014 campaign. We polled and Fortin was in first place, Helps in second.

Throughtout the campaign people would repeat a line that became ingrained in my head, “Stephen, I would vote for you but I think you need to serve at least one term on council”. I didn’t think I’d be in the running this time out, but (and this is not hyperbole) my heart ached as I watched the painful lack of reasonable thinking at the council table. It became too much. I could continue to comment and criticize or I could act. I truly hope I can make a difference.

Back to the campaign for mayor...

The All Candidate meetings in 2014 were a gong show and I really question whether they are worth the time.

Generally, I found myself sitting with a number of candidates who were truly serious about their run, they were mounting full campaigns and putting “their money where their mouths are”.

Then there were the others, one earnestly wanting to make a difference and those who appeared to be running to grandstand on one issue or to make a complete mockery of the process.

I admire Rob Duncan for his passion for raising awareness for child poverty. It’s an admirable position. But when you are facing a room full of questions dealing with every issue under the sun and you have a clown sitting beside you repeatedly making the same statement to every question it becomes “theatre of the absurd”. But, as they say, that’s democracy.

Victoria appears to be the only municipal race where we have this issue. We need higher thresholds for someone to become a candidate for mayor.

As to this race and the field so far...

If, as the candidates say, they want a change in mayor then they need to do what’s best for the City of Victoria and NOT their ego.

I do not support Lisa Helps. As this campaign runs its course I believe more and more justification will become evident. I’ll leave it there - for now.

I pray Michael Geoghegan does not enter the race. I believe he lives in Saanich (for me mayoral candidates outside the city are a non-starter).

I talked with Gary Beyer and he’s only interested in the mayor’s position. I think he’s wrong to take that position- as I know oh so well - and I tried to convince him as a councillor he could do well.

Rob Duncan running as Rob and not “Changes the Clown” is... well... Rob Duncan running without a clown costume.

I know Stephen Hammond and I support his candidacy.

I sit in policy discussions with Stephen. I listen to his positions. He listens to mine and others. He is respectful. I often hear him say “Hey, I’m but one voice on this team.” To acknowledge that means a lot to me.

He wears the “Mad as hell” moniker as a badge of honour and says “tell people that”, so I do.

Where we differ on that issue is I believe it does not say everything you need to know about him.

Stephen is a decent man with progressive ideas.

Also, critics are trying to label all NewCouncil.ca candidates as “the mad as hell right wing bunch” which is so far from the truth. I’m certainly not right wing and from my conversations with the other umbrella candidates, neither are they.

I can’t say much about the other mayoral candidates as I don’t know them.

In every election there will be someone who says “this is an important race, a turning point”. Well, that’s a given.

So, what can you and I do about the crowded race this year?

I suggest between now and September 14 when the nominations close, reach out to the mayoral candidates and if you believe they are not viable, tell them. And ask them, in the interest of a better city, to step aside or run for council.

If they don’t, despite the fact we won’t have a clown in race, it will still be a three-ring circus.

Edited by Stephen Andrew, 05 September 2018 - 07:05 AM.

[Mike K.]

I pray Michael Geoghegan does not enter the race. I believe he lives in Saanich (for me mayoral candidates outside the city are non-starter).

 

 

He's entering the race.

[nagel]

Oh yeah, his Twitter details have jumped the gun:

 

https://www.votemikeformayor.ca/

[Stephen Andrew]

He's entering the race.

It’s a foolish move IMO. Mike reads this forum, so he knows where I stand

[Rob Randall]

Mr. Geoghegan; respectfully, your support tops out at 4,000 votes if you run a surprisingly great campaign, you need 6,000 to topple Helps assuming she has a dramatic loss of support. The path to victory simply isn't there.

 

Saanich residents find it challenging to run in Victoria, a mayoral candidate from another municipality is a non-starter. You need to demonstrate, not just talk about, committment.

[spanky123]

It’s a foolish move IMO. Mike reads this forum, so he knows where I stand

 

Again I have nothing against Mike personally but he is non-electable. He has enough social media and professional baggage to sink a cruise ship. He is not even a threat for vote splitting in my opinion.

[nagel]

Mr. Geoghegan; respectfully, your support tops out at 4,000 votes if you run a surprisingly great campaign, you need 6,000 to topple Helps assuming she has a dramatic loss of support. The path to victory simply isn't there.

 

Saanich residents find it challenging to run in Victoria, a mayoral candidate from another municipality is a non-starter. You need to demonstrate, not just talk about, committment.

The problem is that just to even run for mayor in the first place, you must have a truly impressive ego that totally blinds rational thought.

 

This is becoming a simply hilarious mayoral race.

[Victoria Watcher]

instead of a higher threshold for candidates to enter the official run.  the organizations hosting the all-candidates meetings should insist on a higher threshold to be invited.  but nobody has the balls to do that in a pc world.

 

goeghna needs to spare the poor voters of victoria and stay at home in saanich.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 September 2018 - 07:26 AM.

[spanky123]

Mr. Geoghegan; respectfully, your support tops out at 4,000 votes if you run a surprisingly great campaign, you need 6,000 to topple Helps assuming she has a dramatic loss of support. The path to victory simply isn't there.

 

Saanich residents find it challenging to run in Victoria, a mayoral candidate from another municipality is a non-starter. You need to demonstrate, not just talk about, committment.

 

You are being generous. He got 863 votes in Saanich during the by-election which were the crotchety old white male crowd.

[Victoria Watcher]

that's what i was thinking.  he has more name recognition in saanich too.  more cfax listenders there than victoria.