5915 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

...people just criticize grammar and photos of the candidates...

I am critical of the entire platform so far put forth by Mr. Leitenberg.

[PPPdev]

The one thing I've had trouble understanding is the highly aggressive critique of the Mayor when it comes to the bike lanes. Is it not aware that the Mayor does not have superpowers, her vote is only one of nine ? At any time, other Councillors could have voted against the bike lane expenditure during any number of the Council sessions, strategic planning sessions, committee meetings, capital budget meetings...the list goes on...but the discourse always seems to be: "We've gotta toss the Mayor and her bike lanes!"

 

Me personally, I use the bike lanes almost daily and sure they could have been designed a little better, overall we are blessed in this City to have them 

[Bingo]

The one thing I've had trouble understanding is the highly aggressive critique of the Mayor when it comes to the bike lanes. Is it not aware that the Mayor does not have superpowers, her vote is only one of nine ? At any time, other Councillors could have voted against the bike lane expenditure during any number of the Council sessions, strategic planning sessions, committee meetings, capital budget meetings...the list goes on...but the discourse always seems to be: "We've gotta toss the Mayor and her bike lanes!"

Me personally, I use the bike lanes almost daily and sure they could have been designed a little better, overall we are blessed in this City to have them 

 

The city needs to listen to the transit union when they bring up concerns about the bike lanes.

http://www.timescolo...nion-1.23323338

[spanky123]

The one thing I've had trouble understanding is the highly aggressive critique of the Mayor when it comes to the bike lanes. Is it not aware that the Mayor does not have superpowers, her vote is only one of nine ? At any time, other Councillors could have voted against the bike lane expenditure during any number of the Council sessions, strategic planning sessions, committee meetings, capital budget meetings...the list goes on...but the discourse always seems to be: "We've gotta toss the Mayor and her bike lanes!"

 

Me personally, I use the bike lanes almost daily and sure they could have been designed a little better, overall we are blessed in this City to have them 

 

Like much of what the Mayor does, the critique is not so much the idea but the process to get to a resolution. If you support her fine, but raise any concerns or objections and they are ignored and you are diminished as yet another NIMBY. In the specific case of the Fort Street bike lanes, business and other non-bike users complained that they were never consulted until well after the fact and/or that any feedback they did provide was disregarded out of hand.

[PPPdev]

^^
Once again, the Mayor does not handle feedback received or the consultation. Staff does, it gets put into a staff report and then Council decides on what to do.

[spanky123]

^^
Once again, the Mayor does not handle feedback received or the consultation. Staff does, it gets put into a staff report and then Council decides on what to do.

 

I am referring to specific cases where Helps and or the staff have asked for community feedback. 

[sdwright.vic]

The mayors stance should be based upon that feedback when she votes though.

Not her personal opinion/ agenda.

Boy is the attacks on anyone who has an issue with the mayor starting aĺready?

Edited by sdwright.vic, 04 June 2018 - 11:28 AM.

[Rob Randall]

The criticism against Coleman is he's a weather vane, the criticism against Helps is she has personal opinions/agenda. 

[Stephen James]

All you whiners need to shut up and throw your own name in the hat!

To me, this stings a bit because there's truth in it.

I feel an obligation to contribute, not least because I can't keep my opinions to myself, lol.

At some point (after the new businesses are on firmer footing), I hope to find time to be a candidate for councillor and put some action (and some money, I expect) where my words have been. 

 

After so many years of watching politics in many forms, and listening to the likes of David Gergen and/or Peter Drucker, for example, I worry that we have a system that requires a huge ego.  The ego may be necessary to carry a politician forward through such a brutal process, but then we pay a price for the downsides that come from the same ego.  The things I would dread most about the process, for example, are exactly the same things that my most extroverted friend would really enjoy!

[Stephen James]

^How is City Hall expected to interfere in a business transaction between two entities, JN Development and the United Church? 

 

I'd like to hear from him who is expected to subsidize the incredible costs involved in completely rebuilding an almost-condemned church building for below-market housing. Currently the rezoning proposal calls for market rents. 

Same bottomless fund that will pay for a Vic High reno and a spectacular new facility to replace Crystal Pool.  We're lucky to have such a resource on the island.

(Assume sarcasm.)

[Cassidy]

^^
Once again, the Mayor does not handle feedback received or the consultation. Staff does, it gets put into a staff report and then Council decides on what to do.

That's a bit simplistic.

 

Every Councillor, and the Mayor has, and uses access to whatever information or report they want, from staff, the public, or consultants.

 

Staff may be involved, but there's no requirement for them to be so ... and they're often completely out of the picture beyond simply doing what they're told to do.

[Stephen James]

The funny thing is most of you build anything people on this forum will end up voting for Lisa if this pack holds.

Your round, I think...

[Stephen James]

Changes might just be a breath of fresh air - he certainly couldn't be a whole lot worse than the current occupant of the mayor's chair. As for the green bikes, the ones I encounter on the sidewalk near my place soon find themselves in the street where they belong.

Wow, I wish that were true around here.  I live in JB and we see the tragic (and inconvenient) effort to get this green bike business happening around us.  What we get is small piles of bikes (usually pushed over by 10 am) lying around our residential streets.  I've had to move them off the boulevard in front of my house and they're starting to look a little broken and rusty.  I saw someone get on one on the weekend but that's the very first time.  Maybe they get used more elsewhere in town.

 

I own a bike and a car.  Both are useful to me in different circumstances and both (I thought) have different rules for use in our community.  Too bad either side has decided to turn this issue into a political one but one thing is clear to me here... I'm VERY embarrassed when I ride in Victoria because of the behaviour of many cyclists.  Haven't seen this kind of free-for-all anywhere else (Portland, Amsterdam, Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto, London.) I ride less here than I might because the behaviour tarnishes us all and I feel that the drivers are justified in their frustration.  The number of times I've been cut off, had to slam on brakes, had to leap out of the way on a sidewalk, cross-walk, stop on a one-way street with a cyclist coming right at me, crowds of cyclists blocking the whole road....on and on.  It's really incredible here.

 

If Mayor Helps had a little more wisdom and experience, she'd know that cyclist road behaviour, and the management thereof, is critical to the success of her plan.  I'm worried she's juts not that smart.

 

Jeremy, if you're listening (because Lisa is NOT), please beg her to pay attention.  Unless she prioritizes better cyclist behaviour - the anger and polarization is her fault, no-one else. 

[Stephen James]

Sean Leitenberg has ensured he will not be getting my vote.

Anyone who buys into the "vacant condo" theory is no one I want running my city.

Agreed... the vacant condo bs is starting to take on the stink of dogma.  When it's not, it's just another lazy, easy, lowest-common-denominator topic that can fire up the emotional responses (conveniently leverages latent racism as well.)  

 

I'm looking forward to the day, again, when opinions are unacceptable if facts are available.

(This makes me very angry, lol.)

 

Aside... its an interesting observation in our society that, even though the "rampant speculation"-as-a-reason-for-a-lack-of-supply bs has begun to fade, it's still more prominent than the research and papers that have been published since that clearly dispute the point.

[Stephen James]

There was more to it than that. Leonard had/has a condescending sanctimonious dictating demeanor. He spoke at the all candidates meetings as if he was assured of being re-elected.

He also mislead his constituents on the topic of there being a re-zoning requirement in order to build a digester at Hartland for sewage treatment.

Most residents in Saanich could give a squat about amalgamation.

I'm not sure that's true.

 

There's been a lot of grass-roots work done in Saanich, over the last 2 years, specifically to understand the appetite for amalgamation.  The work resulted in a citizen's assembly (maybe a little reluctantly by Saanich council but they couldn't deny the interest among the community.)  The assembly's work resulted in a recommendation to council and then, as we know, a letter from Saanich to the Province asking for help to explore the topic with the City of Victoria.  This has considerable momentum.

 

Now ask yourself this... if Victoria and Saanich amalgamate (some fun here... "Vaanich?", "Vicnich?", "Saanoria?") and become a muni of about 200,000, what will it be like when Esquimalt (17,000) is negotiating for services?  Highlands?  Have you ever been the baby around the table with some 800 lb gorillas?  You take the crumbs that fall your way....

 

This train hasn't left the station ... but the engine is warm.

[Stephen James]

^^
Once again, the Mayor does not handle feedback received or the consultation. Staff does, it gets put into a staff report and then Council decides on what to do.

This comment misses the point.

 

Mayor Helps has, arguably, ignored her duty to consult on this project and, whether she decided to go ahead anyway, or not, it was a serious error in judgment that she did not require consultation with the Fort Street businesses (or transit.)  I've attended so many events with her that I'm convinced she has real trouble with anyone, or any idea, that conflicts with hers.  

 

There may be no candidates that deserve to replace her, but this is the one issue I find most concerning in leadership.  When a leader can't overcome this tendency, the result we get is less-informed decision making and poorer communication with the community.

[Coreyburger]

Now ask yourself this... if Victoria and Saanich amalgamate (some fun here... "Vaanich?", "Vicnich?", "Saanoria?") and become a muni of about 200,000, what will it be like when Esquimalt (17,000) is negotiating for services?  Highlands?  Have you ever been the baby around the table with some 800 lb gorillas?  You take the crumbs that fall your way....

 

This is what the Central Okangan and Nanaimo Regional Districts are like - one large muni (Kelowna & Nanaimo) dominate the voting and the funding

[29er Radio]

This comment misses the point.

 

Mayor Helps has, arguably, ignored her duty to consult on this project and, whether she decided to go ahead anyway, or not, it was a serious error in judgment that she did not require consultation with the Fort Street businesses (or transit.)

It is my understanding that Mayor Helps and staff consulted with the business owners, but since the work being undertaken did not require public consultation in order to move forward, they were able to move ahead despite the opinions being expressed. She confirmed this in a comment on one of our podcasts from a few weeks ago.

[Mike K.]

So the consultation was merely a formality then. That’s the feeling many constituents have voiced when responding to the City’s online questionnaires which are skewed in such a way as to lead one down a path with one of several ideal outcomes that the City has decided it wants to move on.

It's all a little disappointing, to be honest.

[nagel]

The route was decided but consultation did lead to some changes, including the addition of 8 spots that otherwise would not have been included, the timing of construction, additional loading zones and I believe some type of specialty spot by IGA.