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City of Victoria | 2022 municipal election + REGIONAL election night discussion/results


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#3061 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 05 February 2023 - 11:46 AM

Out spent and out organized. This is a hill that can be climbed but it can't be done within 6 months of the election. It can't be done with a lack of focus and organization, and it can't be done without some endorsements and some weight behind those candidates. There were efforts - hurculean by some. We had good people step up - but when it comes to getting the message out: good governance matters, public safety matters, etc. - there's a whole lot more that needed to be done that could not be done.

 

So why did most of you wait until 2 or 3 months before the election to declare?



#3062 Stephen James

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 11:38 AM

If you get organized then the big guns will fire at you. Let’s not forget the tar and feather treatment the VIVA candidates received from the media. That was on the house…

Of course, politics.

But I believe Aw Juno is correct and I've changed my mind about a slate. If I could wish for something, it would be this:

  • candidates who identify as independent align for a slate (branding is they are NOT simply working on the Provincial agenda, of any flavour, and using the city as their petrie dish - I think this can sell well);
  • they are identified within the next 18 months;
  • concurrently, enough door-knocking happens in the city, 24 months before the next election, to build the right lists;
  • the campaign ground strategy is identified, with people leaders in place for different roles, 12 months before the election.

If you think Alto is a corrupt Mayor, and I do, I suspect the next one from this slate will be much, much worse.


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#3063 Harry

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 01:34 PM


If you think Alto is a corrupt Mayor, and I do, I suspect the next one from this slate will be much, much worse.

Not that I disagree but what makes you say this?



#3064 Awaiting Juno

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 02:45 PM

If you get organized then the big guns will fire at you. Let’s not forget the tar and feather treatment the VIVA candidates received from the media. That was on the house…

 

VIVA had PPC fingerprints all over it, and that really can't be ignored. NDP might be many things, but they are not fringe (until recently). The same cannot be said for the PPC.


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#3065 Awaiting Juno

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 02:48 PM

So why did most of you wait until 2 or 3 months before the election to declare?

 

Because running for office isn't something you just do, your whole family and the rest of your life is impacted. For myself there were personal considerations before publicly declaring, including school aged kids. It's not a genie that can be crammed back into the bottle very easily.



#3066 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 02:48 PM

Whatever. They just just got votes.

#3067 Harry

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 07:03 PM

Because running for office isn't something you just do, your whole family and the rest of your life is impacted. For myself there were personal considerations before publicly declaring, including school aged kids. It's not a genie that can be crammed back into the bottle very easily.

Not to mention the harassment, attacks on your person and those around you, the threats, the possible trashing of your workplace or home to name a few. Its not a simple run for office anymore. Its become a very risky thing to take on. You risk your personal safety, your reputation and so on. You actively have people working to say or do what ever they can to discredit you with lies or what ever they think will work to destroy you so that their candidate can get in and push their preferred agenda forward. While not caring about your health and safety and most of the time the people that are running and working with the people doing these things think its great. Yes politics can be messy but over the last few years especially in Victoria its become a horrific gantlet of **** and abuse.


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#3068 Nparker

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 07:26 PM

... politics can be messy but over the last few years especially in Victoria it's become a horrific gantlet of **** and abuse.

And it will continue this way as long these methods work.



#3069 Harry

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Posted 07 February 2023 - 11:29 AM

And it will continue this way as long these methods work.

It will continue to work as long as the people working for the elected get what they want. The moment they are not getting what they want or there is push back and maybe a dam good news story that holds no punches that exposes the people that have been up to with names dates ect... we wont see any change. Currently we don't really have anyone in the reporting business willing or aloud to do anything. The amount of people that had conversations that would bury council members but couldn't due to loss of funding, loss of jobs or other reprisals. This has been carried over to this council to an extent.


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#3070 dasmo

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Posted 07 February 2023 - 12:05 PM

A perfect description of our failed journalistic institutions. This is not limited to local politics....


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#3071 Stephen James

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Posted 07 February 2023 - 01:36 PM

A perfect description of our failed journalistic institutions. This is not limited to local politics....

I'm confused by this.

We won't pay for local news, as is well covered for decades now. No subscribers means no reporting. Can't blame reporters for wanting to get paid can we?

 

I blame facething, twitter, the internet and news aggregators. As soon as people who wanted money at any cost figured out we didn't care whether news was true, we got stuff that was waaaaay more exciting than just normal, everyday news. We got punchy soundbites, clickbait, and popups instead, because they make a ton of money and don't take much effort. Political flavoured news gets the worst treatment (or the least effort to verify the truth), because winding us up works best, and nothing winds us up like politics.



#3072 Awaiting Juno

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 10:14 AM

Not to mention the harassment, attacks on your person and those around you, the threats, the possible trashing of your workplace or home to name a few. Its not a simple run for office anymore. Its become a very risky thing to take on. You risk your personal safety, your reputation and so on. You actively have people working to say or do what ever they can to discredit you with lies or what ever they think will work to destroy you so that their candidate can get in and push their preferred agenda forward. While not caring about your health and safety and most of the time the people that are running and working with the people doing these things think its great. Yes politics can be messy but over the last few years especially in Victoria its become a horrific gantlet of **** and abuse.

 

Truer words have never been spoken. It was awful in that regard - grown adults demonstrated that nothing was beneath them to get their goal achieved. It was unethical, and speaks to a lack of rules and consequences for behavior that has no place in an election. When such things happen, good candidates pause to make the choice to run in the first place, and everyone loses what could be much better governance.


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#3073 Stephen James

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 10:46 AM

Truer words have never been spoken. It was awful in that regard - grown adults demonstrated that nothing was beneath them to get their goal achieved. It was unethical, and speaks to a lack of rules and consequences for behavior that has no place in an election. When such things happen, good candidates pause to make the choice to run in the first place, and everyone loses what could be much better governance.

Agreed on all points.

The last election raised a bunch of questions for me including, and I wonder what you think: 

is it necessary for a candidate to participate in social media (facething, twitter, any social media) to win an election in Victoria, BC?

I mean, one could use them just to push notices of information (events, policy) but does responding, debating, defending make any difference?

I suspect not and, if that's the case, then much of the abuse could be left in the echo chamber, no?


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#3074 dasmo

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 11:05 AM

Truer words have never been spoken. It was awful in that regard - grown adults demonstrated that nothing was beneath them to get their goal achieved. It was unethical, and speaks to a lack of rules and consequences for behavior that has no place in an election. When such things happen, good candidates pause to make the choice to run in the first place, and everyone loses what could be much better governance.

I hope you run again. Perseverance and a thick skin are the weapons of the master.... 



#3075 spanky123

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 11:12 AM

Truer words have never been spoken. It was awful in that regard - grown adults demonstrated that nothing was beneath them to get their goal achieved. It was unethical, and speaks to a lack of rules and consequences for behavior that has no place in an election. When such things happen, good candidates pause to make the choice to run in the first place, and everyone loses what could be much better governance.

 

I think what many people fail to realize is the weight of the opposition in regions where there is a lot at stake. I think that many of us can deal with a few social media trolls, but when you have organized and well funded opponents digging into every aspect of your personal life and attacking you online, at work and in public at every opportunity then few people ever factored that in to what is elsewise a crappy paying job. For unions, developers and political parties there can be tens of millions of dollars at stake in an election and they have vested interest in ensuring their candidates get elected. Few independents can garner anywhere near that level of funding and support.


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#3076 dasmo

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 12:58 PM

I think what many people fail to realize is the weight of the opposition in regions where there is a lot at stake. I think that many of us can deal with a few social media trolls, but when you have organized and well funded opponents digging into every aspect of your personal life and attacking you online, at work and in public at every opportunity then few people ever factored that in to what is elsewise a crappy paying job. For unions, developers and political parties there can be tens of millions of dollars at stake in an election and they have vested interest in ensuring their candidates get elected. Few independents can garner anywhere near that level of funding and support.

And there you have summed up the state of our democracy. 



#3077 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 01:30 PM

I think what many people fail to realize is the weight of the opposition in regions where there is a lot at stake. I think that many of us can deal with a few social media trolls, but when you have organized and well funded opponents digging into every aspect of your personal life and attacking you online, at work and in public at every opportunity then few people ever factored that in to what is elsewise a crappy paying job. For unions, developers and political parties there can be tens of millions of dollars at stake in an election and they have vested interest in ensuring their candidates get elected. Few independents can garner anywhere near that level of funding and support.


Did you see the list of donors to Stew Young and his team? Lots of developers - and their wives! - really keen on that democracy. Five members of the Jadresko family donated $1250 each. A few Hartshorns, etc.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 February 2023 - 01:30 PM.

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#3078 Harry

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 07:02 PM

Did you see the list of donors to Stew Young and his team? Lots of developers - and their wives! - really keen on that democracy. Five members of the Jadresko family donated $1250 each. A few Hartshorns, etc.

and see what Langford ended up with? A helps 2.0 **** show. The new council is a mess with incredible inexperience with one person with experience and an agenda running the show. We almost have this in Victoria. Some one the inside scuttlebutt i have been made aware of is concerning to say the least in both councils.


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#3079 GaryOak

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 08:48 PM

At least it's seaming to that the new council in Victoria or pro development
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#3080 spanky123

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Posted 11 February 2023 - 12:20 PM

and see what Langford ended up with? A helps 2.0 **** show. The new council is a mess with incredible inexperience with one person with experience and an agenda running the show. We almost have this in Victoria. Some one the inside scuttlebutt i have been made aware of is concerning to say the least in both councils.

 

I wonder how hard Stew bothered to campaign in the final few weeks of the election when it became apparent from polling that council was going to turn over. Last thing I could see him wanting to do is spend the next 4 years battling a slate of progressives that would block every move of his.



 



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