11779 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

If you think Lisa Helps is bad, just wait 'til you experience His Evenworseship Comrade Benjamin Isitt.

[spanky123]

Perhaps avoiding their still being on Council in 2023, with the now departed Help's version of the Blue Bridge as it was left for this Council to figure out?

 

Maybe Helps will ram through tearing down all COV car parkades, to be rebuilt as 20 story free homeless condos - only for Helps to then depart, and leave a clearly impossible project (whatever it might be) in the hands of Councillors who were around to encourage her, only to then be forced to wear what she left behind as egg on their face.

 

I don't think that there is any doubt that Helps is trying to "accomplish" as much as she can in the next two years while trying to get a win which will define her two terms. Making it difficult to change course I am sure is part of her agenda.

 

On the current path the next Mayor and council will be "rewarded" with pillaged reserves, a bloated City Hall and a variety of unrealistic commitments and expectations. They will be the ones that get to deliver the bad news to taxpayers.

[GetLisaSomeHelps]

If we had to choose, I think most, if not all of us, would choose to live under dictatorship rule of Ms. Helps as opposed to Mr. Isitt.

[spanky123]

If you think Lisa Helps is bad, just wait 'til you experience His Evenworseship Comrade Benjamin Isitt.

 

Ben won't be elected Mayor and I doubt that he will run for the position. The rumour mill is that a deal was cut last election which involved Helps leaving after this term and the other person agreeing to stay out of the race.  If true then that other person is credible and will win.

[Nparker]

If we had to choose, I think most, if not all of us, would choose to live under dictatorship rule of Ms. Helps as opposed to Mr. Isitt.

Exactly. The worst is yet to come.

[Nparker]

Ben won't be elected Mayor and I doubt that he will run for the position. The rumour mill is that a deal was cut last election which involved Helps leaving after this term and the other person agreeing to stay out of the race.  If true then that other person is credible and will win.

I'll believe that if/when it happens. In any case, I doubt I will be residing in the CoV after the next civic election, so hopefully it won't matter to me who is mayor.

[GetLisaSomeHelps]

On the current path the next Mayor and council will be "rewarded" with pillaged reserves, a bloated City Hall and a variety of unrealistic commitments and expectations. They will be the ones that get to deliver the bad news to taxpayers.

 

Left wing grows government to the point where the swing voters flip->Right wing comes in and slashes government to the point where the swing voters flip back->repeat

[GetLisaSomeHelps]

Ben won't run for mayor & even if he did, I think he knows he wouldn't win. He is a career councillor and too much of a loose cannon for any provincial/federal party to take him on.

[Nparker]

Ben won't run for mayor & even if he did, I think he knows he wouldn't win....

I am not sure why people are 
a) convinced he won't run for mayor

b) convinced he wouldn't win if he did run for mayor

 

He clearly wants control of the CoV council, hence his behind-the-scenes maneuvering to establish and implement the TV "party". Secondly, for reasons that entirely elude me, he consistently garners the largest number of votes among those running for council. Why wouldn't he think he could carry this same voting block if he ran for mayor?

CoV voters are not the best long term thinkers. If Comrade Ben tells them what they want to hear, regardless of his track record, they will vote for him.

[spanky123]

^ Aside from his opinions, Ben is the councilor that most people want and that is reflected in the polls. He is the one person who routinely responds meaningfully to every comment he receives.

[Nparker]

...He is the one person who routinely responds meaningfully to every comment he receives.

I'd say "meaningfully" is entirely subjective. It's been over a month now and I am still waiting for his response to my questions about his improper use of my email address.

[Spy Black]

.....Ben is the councilor that most people want ......

I think locals would be able to parse what you're saying here, but for non-locals, it would have to be made clear that Ben mobilizes the most campaigners, and also manages to get each and every one of his guaranteed supporters out to the voting booth.

 

In short, Ben repeatedly gets the most voters who will only vote for him out to the voting booth.

 

If anything, "most" Victorians probably don't want Isitt in City Hall, but that same "most" group of folks are also the ones that stay home on voting night, and literally give guys like Isitt the civic power he repeatedly dishonours and perhaps even abuses.

[E2V]

I’m still expecting Mayor Helps, probably near the end of her reign, to bring out something she used to mention occasionally but hasn’t for a while. That being changing the name of the city. 

[mbjj]

Regarding the photo of Government St., if delivery vans etc. can still go down one side, is there something to prevent  your average citizen from driving down there?

[sebberry]

Regarding the photo of Government St., if delivery vans etc. can still go down one side, is there something to prevent  your average citizen from driving down there?

 

Anytime the topic of 'closing Government Street to cars' comes up, this is what I picture.  A few cones and concrete blocks at each end.  There, done.  Closed to cars.  

 

The pitch always seems to leave out what would be a draw.  Maybe we need a pirate ship in the middle of the road?  Or a ping pong table.  

[Nparker]

How about a dunk tank with a daily rotation of the mayor and CoV councillors?

Edited by Nparker, 09 June 2020 - 09:27 PM.

[mbjj]

How about a dunk tank with a daily rotation of the mayor and CoV councillors?

For that I would go to the trouble of getting downtown!

[Nparker]

For that I would go to the trouble of getting downtown!

Presumably, so would a lot of other folks. Add a nominal charge to throw balls at the tank and the CoV might be able to make up its 2020 revenue shortfall. It's a win-win. 

[Awaiting Juno]

There's a lot to be dissatisfied with the current cohort of Councillors (excepting Geoff Young) - however, standing for council is an act of civic duty that comes with it a whole lot of baggage (which would be far less if they focused on engaging in good governance).  Sadly, seeing the amount of baggage results in fewer people being willing to engage and take on the civic duty. As a result, there's a cycle where the quality of councilor who is willing to stand for election gets worse over time.  The only cure is to convince people who have leadership experience to run and to work to get them elected - and hopefully enough of them so that once again some amount of good governance returns.  Once Victoria has a functional council and can demonstrate competent governance, it can begin to move forward on the issue of amalgamation, which in the long run is critical to solving the regional issues that are crippling our city. 

[Nparker]

Still hoping to see your name on the ballot some day AJ.