27 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

As the battle for an Esquimalt council seat begins, Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce president Holly Courtright is putting her name in the ring with a platform focused on housing, fiscal responsibility and maintaining services.

 

“This is a critical time for Esquimalt. We have a growing community with a growing demand on services. Fiscal decisions made over the next five years are critical and will impact Esquimalt for decades to come,” Courtright said in a news release.

 

Courtright points to her deep roots in Esquimalt through her work in "many capacities" for the township, and says she was the CUPE Local union president before leaving to establish her own real estate business.

 

 

 

https://www.vicnews....council-7846098

 

 

 

We have a growing community with a growing demand on services.

 

 

I always wonder about statements like this.  I grew up in a municipality.  Lived in ones all my life.  I can't remember anyone in my family pressing for more municipal "services".  We just wanted the roads and the water and the traffic lights and sewers to work.  And the swimming pool to be a decent temperature.  No particular extra demands.

 

Esquimalt might be growing in population but is a need for services really growing so much?   

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 27 February 2025 - 06:23 AM.

[Mike K.]

Yes, maybe that also means complexity of services which we know are changing.

Here’s a crazy fact.

O’Hare airport in Chicago has a larger land mass than Esquimalt and Vic West combined.

Wild, eh?

Oh and Holly is a lovely lady. She’ll likely do well in that role, definitely equipped with experience and knowledge of what needs doing.

[Victoria Watcher]

Ya, it looks like she worked in recreation for the muni. for many years.

[Victoria Watcher]

Former Esquimalt council member Meagan Brame is eyeing another term with the township as she announces her candidacy in the upcoming byelection for an Esquimalt council seat.

 

Brame, who previously served 14 years on the Esquimalt council, is also a local business owner and former early childhood educator. She led the campaign to save the Archie Browning Sports Centre when the council at the time was planning to demolish it without any public consultation.

 

“Since stepping away, many residents and community leaders have encouraged me to run again, saying they missed my voice on council,” said Brame in a news release. “I’m proud of the work I was part of – whether it was supporting local businesses through the chamber of commerce, advocating for arts and culture on the CRD Arts Committee, or helping organize community celebrations like the Celebration of Lights and Buccaneer Days.”

 

 

https://www.vicnews....council-7850199

[Mike K.]

Ms. Brame sought the MLA’s seat as a Liberal in the last election. When the party collapsed she chose not to run as an independent.

[Victoria Watcher]

Eight candidates running in Esquimalt council byelection

Nominations closed Friday to fill the empty council seat left by the departure of Darlene Rotchford after she was elected to the provincial legislature in October.


https://www.timescol...ection-10306873

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 01 March 2025 - 03:42 AM.

[Mike K.]

Still no date for a Sooke by-election.

[Victoria Watcher]

In just a few weeks, the Township of Esquimalt will choose a new council member among eight candidates, and local engineer James Myers is looking to make his way into the top spot.

"When my wife and I moved to Esquimalt, this community spirit is exactly what we fell in love with. I'm an engineer and my work has taken me all over Canada and the United States, to large metro areas and to small towns, north, south, east and west. Nowhere else have we encountered Esquimalt's friendliness and sense of community spirit," he noted in an emailed statement.

Myers is running on a platform of strategic community development, community building, and controlling costs, with the goal of supporting seniors, providing accessible and affordable housing to new and established residents as well as maintaining parks and community venues.


https://www.vicnews....council-7861373

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 March 2025 - 01:55 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

A long-time Esquimalt resident is looking to get his start in municipal politics as election day for the Esquimalt byelection is just a stone's throw away.

 

"Esquimalt is a pearl, it'd be nice to have a goal of making it a diamond," said Cornelis Bouman, a retired civil servant and social worker with the province looking to take a seat in the council chambers.

 

If elected, Bouman hopes to limit tax increases for residents, to manage growth and limit density. He hopes to explore options for a new or upgraded swimming pool and recreation centre, and is looking to support an Esquimalt municipal police force.

 

 

 

https://www.vicnews....hambers-7867132

[Victoria Watcher]

A 29-year-old Esquimalt renter and member of the Canadian Armed Forces wants to give younger people a voice as he looks for a spot on Esquimalt council.

Kody Thomson has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Royal Military College in Kingston, and he recently acquired a master's degree in disaster and emergency management, which he says helped him better understand the responsibilities of municipal government, and the impact of council's decisions.

"Over the last four years, I led a team of 40 construction technicians, which taught me how to navigate the complexities of human resource management, conflict resolution, and infrastructure projects. Now, I work in the coordination of emergency management across B.C., alongside provincial and federal agencies," noted Thomson in a news release.

He says he hopes to continue to support active transportation and public transit projects, uplifting local businesses, and exploring for affordable housing options if he is elected.


https://www.vicnews....l-table-7877094

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 March 2025 - 01:08 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

 

 

 

https://www.esquimal...ylaws/elections

 

 

 

That is some dismal turnout.  Esquimalt population 17,500.  3373 voted in 2022.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 April 2025 - 10:03 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Meagan Brame returns as Esquimalt councillor in byelection

 

https://www.timescol...ection-10483964

[Victoria Watcher]

Cities with 7 or 9-person councils should be allowed to continue the term down just one councillor.   The province could make this change easily and relieve some financial burden from cities.

[Mike K.]

You end up in trouble, though, like Sooke did.

[Victoria Watcher]

You and up in trouble, though, like Sooke did.

 

Why, because of tie votes?   Tie vote = loss.

 

There are lots of tie votes when one council member is missing in just general business.

 

I don't see the harm.  

 

I said council only (not Mayor), and in larger (7 or 9-person) councils.

[Victoria Watcher]

2021:

 

 

 

(Sooke) Coun. Ebony Logins has an absentee rate of 30 per cent, the most out of any councillor. Over the past several months, she’s been attending school and working.

 

Contacted by email on her absenteeism, Logins gave several off-the-cuff comments, including: “I’m a cocaine addict. I am usually high as a kite so I just skip all the meetings since they’re pointless.”

 

In a follow-up email, she said questions from the News Mirror were accusatory, ignorant, thankless and rude.

 

https://www.sookenew...meetings-197585

[Mike K.]

Why, because of tie votes? Tie vote = loss.

There are lots of tie votes when one council member is missing in just general business.

I don't see the harm.

I said council only (not Mayor), and in larger (7 or 9-person) councils.

That, and lack of quorum.

Sooke cancelled a meeting for a reason that wasn’t very convincing, and had a meeting in real time take a recess to await if a councillor could reconnect, or the meeting would have to be cancelled. It’s a waste of time, money and resources, and can more easily lead to manipulation of outcomes.

[Mike K.]

2021:



(Sooke) Coun. Ebony Logins has an absentee rate of 30 per cent, the most out of any councillor. Over the past several months, she’s been attending school and working.

Contacted by email on her absenteeism, Logins gave several off-the-cuff comments, including: “I’m a cocaine addict. I am usually high as a kite so I just skip all the meetings since they’re pointless.”

In a follow-up email, she said questions from the News Mirror were accusatory, ignorant, thankless and rude.

https://www.sookenew...meetings-197585

Yes, that’s very bad for democracy.

[Victoria Watcher]

I think they can run fine.

 

 

In British Columbia, a municipal council quorum depends on the municipality's size: for cities/districts over 50,000, it's 5 members; for those 50,000 or less, it's 4; and for towns/villages, it's 3 members. 

[Mike K.]

You can think that for sure, but I gave you a real world example of when it isn’t fine.

And should you lose another councillor during the term, then you’re really in trouble. Like in Sooke, where the municipality might lose its mayor soon.