Decision 2010: Calgary Municipal Election

[srperrycgy]

Ooh, we are ward buddies. Let's nominate Bigtime while he is in Maui and get him a few votes.

Excellent! Anything to get him off the Lanai. :cool:

[srperrycgy]

Well, your home value will at least rise with WLRT! :cool:

Would you vote for Pashak based on what you know, waiting to find out more, or waiting for another candidate?

*chuckle* Yeah the landlord will be the recipient of that. ;)

It's way too early to decide on a candidate right now. Check back in August and maybe I'll have decided. A candidate that understands that their ward doesn't end at Crowchild would be a plus.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[fusili]

I'd like to see someone run against Andre Chabot in Ward 10. That guy's just a tool.

Agree 100%. Forest Lawn deserves so much better than him. He is absolutely terrible at representing his constituents. He seems really anti-transit and extremely pro-market, which is weird considering he probably has the most transit dependent ward and the lowest, if not one of the lowest, income constituencies. I think someone like Ceci would represent that ward a lot better than Chabot.

[mersar]

Connelly is officially running. He's scheduled a press conference tomorrow, but someone found his supposed not-quite-finished website already: http://joeformayor.ca/

I think it may be a fake though, the email for the 'donate' is a generic gmail and the mailing address is a house on centre street and 83rd ave.

[Bassic Lab]

Agree 100%. Forest Lawn deserves so much better than him. He is absolutely terrible at representing his constituents. He seems really anti-transit and extremely pro-market, which is weird considering he probably has the most transit dependent ward and the lowest, if not one of the lowest, income constituencies. I think someone like Ceci would represent that ward a lot better than Chabot.

It is interesting how much of McIver's literature paints Chabot and himself as a united front that is constantly being thwarted by the rest of council in their attempts to implement common sense policies.

The thing about that ward is that while it may have a higher percentage of people dependant upon transit for all their transportation, it is one in which transit is not designed for their needs. I'd imagine that, for those residing in that ward, employment is often located in industrial parks that are difficult to access from transit.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[Wooster]

The benefit is that it opens up his alderman's chair to someone else (hopefully some better), without much of a chance of him actually winning the mayor's chair.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[Bassic Lab]

The benefit is that it opens up his alderman's chair to someone else (hopefully some better), without much of a chance of him actually winning the mayor's chair.

That and he might be able to peel enough votes away to keep McIver from winning. If Connelly is accompanied by Diane Colley-Urquhart then there may be enough crowding on the centre-right to allow Stewart, Nenshi, or Hawkesworth to win. That is if the progressive vote can coalesce around one of the three. Hopefully they don't all run and carve it up.

[Wooster]

I think Nenshi has said he won't run if Stewart does.

[Bigtime]

Ooh, we are ward buddies. Let's nominate Bigtime while he is in Maui and get him a few votes.

My sunburned body respectfully declines your offer!
:hell: <---- That is my skin right now! :haha:

[fusili]

It is interesting how much of McIver's literature paints Chabot and himself as a united front that is constantly being thwarted by the rest of council in their attempts to implement common sense policies.

The thing about that ward is that while it may have a higher percentage of people dependant upon transit for all their transportation, it is one in which transit is not designed for their needs. I'd imagine that, for those residing in that ward, employment is often located in industrial parks that are difficult to access from transit.

Totally agree about the level of transit to industrial areas. Forest Lawn needs good transit connections to Blackfoot Industrial and the SE Industrial (forgot the actual names of these areas).

[fusili]

Connelly is officially running. He's scheduled a press conference tomorrow, but someone found his supposed not-quite-finished website already: http://joeformayor.ca/

I think it may be a fake though, the email for the 'donate' is a generic gmail and the mailing address is a house on centre street and 83rd ave.

:haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: Is this dude serious? Not a chance, not a chance in hell. He is a complete idiot, but thinks he knows everything.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[fusili]

:previous: Posted reply in transit thread.

[Wentworth]

:haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: Is this dude serious? Not a chance, not a chance in hell. He is a complete idiot, but thinks he knows everything.

The site appears to be locked down today. I saw it yesterday. Web developers will often demo site layouts using fabricated text. I think that was probably most of what you saw there yesterday.

Joe already has this website, though, extolling his "cowboy values" (http://telljoe.ca/) http://telljoe.ca/

[srperrycgy]

:previous: Joe threw his hat into the ring.....literally. He threw a white cowboy hat into a hula hoop. *groan*

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[Bassic Lab]

What does it take for some one to consider literally throwing a cowboy hat through a hula hoop let alone actually doing it? I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. The call for more parking downtown seems to suggest the latter. I really don't have high hopes for the level of debate in this election.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[fusili]

The whole hat into the ring would be hilarious if Joe was a really sarcastic candidate, or was a joke candidate, like the Rhino party. There are probably a lot of bad puns someone like that could use during a campaign. But he is not, and that is sad.

[Bassic Lab]

The whole hat into the ring would be hilarious if Joe was a really sarcastic candidate, or was a joke candidate, like the Rhino party. There are probably a lot of bad puns someone like that could use during a campaign. But he is not, and that is sad.

Yes, the stunt shares a great deal with the Vancouver Olympic closing ceremonies in that regard. If done ironically so as to highlight how pathetic and contrived these events are it would be a gem. Instead we basically have the equivalent of Joe Connelly, in all seriousness, telling us he's cool with Nickelback representing our nation.

[Wooster]

A message, from Naheed Nenshi to those who signed up for notices on his webpage:

Dear Supporter,

What a ride the last couple of months have been! I’m writing to let you know about my next steps in terms of the election this fall, but before I get to the news, I need to do one thing:

Thank you. For all of your support, for all of your encouragement, and for all of your faith in me.

Now, to the news.

Today, we launch a new website and release a fun new video (both at www.nenshi.ca), but also continue the conversations we’ve been having. As I say in the video, I've spent a lot of years advocating for a better Calgary, and I'm ready to play my part to make this happen.

What we're talking about now is what this role ought to be and how to move forward -- is there support for a mayoral run? For an aldermanic bid?

So, over the next few weeks, we'll be looking at recruiting volunteers, seeking donors, and using this website to continue the discussion about the Calgary you want to see.

To get started, you can join the new Nenshi fanpage on Facebook here and follow me on Twitter here.

Most important, if you can spare time (even if you're not in Calgary, there are things you can do!), please register on the volunteer page.

You can also make a donation of any size on the donate page. In the event that we decide not to proceed with a campaign this fall, all donations will be refunded.

Again, thank you for all your support.

Naheed

[fusili]

Wow, I never knew Nenshi went to the Kennedy School of Gov't. That is a pretty hard school to get into (well, it is Harvard). Most people will think I am a leftist for supporting him, but the guy has a head on his shoulders and I think he will do very well, either as a mayoral candidate or as an alderman.

[Wentworth]

Look's like joeformajor.ca is back online. Seems like his only specific promise is to reduce park and ride fees to $1.

[ST1]

One can only hope that Joe and Rick will split the votes by the conservative right.

[Calgarian]

So Connely's campaign is starting off demanding more parking downtown? he is basically supporting more traffic then. I am all for more short stay parking, but not more long stay parking.

This guy sounds like an idiot.

[ST1]

So Connely's campaign is starting off demanding more parking downtown? he is basically supporting more traffic then. I am all for more short stay parking, but not more long stay parking.

This guy sounds like an idiot.

He's another Dr. No, from what I've read about him. The best scenario is three or four of these kind of guys running against each other.

[LFRENCH]

http://vimeo.com/channels/joeformayor

Watch this if you guys dare :haha:

[srperrycgy]

http://vimeo.com/channels/joeformayor

Watch this if you guys dare :haha:

:lmao:

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[LFRENCH]

I watched it and thought it was somewhat of a pathetic attempt to imitate Joe Francis's smut. It is somewhat embarrassing, for other less intoxicated students of this institution.

[DizzyEdge]

Shove a microphone and camera in the faces of a bunch of drunk university students in a celebratory mood and you can get them to exuberantly agree to almost anything. May as well have told them you were fighting against women's suffrage and ask them if they supported that.

Vote for Pedro!

God that's so tempting to do as a response to the vid :haha:

or maybe just suffrage in general.

PEDRO AGAINST FURTHER SUFFRAGE

[TallDrinkofWater]

So Connely's campaign is starting off demanding more parking downtown? he is basically supporting more traffic then. I am all for more short stay parking, but not more long stay parking.

This guy sounds like an idiot.

Anyone who disagrees with this poster is an idiot

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[artvandelay]

http://vimeo.com/channels/joeformayor

Watch this if you guys dare :haha:

:lmao:
Hilarious, my friend is in that. Brings back good memories of BSD '10.

[freeweed]

I couldn't even make it through half of this video. It's just painful to watch.

I'm confused - is this serious? I'd think this is a spoof of politics if I didn't know who he was.

This seems almost like a "hey young folks, I'm cool and hip!". Does he start break-dancing later in the video? Or maybe does some rap or something?

[Bassic Lab]

Shove a microphone and camera in the faces of a bunch of drunk university students in a celebratory mood and you can get them to exuberantly agree to almost anything. May as well have told them you were fighting against women's suffrage and ask them if they supported that.

Vote for Pedro!

I don't know about that. I'd wage that for every student that appeared in the video there were ten who refused to talk to him, four who said something obscene, and two that made thinly veiled comments to the effect that Joe would be a lousy mayor.

[Wentworth]

http://i41.tinypic.com/2z5uetf.jpg


Hey girls, wanna come back to my place and check out my secondary suite? I have candy. And strawberry coolers.

[TETT2]

Just throwing this out there.... and not sure if this is the right place to post it.

So just say McIver wins, and the Peace Bridge is completed after the election... Does he do the ribbon cutting?

[Bigtime]

Just throwing this out there.... and not sure if this is the right place to post it.

So just say McIver wins, and the Peace Bridge is completed after the election... Does he do the ribbon cutting?

As an avid cyclist he should, as mayor he should. It would be very classless to not. Pretty sure the mayor of our city should be promoting it all the time, and the opening cermony for this bridge would be no different.

[Wooster]

McIver to join mayoral race

$150-a-ticket event will start campaign

By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald

As he finally announces he's running for mayor today, Ald. Ric McIver begins a six-month quest to determine if the man viewed widely as the front-runner can hold that lead into October.

Half a year is a lifetime in elections, and recent history hasn't been kind to perceived front-runners in Alberta politics.

Jim Dinning and Dave Taylor each lost to underdogs in their respective Tory and Liberal leadership races.

Some rivals, meanwhile, wonder if Ward 12's self-styled "common sense conservative" alderman really is the frontrunner.

"I'm finding that support for other people is much thinner than I expected," said former alderman Jon Lord, who declared his mayoral bid last month.

It's been an open secret for months that McIver was eyeing Mayor Dave Bronconnier's chair, even before Bronconnier said he was vacating it.

He's long been fundraising and organizing for the campaign, and backers are predicting a crowd of hundreds as a show of strength at McIver's $150-a-ticket launch tonight.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/McIver+join+mayoral+race/2932230/story.html#ixzz0lk4W7QJK

[Innersoul1]

here we go.

[Bassic Lab]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/McIver+announces+plan+Calgary+mayor/2935578/story.html

He wants to do something for working Calgarians... I'm afraid.

[Ramsayfarian]

McIver to join mayoral race

$150-a-ticket event will start campaign

By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald

As he finally announces he's running for mayor today, Ald. Ric McIver begins a six-month quest to determine if the man viewed widely as the front-runner can hold that lead into October.

Half a year is a lifetime in elections, and recent history hasn't been kind to perceived front-runners in Alberta politics.

Jim Dinning and Dave Taylor each lost to underdogs in their respective Tory and Liberal leadership races.

Some rivals, meanwhile, wonder if Ward 12's self-styled "common sense conservative" alderman really is the frontrunner.

"I'm finding that support for other people is much thinner than I expected," said former alderman Jon Lord, who declared his mayoral bid last month.

It's been an open secret for months that McIver was eyeing Mayor Dave Bronconnier's chair, even before Bronconnier said he was vacating it.

He's long been fundraising and organizing for the campaign, and backers are predicting a crowd of hundreds as a show of strength at McIver's $150-a-ticket launch tonight.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/McIver+join+mayoral+race/2932230/story.html#ixzz0lk4W7QJK

The turnout for McIver's "block party" is disturbingly large. Not only is the parking adjacent to Cafe Rosso filled, but the space south to that is full and parking has spilled out onto to the surrounding streets. Thankfully the Calgary Parking Authority is out ticketing cars.

[Wooster]

^ Well there are a lot of people that work for developers represented by UDI. :cool:

[Ramsayfarian]

^ Well there are a lot of people that work for developers represented by UDI. :cool:

I noticed 2 cars from some small developer whose name I didn't recognize and have already forgotten. The crowd seems to be evenly divided between suits, bed-shitters and immigrants. I was hoping to get a few photos of the swells, but they've covered up the windows with what looks like whiteboards.

[Bassic Lab]

I noticed 2 cars from some small developer whose name I didn't recognize and have already forgotten. The crowd seems to be evenly divided between suits, bed-shitters and immigrants. I was hoping to get a few photos of the swells, but they've covered up the windows with what looks like whiteboards.

So a nice healthy mix of the corrupting, corrupted, and corruptible. Sounds like the worst party ever.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[srperrycgy]

Just Say No To Blinky. :cool:

[Colin]

frinkprof, you captured his platform perfectly!

I think Bronco said it best, you don't build great cities by saying no...

[fusili]

McIver and Connelly are both idiots. They proclaim to be pro-business, but they were to only two to vote against eliminating parking requirements for retail business in the Beltline. What other motion could be more pro-business, anti-regulatory and honestly, anti-planning. McIver and Connelly are not so much pro-business as they are anti-urban.

[Riise]

Blinky is officially in, now we are guaranteed to lose at least him or Connelly!

McIver Launches Bid For Mayor's Chair
Alderman Calls For Less City Intervention

April 22, 2010
Calgary Herald
Jason Marusoff

Calgary will be a better city if its leader steers clear of residents' lives and businesses' business more often, Ald. Ric McIver said as he launched his mayoral bid Wednesday.

Ending more than a year of speculation and quiet organizing, McIver entered the race to replace Mayor Dave Bronconnier with a swanky $150-a-ticket fundraiser Wednesday evening that drew between 500 and 1,000 people.

He becomes the fourth announced mayoral candidate, joining council colleague Joe Connelly, former alderman Jon Lord and urban-farming advocate Paul Hughes. The field is expected to grow substantially before the Oct. 18 vote.

Compete Article (http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/McIver+launches+mayor+chair/2935578/story.html#ixzz0lqXDsyZY)


I love how he talks about being less prescriptive and allowing business to flourish, I'm sure he'll remove the barriers to alternative forms of growth...

[AUM]

Well if McIver wins I don't see too much activity on the forums. You can pretty much say goodbye to great design and any new urban projects that would contribute to making this city a better place.

Here's the future for Calgary from McIver's budget concious eyes...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3615/3431112734_839995deb8.jpg?v=0

[Wooster]

^ A couple of interesting interviews on the Eyeopener. One with McIver (doesn't actually say anything specific of course), another with a pollster breaking down the survey of priority issues for the electorate:

http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[AUM]

^^^ Wooster thanks for the link.

I was being a bit exaggerative, but I think Calgary really needs someone who has long term vision as well as focusing on current needs also. Not to mention taking Calgary beyond a reliance on O+G.

[fusili]

I actually don't think McIver, or anyone else sitting as mayor, will have that big of an affect. It wouldn't be the end of the world. What's more important is the overall makeup of council, since the mayor is only one of 15 votes.

Exactly, and we are going to see a huge shakeup. McIver and Connelly are both already running for mayor. Ceci is out. Hawkesworth and Colley-Urquhart may also run. I am not sure if Low or Hodges will run. That makes half of Council if all these things come to pass. And that is assuming all the other incumbents win. I don't think anyone is safe in their seat. In my opinion it will be the aldermanic races that count.

[Riise]

Here's the future for Calgary from McIver's budget concious eyes...

:haha:


One with McIver (doesn't actually say anything specific of course), another with a pollster breaking down the survey of priority issues for the electorate:

http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/

Thanks for that. He kept on talking about affordable housing, is he going to bring in policies that will require new developments over a certain threshold to provide a certain amount of affordable housing?


I actually don't think McIver, or anyone else sitting as mayor, will have that big of an affect. It wouldn't be the end of the world. What's more important is the overall makeup of council, since the mayor is only one of 15 votes.

That's a good point! Maybe it would be better if we had a "McIver" in the Mayor's seat to quell the people who comment on the Herald's site and 14 Gian-Carlos.

[O-tacular]

I noticed 2 cars from some small developer whose name I didn't recognize and have already forgotten. The crowd seems to be evenly divided between suits, bed-shitters and immigrants. I was hoping to get a few photos of the swells, but they've covered up the windows with what looks like whiteboards.

Well they wouldn't want us to see their secret costumes. Sounds like a meeting of James Bond super-villains to me.

[O-tacular]

I was shocked to read Rick Bell less than supportive of blinky. Even he had to admit Dr. No doesn't have any real platform but opposing things. How does one build and lead a city when their defining role is that of opposition?

My prediction of McIver's platform:

1) no spending on anything that you couldn't get a guy on cash corner to do for a lighter and a stick of gum

2) ship all the bums into a ghetto (a nice up and coming central community like Bridgeland)

3) Build more roads!!! Roads everywhere! Single person occupancy vehicles get preferential treatment!

4) Destroy the legacy of the LRT by making parking DT cheap and ubiquitous. Tear down any useless people buildings and replace with car garages.

5) Support working class Calgarians' opinions by always choosing the mediocre, committee approved middle of the road option that no one can oppose because it has the substance of cardboard. Oh, and only suburban dwellers from the south with 1.3 children, and who drive SUV's count as working class citizens. No one else, especially that latte sipping, urban, commie riffraff DT and in the Beltline.

6) Run the city like you would a sinking ship. No provisions for future occupants, rations for the privileged and veteran only, and any dead weight gets tossed overboard.

7) tear down the already completed Calatrava bridge, even though it'll cost more money, because it's a symbol of wasted money

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

I wonder if it is a mistake entering this mayoralty race with so many months away from Election Day. A lot of dirt can be dug up and mistakes be made between now and the Fall.

s

[Ramsayfarian]

Well they wouldn't want us to see their secret costumes. Sounds like a meeting of James Bond super-villains to me.

I jumped the gun about the whiteboads. I was at Cafe Rossa this morning and it looks like Headplay has taken over that space, so it was their whiteboards covering the windows, not Dr. No's.

[LFRENCH]

2) ship all the bums into a ghetto (a nice up and coming central community like Bridgeland)

How about Manchester?

[Deepstar]

I actually don't think McIver, or anyone else sitting as mayor, will have that big of an affect. It wouldn't be the end of the world. What's more important is the overall makeup of council, since the mayor is only one of 15 votes.

Thankfully that's the case. I still worry though, because a mayor does represent the city, and can have alot of influence in steering the city in the direction it goes.

I don't know much about Jon Lord. Where does he stand on the issues?

[Wooster]

A recap of mayor Bronconnier's accomplishments during his 9 years as mayor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgDhsSPvZ2o

[O-tacular]

Thankfully that's the case. I still worry though, because a mayor does represent the city, and can have alot of influence in steering the city in the direction it goes.



Point and case mayor Al Duer (or Do-nothing as he's also known).

Even my dad, a staunch conservative who's tired of Bronconnier is afraid fo the fallout of a McIver victory. Nothing will get done. Pennies will be pinched at every possible turn, resulting in sub par development. Good bye SSP forum... I'll miss you.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[Riise]

Thanks for sharing that Frink! I loved this comment:

The poll highlights what mainstream Calgarians think, not how angry posters of newspaper comments section feel (which seem to attract very cynical and negative people. Let's just say that "Hank H" or "JoeConservative" do not accurately represent the general electorate of Calgary, even though they purport to.

[wild wild west]

yep, that poll was a ray of sunshine. Hopefully the opinons of Dinger Bell don't reflect those of the masses.

The only consolation is that if McIver wins, at least it's not Connelly. I would prefer a McIver-led government to one led by consensus of Community Associations.

Really disappointed to hear Ceci is leaving. One of the best guys on Council. And Gian-Carlo's unrealistic idealism isn't the answer IMO, I've heard bad things from both the public and private sectors.

[Wooster]

^ I'd like to know what is "unrealistic" about Carra's idealism? Any specific examples? There are lots that dismiss progressive urban views such as Druh Farrell's as unrealistic too. In my mind, we could use a lot more idealism, rather than the half-heartedness and mediocrity that often pervades when it comes to urban issues in Calgary.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[DavidKuitunen]

http://vimeo.com/channels/joeformayor

Watch this if you guys dare :haha:

Haha. I like @ 1:54 the one girl has an iphone in between her tits. They probably have no idea who Joe Connelly is. JOE FOR MAYOR!

[Wooster]

Not to get overly semantic about it, but isn't idealism unrealistic by definition?

lol. No, utupia is entirely achievable!

[wild wild west]

^ I'd like to know what is "unrealistic" about Carra's idealism? Any specific examples? There are lots that dismiss progressive urban views such as Druh Farrell's as unrealistic too. In my mind, we could use a lot more idealism, rather than the half-heartedness and mediocrity that often pervades when it comes to urban issues in Calgary.


Mainly that (as he does consulting work) he's a dreamer whose concepts never actually get implemented on the ground. Any half-decent planner can come up with designs for plazas and grand boulevards, but taking it to the next level and making it work on the ground is the real challenge. Maybe you're right and idealism will serve him more effectively as an Alderman than as a planner, but we'll have to see, assuming he wins/is acclaimed. Aside from that I've heard stuff in planning circles that don't inspire me with confidence, as well as regarding his work on the Community Association - I don't want to give credence to heresay, but in my experience where there's smoke there is at least some fire. Regardless, I'm not keen on losing one of the best guys on Council regardless of who is replacing him. If Carra were to replace, say, Hodges or Chabot, I'd be fine with that.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[Riise]

Mainly that (as he does consulting work) he's a dreamer whose concepts never actually get implemented on the ground.

However, he is not trying to join Council to promote or propose any of his conceptual plans. In fact, I think he is moving aside the creation of ideal goals (e.g. density thresholds and design principles) and is instead focusing on changing the regulatory system. In my mind he is being quite realistic as he is proposing structural changes to the planning system that would allow those who want their ideals to be realized to more easily do so. If you are questioning whether or not such change is possible fair play to you but I don't think it is fair to call this guy a dreamer in this regard. If anything he is putting those dreams on hold in order to do some of the necessary dirty work.

[charper]

Does anyone know why Ceci is calling it quits in the first place?

Also, I have read a couple snippets in articles alluding to Hodges considering another run. Surely this guy doesn't have another one in him. Does anyone know for sure?

It does appear Dale is running again. I was doing door knocking in the NW and have had people tell me he has been out doing the same. That said, no way to know for sure until Nomination Day on Sept 20!

We're running the campaign as though the incumbent is running as well.

[mr.steevo]

Does anyone know why Ceci is calling it quits in the first place?

Hi,

I heard he was just "done". He's been around for a while.

s.

[Ramsayfarian]

Hi,

I heard he was just "done". He's been around for a while.

s.

I recently heard him speak, and it sounded like he was "done". He mentioned that he wanted to go back to doing social work.

He also mentioned that it would be a better idea to spend the money on the S-LRT rather than the airport tunnel.

[wild wild west]

All rumours I have heard indicate that Hodges is, indeed, running again.

[Wooster]

All rumours I have heard indicate that Hodges is, indeed, running again.

http://craigandtanya.com/images/Thumbs%20down.jpg

[Bigtime]

Haha!

[wild wild west]

@Wooster:Couldn't have said it better myself!

Still, just because he's running, doesn't mean he will win. Jennifer Banks gave him a bit of a run for his money last time.

[Bigtime]

Kind of related, Gian-Carlo Carra is hosting the Jane's Walk through Inglewood on Saturday. Since I know nothing of him it should be interesting to see what kind of a person he is, and perhaps get a sense for where he stands on the urban issues as we go through the walk and listen to him.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[wild wild west]

Holy hell. Hodges has got to be damn near 75. He's been on City Council since the freaking Reagan Administration (#1).


Close, I think he's 71 or 72 (seem to recall him being 68 or 69 last election). He has been on Council since Ralph Klein was mayor. Surprisingly the comparatively spry, youthful-looking Gord Lowe is only about a year or so younger than him.

[fusili]

Close, I think he's 71 or 72 (seem to recall him being 68 or 69 last election). He has been on Council since Ralph Klein was mayor. Surprisingly the comparatively spry, youthful-looking Gord Lowe is only about a year or so younger than him.

That brings up the question if Lowe is going to run as well.

[srperrycgy]

Holy hell. Hodges has got to be damn near 75. He's been on City Council since the freaking Reagan Administration (#1).

His health must have improved enough that he thinks he can handle another term. At the Crowfoot LRT opening last June, he looked positively unwell.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[srperrycgy]

Either that or he's still under the delusion that he's somehow still relevant and a valuable part of City Council.

Being on Council that long would make me delusional. :rolleyes:

[Bigtime]

So I just had a brief twitter conversation with Joe Connelly's account. My beef was that they send out way too many "auto-tweets" about the same 2 or 3 items every couple of hours, such as:

Follow our campaign team on my facebook fan page http://tinyurl.com/y5qzd4c updates and news posted often! #yyc #yyccc

Alderman Joe Connelly, Ward Six invites you to his Fundraiser to meet Olympic and Paralympic Athlete. #yyccc http://tinyurl.com/27zy58n

Show joe your a fan! http://tinyurl.com/y5qzd4c Join us on Facebook as a fan of Joe for Mayor 2010 #yyc #yyccc

Their response was this:

@BigtimeAA we have a blend of realtime tweets as well as auto, my vol team assists with this. We feel this is very cost effective

Cost effective? You have volunteers (that I assume are doing this for free) tweeting these for you, on a free service and you are talking about it being cost effective? It's free, of course it is cost effective. So why keep spamming messages, eventually a user will just gloss over his posts to read others, thinking it is more of the same spam (or stop following him).

God/Allah/Buddha/Spaghetti Monster help us if he somehow finds his way into the mayoral chair.

Meanwhile other city council twitter users or election candidates (Druh, Pincott, Hughes, Cara, Nenshi...) are using twitter to engage with the citizens of YYC and have some 140 character dialogue. Joe does this a little, but I think it is room for improvement. McIver does post the odd time, but it is barely anything, and I never see him really reply or have a conversation with anyone.

[MalcolmTucker]

To be honest, Mayoral candidates shouldn't be updating their own twitter, and citizens shouldn't really expect them to. Making all their activities known, and linking to interesting articles is different than the 'twitter' spam however.

As for the auto twitter thing, a much more effective thing rather than repeated messages would be an automatic follow and direct message asking for the facebook fan for every person that follows you.

[frinkprof]

Nevermind.

[fusili]

So you're on Twitter, and following a bunch of other people on Twitter and your annoyance is that you're getting bombarded with superfluous information?

Man I love going swimming, I just hate getting wet.

Oh, Bigtime, what you going to do about that? Frink just dropped some smack down, I think you need a round-house kick style comeback and soon!

Anyone else bored on this Friday afternoon?

[freeweed]

I can't fit a proper smackdown in 140 characters.

[Bigtime]

Oh, Bigtime, what you going to do about that? Frink just dropped some smack down, I think you need a round-house kick style comeback and soon!

Anyone else bored on this Friday afternoon?

Frink was just taking out his frustrations on me, I'm sure he was going crazy after the whole A/V cable discussion in the construction thread!

His response was pretty funny though, twitter is full of garbage information for the most part. I follow it for those nuggets of gold that you can get in all the crap. :D

[fusili]

Well, I feel we should actually talk about the election at some point: Anybody else think Hehr is going to run. If he does, he has my vote.

I am going to say it: McIver won't be that bad of a mayor (gasp!). Not saying he will be good, and he won't be as good as Bronconnier, but I think he will really push the SELRT, and he seems to be on board with things like TOD and the like. Much, much, much better than Connelly. What a sad city when I have to actually say that McIver won't be bad, but right now, there is nobody else.

[agent_imperial]

Coudn't help but post this article as it relates to Mr. Blinky McIvor. :haha:


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Fluttering eyes filter data, fade focus: Canadian study
By Misty Harris, Canwest News ServiceApril 30, 2010

A team of Canadian neuroscientists has discovered that when people’s attention wanders, they blink more.Photograph by: Bruno Vincent, Getty ImagesSuspect people aren't listening when you talk? Get a good look at their eyes. If they're fluttering like a hummingbird on Red Bull, you've probably lost them.

A team of Canadian neuroscientists has discovered that when people's attention wanders, they blink more.

The researchers suggest that when the mind loses focus, information is gated at sensory endings — in this case, the eyelids — as a way of filtering the amount of data hurling at the brain.

Put simply, out of sight really is out of mind.


Read the full article here: http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Fluttering+eyes+filter+data+fade+focus+Study/2971349/story.html