Decision 2010: Calgary Municipal Election

[fusili]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Not just rainbow party anymore, we need the double rainbow party man!

Double rainbow all the way!

• Video Link

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by Sir.Humphrey.Appleby

Anyone heading to this? Seems rather ambitious to have an event such as this this early. Is the reflecting pool still full? Big 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵.

I wonder how one goes about renting the use of the plaza? Perhaps they are just using the small amphitheater at the west end of the pool, but that almost seems too small.

Have any of you heard radio adds promoting this?

I made it down as I was planning to eat my lunch there. I didn't know it was even on until I went to get my coffee and someone handed my a flyer. Jann Arden introduced her and there were some good parts where the crowd cheered quite loudly. The one I remember was getting recycling to apartment buildings.

I didn't stay much long after she finished speaking; since I was done my sandwhich but it looked like about 4 to 600 people?

[Calgary_Guy]

I'll put my vote behind the one that takes flouride out of our drinking water! It costs us taxpayers here in Calgary $600,000 a year to add fluoride to the water, plus as much as $5 million in mandatory upgrades to the fluoride systems at the city's water treatment plants — as well as the potential health concerns. The last time this issue was at the table five aldermen supported the motion to remove the substance from Calgary's water supply in part to save money, but it was voted down 7-6.

Science has shown that drinking fluoridated water promotes a variety of physical and mental ailments including sickle-cell anemia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. This could in fact be part of the global plan to dumb us down, in fact the city of Watsonville California just last week was cited by the California Department of Public Health for failure to comply with an order by the state to fluoridate the water supply. The citation was received by the city Thursday and demands written assurance from the city by Aug. 29 that it will comply, and plan and schedule for fluoridation submitted by Sept. 19. City Attorney Al Smith said the citation appeared “out of the clear blue.” Please look up the facts, this is not B.S.

[bob1954]

If she can run the city as well as she looks, Calgary will do well.... but I don't beleive that's gonna happen! I like Stewart and Nenshi.

[MalcolmTucker]

The only way fluoride is coming out of the water system is a health canada edict or another plebiscite. Otherwise, the issue is radioactive.

Oh, and downs syndrome is caused by a genetic defect (trisomy 21), if fluoridation had a causal relationship to that, we would have a lot more genetic problems, and not just downs. (plus, a large portion of the world's population have naturally fluoridated water and seem to be getting on just fine).

Doesn't help that your sub-nickname is a reference to an Obama conspiracy either, just saying.

[Bigtime]

Chemtrails?

[Bigtime]

Heads up, at 7:40am the CBC Eyeopener (1010 AM) will have McIver, Hawkesworth, and Nenshi in studio to debate the airport tunnel.

It's gonna be a slobberknocker!

[Bigtime]

Damn, I was all settled in and listening to Nenshi's opening remarks when I had to get pulled away. Waiting for the link so I can listen to it later. According to some of the #yycvote tweets the debate got "tense" as it went on.

[O-tacular]

For once I agree with what he has to say.

News Columnists / Rick Bell
Mayoral race empty calories

By RICK BELL, Calgary Sun

Last Updated: September 8, 2010 9:24am


Cotton candy, popcorn and hot dogs. They’re all here.

Alas, no bottles of whisky.

Yes, the day after Labour Day and Barb Higgins is the star of her very own spectacle. A candidate accused of a lack of substance holds an event lacking substance.

No matter.

Among the two frontrunners, this race to be the next mayor is not about substance. Not yet. Maybe not ever. It’s about getting through the day saying as little as possible and, beyond all else, not screwing up.

The deep-thinkers of Team Barb realize this parade to the polls is way more pageant than policy.

The upbeat Dave Kelly works his master of ceremonies magic. Jann Arden introduces Barb. Even Jann is happy. No one is insensitive.

Bruce Cameron, a well-known pollster, is on stage playing drums for a band named Swamp Donkey doing early Kenny Rogers.

To top it off, a singer of the poppiest of pop comes out and serenades us with saccharin.

“Rise up, don’t be afraid, sing out, you know the way,” appear the words on what looks like a giant karaoke screen. “You can be the change, to see in this world. So rise up.”

We wait for “We are the world, we are the children …”

We also wait for the lighters to come out but nobody here smokes.

The rest of the time there is a big photo of Barb on the screen. The text flows slowly past the big-screen Barb. Trustworthy. Positive leadership. A fresh approach to city hall. A strong voice for Calgary.

The popcorn keeps popping. The cotton candy holds its sugar.

Barb speaks.

She wants better auditing. Applause. She says the Calatrava bridge cost too much. More applause.

Shooting big fish in a small barrel.

She isn’t against the airport tunnel but doesn’t think the city can pay for it alone. Not yes. Not no. Perfect.

Barb smiles. She smiles a lot.

More than one in the crowd comment how nicely Barb smiles. An individual even says they are now voting for Barb and not Joe Connelly because she has a nicer smile. Work on it, Joe. Work on it.

Far, far back in the assembled is Rod Love, the man who put Ralph in the mayor’s chair 30 years ago. He smiles, too.

The press ask questions of Barb. This scribbler wonders how she’ll make up the city’s $60-million shortfall in next year’s budget.

“I’m looking at areas of overlap,” she replies.

“I’m not prepared to say what they are. I don’t want to send fear through anyone’s department.”

No, we wouldn’t want to do that, would we?

Barb adds she brings a “fresh approach.” Wasn’t that on the karaoke screen?

The former newsreader’s biggest ally is Ald. Ric McIver, who has undergone what appears to be a political castration.

Dr. No is Mr. Nothing.

In a news release, McIver says he will urge council to push back a revised budget until the spring of 2011.

He will get the city bigwigs, who he’s never appeared to care for very much, to find the “sensible cost-controls.”

He isn’t even uttering the word “cuts.”

The target for tax hikes is inflation or below so, in McIver’s plan, we’re looking at well over $100-million in budget cuts or dipping into the city’s rainy-day fund, which isn’t a permanent solution and doesn’t deal with the wasteful blowing of bucks.

McIver gives us no hint of where the knife will hit the numbers and he’s already supported Bronco in taking the city’s biggest budget, the cops, off the chopping block.

Meanwhile, in another release, former alderman Craig Burrows brings up how Barb doesn’t want to call in the province’s auditor general. He says the city shouldn’t waste a million on outside auditors when he knows the decision to bring in bean counters has been made.

As for bringing in the auditor general, his office says they’ve sent their reply to Burrows. Guess he doesn’t check his mail.

Then there’s Wayne Stewart, on the second floor of an Indian restaurant tucked away in the northeast.

No karaoke screen. No popcorn. No cotton candy. No early Kenny Rogers.

Wayne offers some specifics and seems sincere and says he is dead against say-nothing “pep rallies.”

There are a dozen in the room.

[email protected]

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/columnists/rick_bell/2010/09/08/15280711.html

[Frenzy]

Airport Tunnel Debate on the Eyeopener is up!

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

[Calgarian]

Hawkesworthe is an idiot and probably won't get any votes. McIver did pretty good in that debate, but Nenshi is the winner in my mind.

[Bigtime]

Yup, I have to give credit to McIver, it was definitely one of his best debates I have heard him in.

[Calgary_Guy]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Hawkesworthe is an idiot and probably won't get any votes. McIver did pretty good in that debate, but Nenshi is the winner in my mind.

I would agree, Nenshi and McIver stole the show. I'm impressed with Nenshi and would not be surprised if he moves up considerably in the poles.

[Calgarian]

McIver is pretty well spoken, and I do agree with him on a lot of things.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by Calgary_Guy

I would agree, Nenshi and McIver stole the show. I'm impressed with Nenshi and would not be surprised if he moves up considerably in the poles.

I think he's going to get my vote.

[Bassic Lab]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Hawkesworthe is an idiot and probably won't get any votes. McIver did pretty good in that debate, but Nenshi is the winner in my mind.

Really? All three seemed to come across relatively evenly and not altogether well. I am for the tunnel but I do recognize that there is a valid argument against it; Hawkesworth did not effectively make it. Nenshi's position has a big hole in it. He has a point about the cost of not building the tunnel but the idea that it narrows the cost of the tunnel to 150 million does not mean the other 350 million is free. We still need to find 500 million dollars, Nenshi knows this and yet the manner in which he frames the issue is purposeful obfuscation. McIver's best line was a dirty half truth about the Calatrava bridge. The agreement of Nenshi and McIver, that the tunnel will, maybe, be magically cheaper than 500 million because they really hope so, does not inspire confidence either.

I really wasn't thrilled by any of them but at the same time none of them came across as idiots.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by Bassic Lab

Really? All three seemed to come across relatively evenly and not altogether well. I am for the tunnel but I do recognize that there is a valid argument against it; Hawkesworth did not effectively make it. Nenshi's position has a big hole in it. He has a point about the cost of not building the tunnel but the idea that it narrows the cost of the tunnel to 150 million does not mean the other 350 million is free. We still need to find 500 million dollars, Nenshi knows this and yet the manner in which he frames the issue is purposeful obfuscation. McIver's best line was a dirty half truth about the Calatrava bridge. The agreement of Nenshi and McIver, that the tunnel will, maybe, be magically cheaper than 500 million because they really hope so, does not inspire confidence either.

I really wasn't thrilled by any of them but at the same time none of them came across as idiots.

I wouldn't say that it is obfuscation, since Hawkesworth in most forums acts like not building will save $500 million (I have not listened to the debate in question due to being at work and all so can't opine on that directly in this case). The other $350 million will have to be spent over time in either case, it is just a matter of what it is spent on. Building the tunnel does not mean a $500 million bill that we have to cover right away.

[suburb]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

... but Nenshi is the winner in my mind.

That's how he got to the World Debating Championships in his youth and was a business school competition kingpin with the University of Calgary in years past. The guy comes in so extremely well prepared it puts everyone else to shame.

[suburb]

Originally Posted by Bassic Lab

He has a point about the cost of not building the tunnel

I think the camp that is campaigning on the 'do not build' pillar is not being honest at all with the portrayal by not highlighting this fact. If you choose not to eat healthier food for $2 and instead buy a bag of chips for $1.49, you can't say that you saved $2. At the same time, the net additional cost of buying the healthier food is $0.51, which in the long run will keep you alive longer and healthier at the same time.

[suburb]

Here we go ... sign the petition:

www.BuildTheTunnel.ca