Municipal Politics

[You Need A Thneed]

I think Skyview Ranch must be designed to have significantly more multifamily units than SFH, nearly half the land area of the community is zoned for multifamily. Redstone just to the north is probably very similar to that too. From the number of Multifamily buildings already there, it's not like they are having a hard time selling the multifamily units either.

[You Need A Thneed]

I think the talk about Nenshi eliminating the suburbs is pretty funny, considering that he lives in what might be the posterchild for 80s/90s Spaghetti suburbs - Coral Springs. I think there is one main road that loops through the community, and everything else is a cul de sac.

[Melroy]

I'm fairly new to Calgary and haven't followed municipal politics much, but voted for Nenshi, mostly because the like minded people here on SSP strongly supported him, and I knew he was considered an urbanist.

I was asked the other day, what Nenshi has done since he's been in office but couldn't answer the question. So for those who follow municipal politics more closely than I, what would be the accomplishments of his three years so far?

[MalcolmTucker]

Infrastructure wise, the airport tunnel, funding the library and rec centres would be big ones.

[Chealion]

Originally Posted by Melroy

I was asked the other day, what Nenshi has done since he's been in office but couldn't answer the question. So for those who follow municipal politics more closely than I, what would be the accomplishments of his three years so far?

I like that they've released annual reports (last one Dec. 2012) detailing what has been achieved and what isn't: http://blog.calgarymayor.ca/search/label/Better%20Calgary%20Report?&max-results=7

Airport Tunnel, Community Investment Fund (since the Feds pulled out to make the rec centres), new ethics rules, better snow clearing, among others

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

I think the talk about Nenshi eliminating the suburbs is pretty funny, considering that he lives in what might be the posterchild for 80s/90s Spaghetti suburbs - Coral Springs. I think there is one main road that loops through the community, and everything else is a cul de sac.

This actually sounds pretty damned efficient from a transportation and transit perspective. Contrast this with how a lot of suburbs are laid out, it's impossible to run a bus route without it taking 30 minutes to get out of the community.

Also, Nenshi will win 80%+ of the vote, easily. Probably more like 90%. The flood cemented his legacy.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

I think the talk about Nenshi eliminating the suburbs is pretty funny, considering that he lives in what might be the posterchild for 80s/90s Spaghetti suburbs - Coral Springs. I think there is one main road that loops through the community, and everything else is a cul de sac.

Regarding some of those burbs, I don't like it when there are not enough entry / exit points (Evanston is a horrendous example of that) however, I've often wondered about the negative views of a circular route that travels through the area and allows for a reasonable path for a feeder route. What's wrong with that type of road and why do people suggest it is inefficient for bus routes, especially in Calgary's LRT backbone and feeder routes configuration?

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by suburbia

Regarding some of those burbs, I don't like it when there are not enough entry / exit points (Evanston is a horrendous example of that) however, I've often wondered about the negative views of a circular route that travels through the area and allows for a reasonable path for a feeder route. What's wrong with that type of road and why do people suggest it is inefficient for bus routes, especially in Calgary's LRT backbone and feeder routes configuration?

The only negative I can see is situations where the buses always travel in the same direction. So if you're on the "early" part of the loop, you always have to travel through the entire freaking community before exiting. This is currently the situation where I am in Royal Oak; it happens to work wonderfully for me but a friend absolutely hates taking the bus to the LRT station as a result.

Winnipeg has a few places with CC/CCW routes to address this (and it worked pretty well in my experience), and I believe we do this in a few neighbourhoods in Calgary as well. So it's certainly something that can be addressed. Of course, you end up halving the frequency in any given direction, so it's a trade-off. I remember taking a few "wrong direction" buses during -30 days, in my youth - just to avoid standing outside another 15 minutes.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by freeweed

This actually sounds pretty damned efficient from a transportation and transit perspective. Contrast this with how a lot of suburbs are laid out, it's impossible to run a bus route without it taking 30 minutes to get out of the community.

Also, Nenshi will win 80%+ of the vote, easily. Probably more like 90%. The flood cemented his legacy.

Originally Posted by suburbia

Regarding some of those burbs, I don't like it when there are not enough entry / exit points (Evanston is a horrendous example of that) however, I've often wondered about the negative views of a circular route that travels through the area and allows for a reasonable path for a feeder route. What's wrong with that type of road and why do people suggest it is inefficient for bus routes, especially in Calgary's LRT backbone and feeder routes configuration?

Coral Springs isn't horrendously laid out, but part of that is because it's not very big, and is on the edge of the city. It does work not too badly for bus routes. However, the southern connection to 68th Street should have aligned with Falconridge Drive. A connection to 64th Ave aligning with Tarrington Road would have been good too, though that's less of a concern.

Because of the shape and location of Coral Springs, I think the road layout works, but it shouldn't be repeated very many places.

[Wooster]

Originally Posted by Melroy

I'm fairly new to Calgary and haven't followed municipal politics much, but voted for Nenshi, mostly because the like minded people here on SSP strongly supported him, and I knew he was considered an urbanist.

I was asked the other day, what Nenshi has done since he's been in office but couldn't answer the question. So for those who follow municipal politics more closely than I, what would be the accomplishments of his three years so far?

I like that they've released annual reports (last one Dec. 2012) detailing what has been achieved and what isn't: http://blog.calgarymayor.ca/search/l...&max-results=7

Airport Tunnel, Community Investment Fund (since the Feds pulled out to make the rec centres), new ethics rules, better snow clearing, among others

Yep, and in the next few days you'll see the mayor post a more updated version of progress on all of the 12 "better ideas" he proposed in the 2010 election. It accounts for all those promises - called "3 years of progress" It'll give you a good idea of the array of initiatives beyond just infrastructure.

[Calgarian]

It doesn't look like Nenshi has done much, but you could say that about any mayor. What did Bronco achieve in his last term? the West LRT and Peace Bridge? Also it's hilarious how many people think Nenshi is responsible for the Peace Bridge, I think he actually said he wouldn't have supported it.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

It doesn't look like Nenshi has done much, but you could say that about any mayor. What did Bronco achieve in his last term? the West LRT and Peace Bridge? Also it's hilarious how many people think Nenshi is responsible for the Peace Bridge, I think he actually said he wouldn't have supported it.

Other aspect is that Calgary is very close to its debt ceiling now (which happened and was budgeted for before he got into office).

If I was to suggest one area for improvement it would be transit and
1. Getting thr electronic card system working
2. Adding safe and easy bike parking facilities at lrt, particularly because almost every city in thre USA has better cycling/transit integration
3. Updating Calgary Transit website (its okld)

[Calgarian]

Yeah what happened with the smart card system they were looking at?
And for adding bike parking, was there ever a discussion about adding more bike racks on city buses?

[Cage]

Nenshi better ideas from 2010 campaign.

1. Secondary Suites
2. Fix Audit System
3. Better Gov't for Biz - Cut Red Tape
4. Quick Convenient Airport Access
5. C Transit as Preferred Choice
6. Campaign Finance Reform
7. Sustainable, Walkable, Complete Nieghbourhoods
8. Transparent Council
9. Road Network Efficiency
10. Reduce Poverty
11. Safe Neighbourhoods
12. Public facilties for Libraries Rec Centres, Community Investment Fund.

Report Card on sucess from the cheap seats:
1. Not done. Total failure to achieve objectives.
2. Chief Auditor hired, things started to improve, Internal Audit dept still had staffing issues, Chief left and replacement does not keep up with ideas expressed in Better Idea #2. Moderate accomplishment to achieve objective.
3. Cut red tape moderate sucess, pace of change very slow.
4. Airport "tunderpass" is nearing completion. All better ideas have been accomplished. Complete sucess.
5. Fare cards not implemented. Improved signage and GPS location system is not functioning as intended. Major failure to achieve objectives.
6. Unknown how campaign finance reform is to be judged as it requires provincial action items.
7. Sucess at covering the cost of suburban infrastructure through larger lot levies. Total failure with corridor redevelopment studies - forced administration back to square one. Has created a framework to stop/halt donut development affect where 103% of pop growth occurs at the fringe. Overall moderate sucess.
8. Transparent council objective have been met (agendas online, council meeting searchable and on the web, etc.). Council meeting objectives have not been met (create city ombudsman, move public session to evenings, less tactical stuff on agenda, still must take one day off work to attend council meeting). Overall moderate sucess.
9. Snow Removal issues from 2010 have been address and are sucessful. Congestion choke points have not been addressed by this council - total failure in this area. No movement on the 14th street congestion point of SW ring road alternatives. Overall failure at achieving objectives.
10. I believe general concensus is that there has been improvement and progress in the end homelessness in 10 years and attainable homes initiatives. Overall sucess at achieving objectives.
11. Crime rate down significantly. Overall sucess at achieving objectives.
12. Central library indevelopment. Rec centre funding has not turned out the way envisioned within better idea #12, progress on the rec centre funding puts overall achievement of these objectives at moderate.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Cage

Nenshi better ideas from 2010 campaign.

1. Secondary Suites
2. Fix Audit System
3. Better Gov't for Biz - Cut Red Tape
4. Quick Convenient Airport Access
5. C Transit as Preferred Choice
6. Campaign Finance Reform
7. Sustainable, Walkable, Complete Nieghbourhoods
8. Transparent Council
9. Road Network Efficiency
10. Reduce Poverty
11. Safe Neighbourhoods
12. Public facilties for Libraries Rec Centres, Community Investment Fund.

Report Card on sucess from the cheap seats:
1. Not done. Total failure to achieve objectives.
2. Chief Auditor hired, things started to improve, Internal Audit dept still had staffing issues, Chief left and replacement does not keep up with ideas expressed in Better Idea #2. Moderate accomplishment to achieve objective.
3. Cut red tape moderate sucess, pace of change very slow.
4. Airport "tunderpass" is nearing completion. All better ideas have been accomplished. Complete sucess.
5. Fare cards not implemented. Improved signage and GPS location system is not functioning as intended. Major failure to achieve objectives.
6. Unknown how campaign finance reform is to be judged as it requires provincial action items.
7. Sucess at covering the cost of suburban infrastructure through larger lot levies. Total failure with corridor redevelopment studies - forced administration back to square one. Has created a framework to stop/halt donut development affect where 103% of pop growth occurs at the fringe. Overall moderate sucess.
8. Transparent council objective have been met (agendas online, council meeting searchable and on the web, etc.). Council meeting objectives have not been met (create city ombudsman, move public session to evenings, less tactical stuff on agenda, still must take one day off work to attend council meeting). Overall moderate sucess.
9. Snow Removal issues from 2010 have been address and are sucessful. Congestion choke points have not been addressed by this council - total failure in this area. No movement on the 14th street congestion point of SW ring road alternatives. Overall failure at achieving objectives.
10. I believe general concensus is that there has been improvement and progress in the end homelessness in 10 years and attainable homes initiatives. Overall sucess at achieving objectives.
11. Crime rate down significantly. Overall sucess at achieving objectives.
12. Central library indevelopment. Rec centre funding has not turned out the way envisioned within better idea #12, progress on the rec centre funding puts overall achievement of these objectives at moderate.

It is a good point that Cal Wenzel made, IE that Nenshi is only one vote. With respect to the above, we should take Cal's advise and replace all the doorknobs that blocked things like secondary suites. It is amazing how much pain and suffering has been caused by council not being able to move forward on that, especially after the flooding.

[Cage]

Originally Posted by suburbia

It is a good point that Cal Wenzel made, IE that Nenshi is only one vote. With respect to the above, we should take Cal's advise and replace all the doorknobs that blocked things like secondary suites. It is amazing how much pain and suffering has been caused by council not being able to move forward on that, especially after the flooding.

One way to get the Cal Wenzel "slate" candidates elected is to make secondary suites the campaign question for 2013.

In a low voter turnout scenario favours candidates whose views allign with the older conservative voter because its this voter group that turns out in ALL elections. The swing in voter turnout happens at the younger and more left wing or liberal minded categories.

Edit to add:
This is why (IMHO) candidates are focused on older voter issues such as Chris Harper (W1) action plan oin Access Calgary, Peter Demong (W14) campaign to get seniors transit passes and ticket/fare class resolved.

[Calgarian]

One reason I believe the secondary suite issue is big is because people don't want it in their neighbourhoods, and some councillors actually listen to people in their riding. I think they should totally allow more, but it's not as easy an issue as people think.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

One reason I believe the secondary suite issue is big is because people don't want it in their neighbourhoods, and some councillors actually listen to people in their riding. I think they should totally allow more, but it's not as easy an issue as people think.

There was the survey that said 76% of Calgarians supported suites...

[DizzyEdge]

Curious if any one ward would have support in the 66% or higher range

[Wooster]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

One reason I believe the secondary suite issue is big is because people don't want it in their neighbourhoods, and some councillors actually listen to people in their riding. I think they should totally allow more, but it's not as easy an issue as people think.

Not true, it's a vocal minority. The extensive polling that was done indicated that not only did about 3/4 support suites in their neighbourhood as a whole, but almost the exact same number indicated they supported the right for their direct neighbour to have a suite.