Municipal Politics

[suburbia]

Legendary Calgary business man and philanthropist Jim Gray just came out with a personal statement on the civic election. This is worth a full listen. He is among the most respective individuals in the entire city:
• Video Link

If you're not sure who he is, there is a great article about him in the Calgary Herald:
http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news...-at-a-young-age-for-businessman-jim-gray

Apparently he is getting the Calgary Association of Fundraising Professionals Lifetime Philanthropist Award. Business Hall of Fame, Alberta Order of Excellence, Officer of the Order of Canada, Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame, Canada West Foundation, yada yada.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by outoftheice

An article that sums up last night's debate:

Here's my take of how the campaign is unfolding and why I'm concerned for Nenshi's chance at re-election (Full disclosure, I plan on voting for Nenshi). Team Bill Smith is backed by a lot of political warriors from the PCs. They may not know how to govern but these people know how to campaign and they have settled on a fairly simple strategy.

1. Find a vanilla candidate that doesn't have much of a strong political personality of their own. Bill Smith is that person. He appears to be a likeable fellow. He's a person people can see themselves voting for and most importantly he stays on script. Anyone who thinks that he is campaigning on his ideas are fooling themselves. The article by Don Braid not too long ago that talked about how handlers were holding up talking point signs during interviews shows that Bill Smith isn't conveying his ideas. Bill Smith is simply fronting the old PC political club that have now been out of power for 2 years and desperately want it back.

Bill Smith used to be the president of the PC party. He was the guy running the party during their downfall. If people think he doesn't have a strong political personality then they better start brushing up on all of the candidates and issues. Nenshi's negatives are well known and what will likely cost him the election. But his team is doing a horrible job of countering Smith's campaign. They need to wake up to reality and stop thinking victory is a given for Nenshi.

2. Push that the candidate as the natural alternative choice and find conservative friendly voices in the media to push that point. Why was Bill Smith seen as the natural #2 candidate in people's minds? In my opinion it was because opinion columns by the Rick Bells and Licia Corbellas of the world made him the #2 candidate and the rest of the media picked up on the narrative and ran with it. Prior to a few of those columns nobody I talked to even knew who Bill Smith was and those who were against Nenshi were planning on voting for Chabot or an alternative candidate. Those vote shifted to Smith after the columns were published although those same people still had no clue who Bill Smith was or why he was or should be considered the #2 candidate.

I disagree. Chabot has ran a nonexistent campaign. He barely has 1K followers on Twitter despite having declared 6 or 7 months ago. He's done nothing to establish his brand. Smith might not have said much but he's said a lot more than Chabot and he's doing a good job of pointing out Nenshi's weaknesses. If Chabot had done this earlier I doubt Smith would be running.

3. Keep the #2 candidate theme going and give your vanilla candidate one good quote per appearance. Almost everybody I've talked to who has seen Bill Smith perform at a debate says that he is an absolutely terrible debater and his performance has cost him the votes of those in the audience. But you wouldn't know that because almost all the media coverage from the debates (including the article I quoted) feature one or two strong quotable lines that he delivered (usually in his prepared closing remarks). The result is the articles make Bill Smith appear much stronger than he actually is and people begin to buy into the image of the candidate rather than the candidate himself (or how Trump got elected 101)

Media coverage of local elections is always a joke.

4. Luck out with a candidate who thinks he's a shoe-in for re-election. Unfortunately this means Nenshi. I think the Nenshi campaign has been running something close to a 'front-runners' campaign when they should be running a campaign that puts a lot more pressure on Bill Smith and trying to expose how little he's actually brought to the table in this campaign. Campaign as if there's a real chance you might lose. Sadly (for me) I don't think the Nenshi campaign is doing this.

Agreed. Nenshi needs new blood in his inner circle and find someone willing to tell him when he's wrong or coming across as an arrogant 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵. He's got way too many "yes men" surrounding him. He needs to get rid of the Suburbia's in his camp and replace them with people not so tied into city hall.

Long story short, I think Bill Smith stands a real chance at winning because of a strong campaign team and not because of what he will actually deliver to Calgarians. He is being packaged and delivered to Calgary voters who may be tiring of the status quo and the campaign is betting that most voters won't delve beneath the surface when it comes to his campaign ideas. The fact that many members of Ready2Engage are part of his campaign means I have no respect for his team and personally the last thing I want to see is that small inner-circle trying to shape Calgary. I don't always see eye to eye with Chabot but I feel he has earned and should be rewarded with conservative votes long before Bill Smith.

How do you know Ready2Engage people are part of Smith's campaign team? Nenshi's downfall will be how he treats and interacts with those that he doesn't agree with. Trump's victory provides a lot of lessons for him but he and his team don't seem to have learned any of them.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

Bill Smith used to be ... Nenshi's negatives are
[]
I disagree. Chabot has ... pointing out Nenshi's weaknesses.
[]
Nenshi needs new blood in his inner circle and find someone willing to tell him when he's wrong
[]
How do you know Ready2Engage people are part of Smith's campaign team? Nenshi's downfall

Wow Corndogger you sure are obsessed with Nenshi! Outoftheice made several comments about Smith and you kept on responding with Nenshi. LOL!

Originally Posted by suburbia

Legendary Calgary business man and philanthropist Jim Gray
• Video Link

You get a chance to watch this yet? I highly recommend it as Gray has some good points that no doubt you'll want to argue. He swam across Canada man - he's worth a few minutes of your time.

[outoftheice]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

How do you know Ready2Engage people are part of Smith's campaign team? Nenshi's downfall will be how he treats and interacts with those that he doesn't agree with. Trump's victory provides a lot of lessons for him but he and his team don't seem to have learned any of them.

Re: Ready2engage

Two members of the mayoral hopeful’s senior campaign team were once members of the Ready to Engage group.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/calgaryhera...nt-southwest-bus-rapid-transit-plans/amp

Some members affiliated with Ready to Engage have been linked to Smith's campaign team.

Alan Hallman, an organizer of Ready to Engage, endorsed Smith on Twitter and attended the event on Sunday. The group's former spokesperson, Rick Donkers, is now a spokesperson for Smith.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4305067

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

How do you know Ready2Engage people are part of Smith's campaign team?

Donkers much? Look up #NeoCitranHaze and after you give it a pinch of time, the answers will appear.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by 240glt

I know no one usually cares about school trustees but that's quite the dumpster fire burning down in the SE

http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/201...or-attack-comments-you-are-finished.html

That’s my ward lol! For once I actually have a reason to vote for a school board trustee. Or in this case to vote against one.

[O-tacular]

I have this sinking feeling in my gut that Smith will win and capitulate to all of the Flames’ demands. Worse than that I fear he’ll steer the city back to its’ former days of nothing but interchanges and endless suburban development.

[suburbia]

In the spirit of fairness, I'm sharing information regarding Chabot's campaign and platform. I think there are positive things here, and not just negatives about others. It is important to highlight his 12 years of direct experience on YYCcc.

http://www.chabot4calgary.com/platform

I do find his headliners worthy, but like Smith (though less so) he doesn't explain how he'll do these things (his sub-bullets are actually all headliners also).

Still, between Smith and Chabot, I'd take Chabot any day.

[EDIT]

Chabot has challenged Smith to a one-on-one debate, but Smith is refusing:
https://twitter.com/chabot4calgary/status/915415809501020161

[suburbia]

I think our new council needs to respond to the underlying challenges cities face, where ABC must be delivered, budgets must not be negative, and revenues are within a very tight frame.

As anyone who following municipal politics knows, Nenshi identified the above challenges (and the symptom of unpredictable tax burden on citizens) a long time ago. His response was the long game. To take it up at a policy level and work towards a big city charter with the provincial government. He really is the only person who is looking to solve the underlying problems on this front.

As you consider your vote, take a close look at this City of Calgary page that speaks to the concept of a city charter:
http://engage.calgary.ca/city-charter

This was the update from last year:
• Video Link

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

That’s my ward lol! For once I actually have a reason to vote for a school board trustee. Or in this case to vote against one.

The content of her hateful message aside, if someone is sending out facebook messages typed that way, they are obviously too dumb to be involved with education.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

The content of her hateful message aside, if someone is sending out facebook messages typed that way, they are obviously too dumb to be involved with education.

She must have been in a #NeoCitranHaze.

Joking aside, I agree that a message typed that way is akin to the message printed in the Calgary Sun by the Bill Smith team.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

I have this sinking feeling in my gut that Smith will win and capitulate to all of the Flames’ demands. Worse than that I fear he’ll steer the city back to its’ former days of nothing but interchanges and endless suburban development.

It is a distinct possibility and a shared fear. As the saying goes, "he who pays the piper," Flames ownership in this case, "gets to hear his tune."

The ownership groups' modus operandi has been this for a very long time. They'll only take you on as a supplier if you agree to purchase ridiculously priced season tickets. I think the fact they call favours was reinforced with Post-media making news instead of just reporting it, and calling a favour from Ken's long-time friend Gillian Steward (former Calgary Herald managing editor at time when Ken was high up the chain there) has come back in spaces for them.

[suburbia]

Oxford dictionaries announced "post-truth" as the 2016 word of the year. I think this was a correct decision by them, as this concept was very central to the election of Donald Trump in the US.

In brief, "post-truth" means:

“relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”

We've seen this playing out in spades in the current Calgary municipal election. We have Post-Media, a for-profit news entity demonstrably connected with the ownership group and executives of a for-profit business group that is looking for massive tax hand-outs from public coffers, creating news instead of just reporting it.

The leading contender supported by high net-worth businessmen has consistently refused to put out policy or anything remotely specific to how he will achieve anything. No policy from Bill Smith. None. Yet the narrative of "I am the anti-something" has caught traction, in part because of Post-Truth and Post-Media.

An important reflection element is The Rebel's recent support of Bill Smith. Do we remember The Rebel, or are we now with The Rebel because their "emotional Post-Truth" narrative now jives with that of Post-Media? What has been The Rebel's historic cause and what are they known for?

Here are a few bullets I would put forth for people to really think about when they vote:

1. Who has put forth real ideas to deal with real issues?
- Municipal taxes are a real issue, and the city is handcuffed because of provincial legislation. Who has stated the full frame and is taking up the issue at a root cause level?
2. Who has put forth a vision, relating to economy and city vibrancy?
- Are you going to be swayed by people who only knock the ideas of others while not producing any of their own?
3. What is your view of art and culture in this city, be it the theatre, opera, orchestra, music, fine arts - and who best is willing to navigate support of these important areas as a central pillar of society that they are?
4. Who are the people paying the piper? Who is funding your candidate, and is the control potentially enough to result in control?
5. What is the true "in the arena" experience of the individuals? Can you list off the top of your head ten votes or decisions your preferred candidate has made in the last ten years?
6. How do you want the City to be seen on a national and global stage, or alternatively, do you feel that we should be isolationist within the world, within Canada and within the Province?

Make sure you vote for a candidate you are supporting for good reasons. And make sure you vote (you too Corndogger). City has done great things to make it easier - you even received complimentary bus tickets and that mobile voting station at McMahon is pure genius (someone with a brain was clearly using it).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-truth_politics

Post-truth politics (also called post-factual politics) is a political culture in which debate is framed largely by appeals to emotion disconnected from the details of policy, and by the repeated assertion of talking points to which factual rebuttals are ignored. Post-truth differs from traditional contesting and falsifying of truth by rendering it of "secondary" importance.

Do not fail the city, your families and your friends by voting blind, or by not voting!

[topdog]

Still a million posts from Suburbia pushing Nenshi. And still, because they're posted by Suburbia they come across as a propaganda push for his Ismailli buddy.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by topdog

Still a million posts from Suburbia pushing Nenshi. And still, because they're posted by Suburbia they come across as a propaganda push for his Ismailli buddy.

I thought I was only a suburbs pusher? That would make me a Bill Smith fan, no? [I don't want to give you an aneurysm, but hopefully the expectation of using your mind is seen as reasonable]

Not sure what the insistence on focusing on religion is exactly. You've got much wrong there.

Finally, you seem to not want to discuss actual policy. Post-truth much?

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by topdog

Still a million posts from Suburbia pushing Nenshi. And still, because they're posted by Suburbia they come across as a propaganda push for his Ismailli buddy.

Since that poll came out he's also been pushing conspiracy theories. What I'd like to know is if the Flames ownership is so powerful in this city and Ken King has such great connections in the city then how did Nenshi and his progressive councilor buddies ever get elected in the first place?

As for the religious stuff, I won't be surprised if the religious and race cards get played starting right after the next poll comes out. Some of his more radical followers are already losing their 🞵🞵🞵🞵 over the possibility of a Nenshi loss. The city might have to hire grief councilors to help these people after the election.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

The content of her hateful message aside, if someone is sending out facebook messages typed that way, they are obviously too dumb to be involved with education.

Her post is a great reason why we should not be censoring anything online. By having that out in the open people now know exactly what she is like and not to vote for her assuming they ever were.

[Corndogger]

Proposed CPS Budget Increase

Is anyone else disappointed in how quickly all of the candidates submitted to the annual CPS blackmail for more money? CPS has received huge increases for more than a year and it's never enough for them. If they get an increase then other city employees will expect one. Salaries are the major reason why our taxes keep going up so much. I was hoping that this time the mayor and council would say "NO" to CPS and freeze all salaries to keep costs under control. Maybe a set of new councilors will be less willing to buy the annual 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 stories CPS feeds them and tell them to be happy with what they have. Then they should tell CPS to get their house in order.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

Maybe a set of new councilors will be less willing to buy the annual 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 stories CPS feeds them and tell them to be happy with what they have. Then they should tell CPS to get their house in order.

Bill Smith is on record saying he will champion increasing CPS staffing, putting way, way more boots on the ground.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by suburbia

Bill Smith is on record saying he will champion increasing CPS staffing, putting way, way more boots on the ground.

Way more than the 55 CPS asked for? CPS doesn't need more officers, it needs to be blown up and a new police service started in its place.