[M II A II R II K]

Thread to talk about local politics.

[DizzyEdge]

So who thinks that all urbanist aldermen are going to get the boot next election and we'll end up with Mayor McIvor? From the comments I see on various newspaper sites I'm concerned this may be the case.

[Stang]

So who thinks that all urbanist aldermen are going to get the boot next election and we'll end up with Mayor McIvor? From the comments I see on various newspaper sites I'm concerned this may be the case.

I'm not a gambling man, but... if I was, I'd put money on Mayor Ric.

I can't even visit CTV.ca anymore because it pisses me off too much. Whining about pedestrian bridges (based on misinformation, of course), whining about voting themselves pay raises (which they didn't), whining about pretty much anything.

The media spin (probably due in part to city hall's lack of communication and clarity on some issues) has been skewed to say the least, and the public has lapped it up.

A vast majority of the comments on a site like CTV are certainly against the current council, and some are downright hostile. Of course there may be a certain demographic that comments on news sites (maybe the same demographic that phones into afternoon radio to complain because they don't have anything else to do while everyone else is working?), but the level of discontent is noticeable.

And while I (and probably many others on this forum) might not agree with their comments and actually have the wherewithal to look a little deeper into civic issues, everyone's vote counts.

Enter Ric McIvor. Just sayin'.

[DizzyEdge]

You forgot the outrage about closing one lane of Memorial for a Sunday in August. Yes, outrage and people who can't wait for saviour McIvor to come to the rescue.

[frinkprof]

Guys, it's McIver, not McIvor. As much as some don't like him, let's at least spell his name correctly.

I think it's entirely too early to make predictions for almost a year and a half from now, as a lot can change, not the least of which is who the aldermanic and mayoral candidates are. The economy can change, major projects can go through, funding from higher levels of government can increase or decrease, etc.

With that in mind, I'll give my opinion on current council members:

Mayor Bronconnier - At this point, a veteran mayor who I agree with most of the time. Prone to grandstanding sometimes, but is at the very least respected by most of council. Overall is amassing a decent legacy, much of which likely won't be realized until a few years down the road, such as all the LRT expansion.

Ward 1 Dale Hodges - Long past his best-before date. The terms "outdated" and "out of touch" apply more often than "wise," or "veteran presence."

Ward 2 Gord Lowe - Probably the most "urban"-leaning of the far-suburban aldermen. Ball-buster who seems to care more about the issues than the politics surrounding them, which is refreshing. He's the veteran presence that Hodges should be.

Ward 3 Jim Stevenson - Not bad for a rookie, a little too regressive for my liking, but seems fairly moderate on most issues. His work to-date on the Airport Trail tunnel is commendable.

Ward 4 Bob Hawkesworth - Middle-of-the-pack alderman, who I just happen to agree with on most things. Probably his most notable work is done as FCM representative.

Ward 5 Ray Jones - Only slightly less of a ghost than Fox-Mellway. I don't have much of an opinion on this guy

Ward 6 Joe Connelly - The worst of the rookies, and probably a step back from his predeceasor Burrows. All of the regressiveness of McIver and Colley-Urquhart with none of the charisma. Less whiney than Chabot though.

Ward 7 Druh Farrell - Definitely the most urban-issues-oriented member of council who I often agree with. Also prone to grandstanding which can be negative. Passionate, if so by taking the unpopular (in the media and hence general public) route. The best example of a visionary on council whether you agree with her or not. Progressive.

Ward 8 John Mar - Certainly has impressed me as a rookie since I was expecting a lot less. Well-spoken and generally a good example of the young blood that is needed on council.

Ward 9 Joe Ceci - Level-headed alderman who is generally a quiet, behind the scenes, committee guy. Seems to be well-respected by other members of council. I agree with him on most issues.

Ward 10 Andre Chabot - Terrible alderman who is the most overt about using petty tactics such as stalling for the sake of stalling. Seems to think that he's doing the world a favour by being an asshole.

Ward 11 Brian Pincott - Quiet and subdued, but a decent rookie. His leanings are clear, but he doesn't seem to get into the thick of playing politics.

Ward 12 Ric McIver - Probably the alderman I least agree with, in both opinion and tactics. Nevertheless a talented and popular politician that knows how to work the media.

Ward 13 Dianne Colley-Urquhart - Definitely on my shit list on most issues. Not much more to say really, I just don't agree with her. I do admire her passion I suppose.

Ward 14 Linda Fox-Mellway - A ghost, who I didn't have much of an opinion on until yesterday when she fumbled her way through her statements on the proposed Plan It delay. She said she hadn't read the plan yet. I suppose that ward could have worse, but it could have a whole lot better too.

[wild wild west]

Great idea, frink. My 2 cents on these guys.


Mayor Bronconnier - Bronco has a knack for getting what he wants. He's bright, charismatic and can convey his arguments convincingly. I still think he's a bit self-serving in some respects (pushing WLRT ahead of SELRT, opposition to increased density in established communities and Springbank, pushing through certain new subdivisions that should never have happened) but I'd rather a strong mayor than a milquetoast. Achievements in terms of infrastructure, funding from province, and fast-track timelines on certain projects are impressive.

Ward 1 Dale Hodges - A big impediment to just about everything positive happening in this city. Extremely intelligent but always working to delay, obstruct, and generally work against the greater good.

Ward 2 Gord Lowe - Lowe is awesome. He is perhaps the most pragmatic member of Council and I get the feeling he makes his decisions based on his perception of the greater good rather than political advantage, horse-trading or posturing.

Ward 3 Jim Stevenson - Very knowledgeable from his years on SDAB. A bit too tight with McIver's gang. Certainly an upgrade from his predecessor.

Ward 4 Bob Hawkesworth - All-around nice guy but for a supposed "progressive" he's very disappointing. Always seems to cave to the NIMBY's.

Ward 5 Ray Jones - Focuses on local ward issues as opposed to the big-picture stuff. By all accounts he's good at looking after his constituents,

Ward 6 Joe Connelly - Much more intelligent, at least, than Chabot, but prone to ridiculous grandstanding and a bit of a stool pigeon for McIver. The ideological mudslinging directed at Farrell is getting tiresome.

Ward 7 Druh Farrell - I think Druh would be a terrible mayor since her view of things is very black-and-white, but she is exactly what we need right now for a downtown alderman.

Ward 8 John Mar - Mar frustrates me. He plays games on Council, and his voting pattern is just plain erratic. I get the feeling he is horse-trading for Council votes.

Ward 9 Joe Ceci - Well-respected, intelligent, progressive, and an all-around nice guy.

Ward 10 Andre Chabot - Prone to grandstanding and dumb as a post.

Ward 11 Brian Pincott - Stays out of the mudslinging, very intelligent and a nice guy. A promising new face on Council.

Ward 12 Ric McIver - Ric is a pro at grandstanding and getting the media on his side. Call him many things, but dumb he is not. He's good on the economic issues but doesn't recognize the value of investments in the public realm, downtown core, etc.

Ward 13 Dianne Colley-Urquhart - Passionate, but the grandstanding drives me nuts.

Ward 14 Linda Fox-Mellway - After all this time I am still trying to figure out what she stands for.

[Grendel]

The Calgary Herald's online poll question for today asks whether you support the proposed (now defeated) closure of Memorial Dr for the day. For what it's worth, if you were in favour of it (as I am) I encourage you to vote on the poll.

[wild wild west]

Interesting article on the dysfunctional nature of Council.

Once again the flashpoint is a meaningless, entirely symbolic debate about the impending chaos if we were to close 2 lanes of Memorial Drive on a fricking Sunday. I am so utterly fed up with this Council and the constant grandstanding over minor symbolic issues. This is the 3rd largest city in Canada. We have a population as large as Saskatchewan or Manitoba. We spend billions of dollars on infrastructure and services every year...and the folks who dictate where that money goes are arguing over pedestrian bridges, plastic bags and closing Memorial Drive on one Sunday a year.


Calgary council infighting 'distracts' politicians

Jostling evident well before civic vote, says alderman

By Kim Guttormson And Joel Kom, Calgary HeraldMay 13, 2009 7:14 AMComments (11)

CALGARY - It is still more than 16 months away, but the next municipal election is already affecting city hall and how it gets things done.

With roots in last fall's budget wrangling, divisions on council are fuelling vicious debates, rumours of conservative slates to challenge sitting aldermen and speculation on who will challenge the incumbent mayor.

And there are worries the bickering and political positioning--which has exposed long-simmering personal rifts--will make it difficult for council to work together, affecting every decision it tries to make.

"It takes two to get an argument going,"veteran Ald.Dale Hodges said. "It distracts some members of city council and the administration from the real issues here. It's just people staking out their positions."

This is the first time in his 26 years on council that overt political jostling is so evident more than a year before an election, he said.

"Some of the people here want to start the election a year early," Hodges added.

Ald. Gord Lowe said he's not surprised tempers are flaring.

"We're seeing a council now divided along ideological lines, and unfortunately more time is being spent on politics than city business," he said. "I find that regrettable."

Ald. Joe Connelly said debate in the past has been more one-sided ideologically, but that's changed since he and Ald. Jim Stevenson, among others, have joined what he sees as the pro-business chorus.

"City hall has been hijacked by special interests,"Connelly said. "What ideology built Calgary? I think it's a pro-business stance, instead of a left-leaning stance."

Rumours of conservative-minded slates have been making the rounds, although Ald. Ric McIver, for one, says he puts little stock in them.

Ald. Druh Farrell hopes council isn't teetering toward party politics.

"Council's strength is we're 15 individuals. Calgarians have always been in support of a non-partisan structure at city hall," she said. "No matter how fiery the debate is, council usually gets it right."

On Monday, a debate over whether two lanes on Memorial Drive should be closed for a street festival became a flashpoint for pent-up anger.

Lowe called out some of his colleagues for trying to halt the closure, saying it was about politics. Ald. Brian Pincott called it petty and frivolous.

Connelly, one of four who brought forward the motion to stop the lane closure, accused his colleagues of believing they know better than the people who elected them, and after the meeting said it was about one alderman trying to raise her profile.

On Tuesday, Lowe described the debate as "acrimonious."

But McIver said he has no problem with the tone.

"We're not actually here to hold hands and agree on everything. We're here to make decisions, and sometimes that requires a bit of enthusiasm," he said.

McIver is frequently rumoured to be eyeing a run for mayor in next year's election, and donning a hockey jersey last December with "2010" on the back did nothing to quell speculation. That in turn has some of his council colleagues believing every move he makes is done solely with the mayor's chair in mind.

McIver said he still has not made a decision about a mayoral run.

"When you're a politician, you're always campaigning, let's face it," he said.

The names of a couple of other aldermen have been floated for the mayoral race, but none with the frequency of McIver.

Mayor Dave Bronconnier has said barring any change in plans, he will run for the city's top job a fourth time.

Election or no, council has a job to do, Ald. Bob Hawkesworth said.

"I think we are expected to govern, and that requires a certain level of professionalism," he said. "We have to be able to live with our differences.

"We need to get back to policy. We're going to have to be more responsible and lighten up."

jkom@theherald.canwest.com

kguttormson@theherald.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

[frinkprof]

Interesting article on the dysfunctional nature of Council.

Once again the flashpoint is a meaningless, entirely symbolic debate about the impending chaos if we were to close 2 lanes of Memorial Drive on a fricking Sunday. I am so utterly fed up with this Council and the constant grandstanding over minor symbolic issues. This is the 3rd largest city in Canada. We have a population as large as Saskatchewan or Manitoba. We spend billions of dollars on infrastructure and services every year...and the folks who dictate where that money goes are arguing over pedestrian bridges, plastic bags and closing Memorial Drive on one Sunday a year.
Couldn't have said it better myself. I don't mind debates over big-impact, big-dollar projects and issues. It's the political games I can't stand. The $25M bridges expenditure issue dragged on longer, and saw as much council and media attention as solving the routing of the $700M+ WLRT. There's one distinct camp in council (the fantastic four from wards 6, 10, 12, and 13), and another, less tight opposing camp, and some others in the middle. There's 3 groups to blame here though, and the other is the media. Look at me with a straight face and tell me that Rick Bell, Michael Platt, Ian Robinson, Naomi Lakritz, etc. haven't been playing games and trying to wag the dog.

As for the article, I think Hodges' soundbites are spot on.

[wild wild west]

Yup...and don't forget Myke Thomas of course. Won't be much of a surprise when the newspapers offer their endorsements.

On the bright side, the higher profile of municipal politics these days as well as watershed moments like the new MDP ought to really help voter turnout in our next municipal election (and hopefully not because people are PO'd because it took them 15 seconds longer to drive along Memorial Drive one Sunday...).

[freeweed]

The Calgary Herald's online poll question for today asks whether you support the proposed (now defeated) closure of Memorial Dr for the day. For what it's worth, if you were in favour of it (as I am) I encourage you to vote on the poll.

No one's proposing a closure of Memorial Drive for a day that I'm aware of (yes, the poll calls it a closure - kinda ignoring the key word "partial").

And it got defeated?? I thought it was passed.

[frinkprof]

^The proposal to deny closures (partial or full) on sundays in August on Memorial drive, moved by Ald. Jim Stevenson was defeated. There is yet to be a formal application to close (partially or fully) Memorial Drive in August. Confused yet?

[freeweed]

^The proposal to deny closures (partial or full) on sundays in August on Memorial drive, moved by Ald. Jim Stevenson was defeated. There is yet to be a formal application to close (partially or fully) Memorial Drive in August. Confused yet?

Don't do what Donny Don't does.

[Beltliner]

No one's proposing a closure of Memorial Drive for a day that I'm aware of (yes, the poll calls it a closure - kinda ignoring the key word "partial").

And it got defeated?? I thought it was passed.

That The Fishwrap should torque their pull poll question should come as a surprise?

[You Need A Thneed]

^The proposal to deny closures (partial or full) on sundays in August on Memorial drive, moved by Ald. Jim Stevenson was defeated. There is yet to be a formal application to close (partially or fully) Memorial Drive in August. Confused yet?

Why don't we just leave the road closures to the transportation dept, you know, the people that actually get paid to figure out whether these closures work?

What does an alderman know about whether road closures such as these work anyway? They don't.

[Wooster]

She always been Big Red ... she's always been True Blue ... now one of Calgary's most charismatic aldermen wants to play in bigger sandbox

By RICK BELL

Last Updated: 20th May 2009, 3:20am

Big Red is going blue.

Big Red is, of course, Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, a leading voice among the few sensible souls in a civic sandbox where just when you think things can't get any worse in the asylum they always do.

Last night, Diane informed local Tories she is seeking the party's nomination in the upcoming byelection battle in the southwest riding of Calgary-Glenmore.

The seat is open because Deputy Premier Ron Stevens resigned last week and is expected to be appointed a judge by the feds, with talk saying he could be headed to the Alberta Court of Appeal.

Ron is very well-respected and was named Premier Ed's right-hand man when the boss needed some love in this city and required someone with Ron's credibility.

Ron leaves big shoes and the Liberals always put up a heck of a fight in Glenmore and Ed doesn't have anything close to coattails to ride here.

So it is understandable some Tories want Diane in the race, a recognizable politician from the city's southwest who is actually an individual of longtime conservative beliefs and not the usual bandwagon jumper with the politics of the consistency of Play-Doh looking for a cheap ticket to the capital.

Diane headed up Ron's campaign and has worked years for both the provincial and federal Tories. She is the president of the Tories in Stephen Harper's constituency and bills herself as a moderate and "certainly not of the far right."

"Anything can happen in a byelection. You know, byelections are wild cards and it's really, really important for us to run a person with a proven track record serving the community," says Diane.

"We need people who will stand up and speak up, especially in these turbulent times. I take a stand.

"Yes, I've peeved people off.

"Yes, I have enemies.

"But you always know where I stand. You know what you're getting."

Truthfully, Big Red does not use the word "peeved."

"This is not the best time for Calgary and now is definitely not the time to throw this constituency to the opposition."

Big Red will be an aldermen nine years come July, winning a seat on council in a byelection and twice being returned to office without opposition.

On the pages of this newspaper, you will have read of her fight against high taxes and unnecessary spending and the seemingly endless stupid schemes floated by other aldermen with far too much time on their hands.

She's also on the police commission and supported more cop boots on the ground to fight criminals and more services for the mentally ill who need a helping hand and not a hitch in the hoosegow.

Big Red has indeed fought many times against Bronco but she has managed not to slime him as some city hall Satan.

There is much the candidate will say as other names are touted for the Tory nomination.

Diane speaks of the challenges facing Calgary and the surrounding communities -- water, land use, transportation, the list goes on, finally ending with the holding down of the right pinkies to the right paper to get the southwest ring road really and truly inked.

This early on in the contest, Big Red even ventures a little into current provincial punch-ups. As a nurse, as well as an elected official, she makes a point of backing Rockin' Ron Liepert, the Tory health head honcho, who has plans to revamp the medical system.

"We need to make the changes and we need people who will not blink," says Diane, pulling out a word from the early days of Ralph when the Tories possessed a plan more ambitious than just keeping their cushy keesters in power.

If she is nominated and if she wins, neither a gimme, she would join a caucus of city Tories ... well ... let's just be kind and say there aren't a lot of stars in that universe.

Diane says by growing up in the small but sensible town of Oyen, she feels she can relate to the premier and can confidently kick it in the slough water with the many good old boys on the Conservative benches.

"I wouldn't do this if I didn't have respect for Ed Stelmach," she says.

There will be those who don't want Diane to leave city council, where there is precious little sanity around. There are those who wanted her to run for mayor.

What all these people don't realize is a famine of talent exists at the provincial level as much as at the city.

It's just because it's Tories with little on the bench some folks look the other way.

Diane insists she's running but not running away and vows she will not become a puppet for the party, a tall order when some MLAs just hope they're around long enough for good severance.

"Nothing about me will change. The only way I'll ever fly below the radar is to dye my hair," says Big Red, now a hopeful for a Tory nomination.

But, Big Red, if you end up in the legislature, won't you miss the theatre of the absurd downtown? She laughs.

"If you were still drinking, we could have a good conversation and really get into it."

RICK.BELL@SUNMEDIA.CA

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/columnists/rick_bell/2009/05/20/9508511-sun.html

[Doug]

Calgary needs a manager not a visionary to clean up the mess left by Bronconnier. City finances are a disaster.

[wild wild west]

Why don't we just leave the road closures to the transportation dept, you know, the people that actually get paid to figure out whether these closures work?

What does an alderman know about whether road closures such as these work anyway? They don't.

Stevenson's the same guy who suggested that the development industry knows more than staff do about how the City should grow, when commenting on Plan|it|...rather indicative of his view on administration I would think.

[mersar]

Well this could have an interesting impact on future elections:

Province cuts off pocketing leftover civic campaign funds

Last Updated: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | 7:00 PM MT

CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/credit.html)


Successful municipal politicians now face stiffer restrictions on campaign contributions, and what they can do with surplus funds after changes to Alberta law this week.
Changes to the Local Authorities Election Act now limit unions or corporations from donating more than $5,000 to a candidate, and require that surplus campaign funds be either:
Held in trust by municipalities to be carried over to a re-election campaign.
Given to the city.
Donated to a charity.Previous Calgary councils decided against setting rules on what to do with surplus campaign money.
"I think it's very important that we have hard and fast rules, and now the province has stepped up and said these are some basic rules that you have to follow," said Calgary Ald. Brian Pincott on Wednesday.
Former alderman Barry Erskine welcomes the changes. He retired from politics just a month before the October 2007 civic election and was pressured to prove he donated the leftover money raised for this campaign to charity — even though he was under no legal obligation.
"I tell ya, I really felt very, very beat up about the fact that I had less than $5,000 and I said I was going to use it for charity," Erskine told CBC News on Wednesday.
"All of us want to do the right thing, and I'm glad it's being defined."

Surplus can't be applied to other political races
Candidates who don't get elected and have money left over are not bound by the new rules. Mayor David Bronconnier, who has previously voted against campaign changes and is also sitting on a surplus, said that's unfair.
"I think this is a positive step. I think there is some tweaking required though to make sure that it applies not only to those who are successful in seeking public office but to ensure that the enforcement rules are in place for all candidates," he said.
Some politicians, including aldermen Druh Farrell, Joe Ceci and Pincott, have self-imposed limits on how much they'll accept from a donor.
This week's amendments also preclude funds from being used for political endeavours on other levels. That means the $55,000 or so in Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart's campaign account will not be eligible for her provincial run at the Calgary-Glenmore seat vacated by Ron Stevens earlier this month.
Colley-Urquhart filed her nomination papers on Wednesday seeking to be the Alberta Conservative candidate in the riding.
The next civic elections are scheduled for October 2010.


Source (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/05/27/alberta-calgary-civic-campaign-surplus.html)

[wild wild west]

/\This is good news. A change that was long overdue.

[Champion3]

Today is the Calgary Sun's council report card. Guess who got an A, and who got an F! ;)

Link (http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2009/05/31/9629096-sun.html)

[Colin]

Today is the Calgary Sun's council report card. Guess who got an A, and who got an F! ;)

Link (http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2009/05/31/9629096-sun.html)

That was really difficult to read and they manage to say everything I disagree with.

[wild wild west]

Well, it is the Sun. I'd be more worried if I actually agreed with everything they say.

[Bassic Lab]

It is a little surprising that Pincott received a C. He seemed to be the only Alderman on the list whose grade wasn't directly linked to his politics. You'd think even the Sun would be embarassed to print such a piece with a straight face.

[fusili]

This is a great illustration why the Sun is a 20th-rate newspaper. It's not that I completely disagree with a right-wing stand point, but at least do it some integrity. The Wall Street Journal and hell, even my favorite publication, the Economist, are fairly right wing, but they do so with class and journalistic rigour. The Sun has no idea what journalism is. They simply write any whimsical opinions they may have without any credibility or research. I am disgusted that this paper is as wide spread as it is. I feel like it is written by children.

[Beltliner]

^^^ I think you owe the children of Calgary an apology, tovarishch. ;)

But seriously, folks--there's not really that much to expect from a lumpenprole tabloid like The Scum other than:

Gore... *flip* Titties... *flip* Gore... *flip* Gossip... *flip* Car stereos... *flip* Titties... *flip* Shrieking rants... *flip* Titties... *flip*

[wild wild west]

This is a great illustration why the Sun is a 20th-rate newspaper. It's not that I completely disagree with a right-wing stand point, but at least do it some integrity. The Wall Street Journal and hell, even my favorite publication, the Economist, are fairly right wing, but they do so with class and journalistic rigour. The Sun has no idea what journalism is. They simply write any whimsical opinions they may have without any credibility or research. I am disgusted that this paper is as wide spread as it is. I feel like it is written by children.

Nothing wrong with a conservative viewpoint provided the issues are discussed intelligently, analytically and with at least some attempt at balance. Unfortunately the Sun is the right-wing equivalent of a union newsletter: nothing but ranting rhetoric.

[Champion3]

I can't say that the Herald is any better these days...

[Ramsayfarian]

I love The Sun. I look at it as more satire than news. It's also a fun newspaper to write letters to.

My personal favourite was one I wrote complaining the the Sunshine girl who was photographed in a studio astride a mountain bike was not wearing a helmet. I then went on about how this was sending a the wrong message to my young children.

The replies from the other mouth breathers was comedy gold. I'm hoping they'll print my latest, I'm complaining that the iron being used on the bow is already rusty. How much more money are we going to spend on tetanus shots for all the office works.

[Wooster]

^ this was a favourite letter of mine that got published - "complaining" about the new conservatory at the zoo and mocking about the detractors of the ped bridge:

Blooming insane

Re: "Bloom-town mentality," (Michael Platt, Sept. 25) Spend $25 million for a greenhouse? It better not have any features that make it at all attractive looking. All we need is a purely functional greenhouse. Surely that would only cost $5 million! How can we justify such a fancy "house for plants" when there aren't even enough houses for people! An adult-only teahouse in the conservatory? Us simpleton Calgarians can get by with some Timmy's coffee, thank you! Let them set up a franchise! A dime of public money better not be going to such extravagances.

"Wooster"

(Cost overruns are sprouting like weeds.)

I couldn't believe they published this and seem to take it seriously.

[Ramsayfarian]

^ this was a favourite letter of mine that got published - "complaining" about the new conservatory at the zoo and mocking about the detractors of the ped bridge:



I couldn't believe they published this and seem to take it seriously.

That's a good one, I find it helps to get published, if you write your letter in crayon.

[Wooster]

Bronco set for 2010 ballot
By RICK BELL

Last Updated: 26th July 2009, 2:01am

Mayor Dave Bronconnier tells the Sun he'll run again in the next election. (Sun file photo) It's one question people want answered.

Is Bronco running again? He tells the Sun yes.

"Of course, I'm running again. I'm a guy who likes to get things done," says the mayor, who was first elected by a squeaker of a margin eight years ago.

"I told Calgarians when I stood in 2001, 2004 and 2007, we were going to make Calgary sustainable. We were going to go after the federal and provincial governments for our reasonable share of the taxes we pay back here. We were going to invest in infrastructure and quality of life. You're starting to see those things come together."

He rattles off a whole list of things off the top of his head, as much as he can get out in one breath.

It sounds like the bare bones of a campaign speech -- the parks plan, the revitalization of the East Village, Crowchild Tr., the west leg of the LRT, the northeast expansion, three regional rec facilities, how when he was elected $50 million a year was spent on roads and now it's $400 million.

"All of those are important community projects and they need a champion. They need somebody to keep driving them," he says.

"I intend to keep asking Calgarians for their support to keep doing these projects and building this city, to keep the momentum going."

You know he's got a lot more big-ticket items in his back pocket.

For some time, smart sorts figured Bronco would seek greener pastures after he finished nine years on the job. He's taken a lot of heat this past term, over everything from city spending in general to a designer bridge in particular.

And chatter circulated about other candidates and centred on Ald. Ric McIver, the Dr. No to Mayor Yes.

But, in the last little while, the mayor has sounded more his feisty self, speaking and acting like someone who wants stay a while longer in the job.

He has more than a year to get his message out and reclaim his Bronco the Builder persona. He has the power of being the one in the chair and Calgarians rarely toss mayors out the way they do in Edmonton, where two have been bounced in recent memory.

Don't forget, in this city people bellyache a whole lot more than they vote.

Bronco is asked why he thinks so many thought he was a goner.

"Some of my colleagues out there, that's what they're really hoping," he answers.

"They're trying to position themselves. They're trying to take things and spin them." Ouch.

He does add the escape clause of all politicians. Something unforeseen could happen between now and the city election to have him back out. One never says never until you have to say never.

Business goes on and, as revealed in last week's Sunday Sun, the mayor is looking a little more hawkish about the budget numbers. Instead of cutting $20 million to keep next year's city books balanced, the paper shufflers have been told to prepare cuts of 1.7% or $38 million.

This week, Bronco gives more details.

"We will shed between 90 and 100 positions out of the base budget," he says.

Some areas won't suffer a scratch. The city will hire 67 new cops, 32 new firefighters and 23 more in water services.

"The cops? We want to clean up the gangbangers. New firefighters and people in water services? We're opening up new fire halls. I'd think it would be pretty foolish to build a fire hall and then not staff it or build a sewer and water treatment plant and then not put staff in to maintain it."

There's also 911 and the need for more operators with a million calls a year. Calgarians will demand more snow clearing once the white stuff starts to fly, which could be in the next 15 minutes. The city will also still keep building because the mayor says it isn't the time to be "penny wise and pound foolish."

"Still, we've got to find efficiencies within the budget. You've got to look at the other areas. We're not living in a vacuum."

Bronco is also not as upbeat on the economy as Bank of Canada cheerleader Mark Carney.

"When natural gas gets over $6, I'll be as euphoric as Mr. Carney but, until then, this province is dependent upon the energy industry. Natural gas is at $3.75 and is just a kick in the shins. The impact of a low natural gas price on Calgary and rural Alberta is enormous not to mention on the provincial coffers."

"Our building permits will hit $2 to $2.5 billion this year, down from the highs of $7 billion. I'm very, very cautiously optimistic. We have a ways to go from being out of the woods yet."

But he's out of the woods politically.

It's game on and the city's current main man doesn't look like he's anywhere near blinking. He even has a message for anyone thinking of getting on the same ballot as him in October 2010.

"The water is nice and warm. Come on in."

RICK.BELL@SUNMEDIA.CA

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/columnists/rick_bell/2009/07/26/10263971-sun.html

[freeweed]

How the hell does a city of 1 million people generate 1 million 911 calls each year? Am I just a freak? I don't recall ever calling it in my life, never mine once each year on average.

Perhaps we should find a way to not have people calling 911 every week when they're bored...

[para transit fellow]

I recall a newspaper article about this phenomena. We can relate it to the utility of the cellphone. As I understand it, good citizens find it easier to call in accidents and many do with the call centre recieving 10 - 24 calls regarding the same motor vehicle accident, fire, etc. I have called regarding a grass fire only to find out I was the sixth caller.

[CorporateWhore]

Not sure if Calgary has something like this already (apart from Dialing 1 for Information like back in the day), but here in NY we have two numbers. 911 and 311. 911 is what you call for "real" emergencies, and 311 is what you basically call for everything else city related (accidents, unsafe driving/biking, property issues, environmental issues etc). The reason 311 is pretty successful is because its very simple to remember, and not some long generic phone number that no one can remember.

[mersar]

Yep. 311 is essentially the 'call the city for anything' number. Calgary also has 211 (family support services, I believe its ran by the distress centre and united way)

[korzym]

you'd call 266-1234 several times too if your neighbor blasted the radio until 3 in the morning, for an entire month after the fact the cops already paid a visit..

My bet is people call 911 for bylaw issues not being aware of the non-emergency line..our 311 directed me to call the non-emergency number when i had the mentioned issues. There is some confusion imo

[freeweed]

I guess it just never dawned on me to call 911 for non-emergency issues, ever. Seeing as the number has been drilled into my head since birth as being for emergencies.

Not just "damn neighbour cat is in my bushes again". Real, honest-to-goodness life threatening emergencies.

Did I take some special training that the rest of the city somehow missed? :shrug:

[shogged]

I've called 911 3 times so far this year..

once in downtown calgary to report a drunk driver that had just hit a pole with the side of his vehicle and then veered across 3 lanes of traffic and the 2nd time was to report a driver on deerfoot that was easily going 150 and was passing people in the left and right shoulders. 3rd time was just after one of my stores was robbed.

All of those times were IMO emergencies that could easily have threatened peoples lives.

A million calls doesn't sound too far fetched though, when you think of major crashes, you have to consider multiple calls. Medical emergencies happen quite often as well, whether they make the news or not.

[lubicon]

Regarding Bronco running again:

That's good IMHO. He's done a decent job. Hopefully McIvor will not run against him for 2 reasons:
1. he (Mcivor) might win and that would be bad.
2. like him or hate him, having one 9and only one) guy like McIvor on council is a good thing. The guy is a fiscal hawk (maybe to the point of going overboard) but we need one guy/gal like him to keep everyone honest.


Regarding 311:
I've had reason to use the service and all I can say is what a joke. First off, there should be a way to email your concerns or submit them electronically in some form. Having only one option (phone) sucks. Secondly, in my latest use of the system I can't believe how long the whole process took, and how difficult it was. I spent over 1/2 an hour on the phone just to let the know a player's bench was broken at one of the City ball diamonds. I had the coded number of the field (each park, field, etc has it's unique number/code) and figured that would be good enough. Oh no, the person taking my call insisted I give a physical address. Not just a guess, or a cross roads that would pinpoint the location to the closest intersection, but the ACTUAL street address of the park/field. Like anybody would actually know that (I didn't).

talk about frustrating.

[mooky]

I voted against Bronco last election, but the next time if my only two choices are Bronco and McBlinky, I'm choosing Bronco.

[You Need A Thneed]

There weren't any reasonable alternatives to Bronco last election, and we'll have to see if there are any reasonable alternatives this time.

If someone's going to run against Bronco (and wants my vote), they better be able to make believable promises (West LRT by 2010, lol), and understand the outcomes of the policies they say they will implement.

[Stang]

A million calls doesn't sound too far fetched though, when you think of major crashes, you have to consider multiple calls. Medical emergencies happen quite often as well, whether they make the news or not.

I think that multiple calls for the same emergency likely inflate the numbers quite a bit. But, of course, they all have to be answered so it is probably a valid statistic. This is better than nobody calling because of the "bystander effect".

I have only called 911 once in recent memory when a guy broke his leg badly during a recreational soccer game. He wasn't even hit by another player - he planted his foot to pivot and we could hear the snap across the field. I was on the sideline sucking wind, so I was nearest to a phone. :)

Hopefully no calls like this (audio):

http://www.break.com/index/burger_king_911.html

Or like this (web page):

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0209092burgerking1.html

For people like this, however, I think that charges should be laid just for being ignorant.

[MichaelS]

So I asked the question in the Calatrava Bridge thread, but figure this is a more appropriate thread. If McIvor does run for Mayor, what key issues/points do you think he will campaign on as being different from Bronconnier? Obviously he will go the more fiscally conservative route, but what services/programs/projects do you think he will propose dropping in order to save money?

[lubicon]

He won't have to get into specifics. Just throw out the typical lines about being fiscally prudent, and watching out for the best interests of taxpayers. etc. Add in some examples (the bridge) and he paints a picture of how good he will be and how bad Bronco has been. He doesn't have to lie, or even get into specifics, just create the scenario that Bronco has been asleep at the financial switch and he is the only guy who can correct it.

Right or wrong, that's my guess as to how he will play it.

[wild wild west]

If McIver decides to run against Bronco, he will have plenty of material to target the mayor with. 6 percent annual tax hikes during a recession, park and ride fees, "designer bridges", Council pay hikes, Plan|it|, etc...the media has portrayed such issues in a very one-sided fashion. I think it could be a very nasty campaign. However it will also force McIver to articulate a vision of why he would be a good Mayor of Calgary, other than that he's cheap. He's had it far too easy in recent months - being portrayed as a taxpayer's hero in the media without having to articulate how he would do things differently.

On the bright side, if there is ever a contest that will stimulate interest in municipal politics, this is it. With that matchup, with two clearly opposing views of the city, surely everyone even remotely interested in municipal politics will come out to vote.

[Fiveway]

Like, what 30% voter turnout?

[MichaelS]

If McIver decides to run against Bronco, he will have plenty of material to target the mayor with. 6 percent annual tax hikes during a recession, park and ride fees, "designer bridges", Council pay hikes, Plan|it|, etc...the media has portrayed such issues in a very one-sided fashion. I think it could be a very nasty campaign. However it will also force McIver to articulate a vision of why he would be a good Mayor of Calgary, other than that he's cheap. He's had it far too easy in recent months - being portrayed as a taxpayer's hero in the media without having to articulate how he would do things differently.


And I think this is a big problem for him. All it will take is one debate or question to ask him what his vision is, and people will see that perhaps he doesn't really have one. Or, it is that of a very plain, utilitarian city that is run with only the most basic of services because with any sort of tax cut, that is what we could afford.

I am surprised when people think that the Mayor and council are being fiscally irresponsible when implementing tax hikes and charging more user fees. Do they really think they want to do this, simply for the sake of doing it? It is because it is necessary to pay for the services provided in the city. Now, if citizens don't want those services, I guess they might have a viable alternative for that kind of government (or at least Mayor) in McIvor.

[BFHeadstone]

More reason for Bigtime to run. He can come up the middle and grab all the votes :notacrook: :yes:

[Riise]

And I think this is a big problem for him. All it will take is one debate or question to ask him what his vision is, and people will see that perhaps he doesn't really have one.

I hope that next year's Mayoral Candidate Debate is better organized and actually a series of debates. I'm thinking larger auditoriums and one in each quadrant plus one grand debate downtown. Oh yeah, and all of them have to be easily accessed by transit (i.e. on an LRT line).

[Sir.Humphrey.Appleby]

^ Debates are ad-hoc, a negoatiation between all the candidates and the media. Of course, minor candidates will aren't really taken into account that much, unless one of the front runners insists on their inclusion.

You also have mini-debates, forums, hosted by issue or demographic specific groups aswell.

[ksnaden]

Just got this in my e-mail:

Mayor Dave Bronconnier - Leading with Passion and Purpose
In the past 2 years we've made major strides in ensuring we put unprecedented resources into Calgary's infrastructure - from the new West leg of the LRT, police stations, fire halls and recreational facilities. Insuring that Calgary's property taxes remain the lowest of any city in the country, while investing in the protective services, transit and environmental protection.

But there's more to do with October 2010 just around the corner. Please sign up to stay informed.

Stay Informed

We are in the process of gearing up and pulling the Dave Bronconnier team together again and we need your continued support!

Thanks again,

Dave