HRM Municipal Election 2012 - Page 6

Aya_Akai · #**101** Posted **Jul 29, 2012, 6:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaustin

Well I have some news. You might have caught it already on twitter or the Coast, but I have decided to run for council in Dartmouth Centre. It's definitely time for some new faces on council. Dartmouth Centre is turning out to be a really crowded race with Jim and Gloria plus 4 other challengers and myself. It's a full field! I'm going to be releasing a series of videos over the campaign that will, together, make a video policy platform. I will have several on planning/development issues, which may be of interest to you guys. You can check out my first on Downtown Dartmouth at the link below or on my website, samaustin.ca:

http://youtu.be/ScBJTX0rbdo

So with Waye Mason and myself running, there are two forumers running in the election!

Loved the video, I couldn't agree more with everything you said. I wish you the absolute best in this endeavour

haligonia · #**102** Posted **Jul 29, 2012, 2:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaustin

Well I have some news. You might have caught it already on twitter or the Coast, but I have decided to run for council in Dartmouth Centre. It's definitely time for some new faces on council. Dartmouth Centre is turning out to be a really crowded race with Jim and Gloria plus 4 other challengers and myself. It's a full field! I'm going to be releasing a series of videos over the campaign that will, together, make a video policy platform. I will have several on planning/development issues, which may be of interest to you guys. You can check out my first on Downtown Dartmouth at the link below or on my website, samaustin.ca:

http://youtu.be/ScBJTX0rbdo

So with Waye Mason and myself running, there are two forumers running in the election!

Wow! Congrats on taking such a courageous leap!

fenwick16 · #**103** Posted **Jul 29, 2012, 3:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaustin

Well I have some news. You might have caught it already on twitter or the Coast, but I have decided to run for council in Dartmouth Centre. It's definitely time for some new faces on council. Dartmouth Centre is turning out to be a really crowded race with Jim and Gloria plus 4 other challengers and myself. It's a full field! I'm going to be releasing a series of videos over the campaign that will, together, make a video policy platform. I will have several on planning/development issues, which may be of interest to you guys. You can check out my first on Downtown Dartmouth at the link below or on my website, samaustin.ca:

http://youtu.be/ScBJTX0rbdo

So with Waye Mason and myself running, there are two forumers running in the election!

Good luck. I agree with almost all of your opinions, even concerning a stadium (you have indicated that you have some reservations but if it is built then it should be close to the urban core; correct me if my paraphrasing is not correct). I watched your video and read your last 100 postings to see if I agree with you viewpoint. For what it is worth, I would vote for you if I lived in Dartmouth Centre.

Although I have posted many times about a Halifax area stadium, it is only one interest of mine. I want to see a strong urban core with good transit links.

If you are elected will you push for the opening of Georges Island? (which is just one of many cultural assets that the HRM should be utilizing). Just my 2 cents worth; if people are to be attracted to the city and it is to retain residents, it not only needs more jobs, it also has to be a place where people want to live.

Waye Mason · #**104** Posted **Jul 29, 2012, 4:06 PM**

Spaustin, welcome to the fun. 83 days of campaigning is a lot, but I am sure you are up for it! My question is... will you have time to plan all those tulips on Tulip Street AND canvass?

DigitalNinja · #**105** Posted **Jul 29, 2012, 8:54 PM**

Good job! I'm rooting for you as a fellow forumer! I don't live in that district but I hope you win, I agreed with much of what you were saying. So hit those streets at beat out the others!

As a side note, it was kinda funny about the darkside comment in your video and there be clouds over dartmouth and clear skies over Halifax...

spaustin · #**106** Posted **Jul 29, 2012, 10:51 PM**

Thanks everyone! I thought my video about Downtown Dartmouth might hit a cord in here

A few specific replies below:

Fenwick: You have paraphrased my position on the stadium exactly. I would have to see a clear case for its use and the feds or prov should be at the table. They've contributed to sports infrastructure before, HRM's taxpayers shouldn't build this alone. I'm completely against building a stadium out by some highway off-ramp. All the planning literature says that stadiums can boost the local economy, but their effect tends to be more localized than we would expect. Putting it in the urban core is pretty essential for me so that we can get the max out if it. Regarding George's Island, it's really Parks Canada's preserve and until I'm elected, I work for PWGSC in real property. I had to get approval from the Public Service Commission to run and commenting on federal property would put me in a potential conflict of interest. Ask me again on Oct 21 if I'm elected!

Waye: I actually had the tulip question come up today at my Launch BBQ. It all depends on when the shipment of bulbs comes in. They ship in October so if they come in early, I'll have to take a weekend off to plant. Hoping they'll arrive after October 20!

DigitalNinja: I actually have an even better one that I messed up laughing. We started the take with a cloud over the sun and just as I said the Darkside/Brightside line, the sun came blazing out. Was really disappointed that I couldn't hold the composure because it would have been an awesome effect!

someone123 · #**107** Posted **Jul 29, 2012, 11:08 PM**

Good luck. It can be hard to beat incumbents in municipal elections but I think this time around will be more interesting because of the shifting boundaries. Gloria McCluskey received a large share of the votes in 2004 but she was acclaimed in 2008 so it's not clear what share of votes she would have gotten. Many other councillors were elected with a very small number of votes.

spaustin · #**108** Posted **Aug 4, 2012, 2:31 AM**

Yeah it's tough to say what this election will bring. It was shaping up to be a real nasty fight, but Peter Kelly's decision not to run again took a lot of the anger out of the room.

I didn't know if I should post this here or in the Centre Plan form. It's kind of more political than anything else so this is probably the best place. There is a facebook group/page that has asked all of the candidates running in Dartmouth Centre what they think of the proposed height limits around Wyse Road and Nantucket. You can see Kate Watson and Bill Zebedee's posted responses at http://www.facebook.com/pages/What-m...19288871452757. The site quotes Gloria as not liking the height. Since I'm sharing, I'll plug my own reply! Here's what I said:

Thanks What Matters for asking the question about development on Wyse Road. I have been keeping tabs on the Centre Plan and based on what has been publicly presented so far, I’m very much in favour.

We need more development in HRM's urban core. Almost all of the population growth over the last few decades has been out on the edges and our office and retail sectors have followed the flow of people to the suburbs. Industrial parks that were built as a space for industrial operations have become "business parks" and have drawn retail and office growth out of our Downtowns. Suburban sprawl is hollowing out our city centre, hurting our ability to compete for residents and businesses, destroying our environment, creating traffic congestion and stretching our ability to provide and pay for city services.

If HRM is going to grow sustainably, new development in the urban core is absolutely critical. Rather than constantly fixating on height, I would like to see more attention paid to good urban design. Hostile street levels are way more damaging to the urban environment than an extra storey. With good design, modern buildings can blend in quite well to their surroundings. I snapped the two pictures attached to this post of the Vic Apartments on Hollis Street and of Founders Corner in Ochterloney, which I think are stellar examples of good design in action.

Both the Vic and Founders Corner, stagger their height and mass so as to not dominate adjacent buildings or the street, they’re mixed-use and they have animated street fronts that are mostly at grade. The varied façade on both buildings and the use of differing materials also makes them feel at street-level like 3-4 different buildings. It’s a very clever way to build big while preserving a human-scale. HRMbyDesign isn’t perfect, but the move towards form-based coding is a tremendous step forward! Hopefully we’ll see some development of similiar quality in the Wyse/Nantucket area.

I hope this has been helpful. Thanks for asking the question and creating a forum for all of the candidates to participate in.

Sam Austin
Candidate Dartmouth Centre
www.samaustin.ca

fenwick16 · #**109** Posted **Aug 4, 2012, 2:50 AM**

Your point of view makes sense. I hope that you can reach enough people before the municipal election.

Keith P. · #**110** Posted **Aug 4, 2012, 1:36 PM**

I didn't realize you were running for election, spaustin. You need to get the word out. From the posts you have made here over the years you would certainly get my vote over the others who are running in that district.

I visited that Facebook page you referenced and it is run by someone who is clearly in the anti-development camp. The many postings by that person are really quite discouraging and annoying. Going on and on over needing to protect the view of Citadel Hill from Dartmouth, forming a human chain around the convention center site, the usual "no tall buildings" litany... it is really quite sickening. Sadly, it has attracted a bunch of like-minded types, who I am tempted to dismiss as lefties, but I really don't think that is it, as much as them simply not getting it. They want nothing to change, they want the same old same old, perpetuating poverty and slummy areas. It really is quite remarkable to read some of the things about wanting to keep development on Wyse Road "compatible" with what is there. What is there, of course, are empty lots, decrepit buildings, parking lots and strip malls. Simply astounding.

Good luck in your campaign.

someone123 · #**111** Posted **Aug 4, 2012, 8:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

It really is quite remarkable to read some of the things about wanting to keep development on Wyse Road "compatible" with what is there. What is there, of course, are empty lots, decrepit buildings, parking lots and strip malls. Simply astounding.

Urban planning is fairly politicized. I think these comments are probably most correctly interpreted as slogans. They're not based on observation and rational thinking.

It's too bad because at the end of the day this stuff gets in the way of building a good city that works. The most glaring example of that I've seen is the St. Pat's-Alexandra case. The developer has a good track record and wanted to work with the community but the whole process was hijacked. A significant number of people were turned against the project because of abstract arguments about racism and the like that had nothing whatsoever to do with the development itself.

Dmajackson · #**112** Posted **Sep 28, 2012, 9:11 PM**

Here's the candidacy list (recopied from The Official Candidacy List). Italised names are the "incumbents" (current councilors);

MAYOR:

Fred Connors
Aaron Eisses
Steve Mackie
Tom Martin
Robert McCormack
Mike Savage

DISTRICT 1:

Barry Dalrymple (formerly District 2)
Steve Streatch (formerly District 1)

DISTRICT 2:

Laurie Cook
Will Gilligan
David Hendsbee (formerly District 3)
Jason Josey
Keith Leahy
Gail McQuarrie

DISTRICT 3:

Jackie Barkhouse (formerly District 8)
Bill Karsten (formerly District 7)
Jim MacDonald

DISTRICT 4:

Lorelei Nicoll (formerly District 4)
Barry A. Smith

DISTRICT 5:

Sam Austin - Good luck buddy

Ken Bowman
Sonya Dudka
Bryn Jones-Vaillancourt
Gloria McCluskey (formerly District 5)
Kate Watson
Bill Zebedee

DISTRICT 6:

Darren Fisher (formerly District 6)
Jerry Pye

DISTRICT 7:

Mike MacDonell
Waye Mason - Good luck buddy

Dawgfather PHD
Sue Uteck (formerly District 13)
Gerry Walsh

DISTRICT 8:

Karen Dempsey
Doug MacDonald
James McKay
Dawn Marie Sloane (formerly District 12)
Jennifer Watts (formerly District 14) - Good luck budy

DISTRICT 9:

Giovanni (John) Abati
Richard MacLean
Linda Mosher (formerly District 17)
John Wimberly

DISTRICT 10:

Kurt Bulger
John Thibeau
Russell Walker (formerly District 15)

DISTRICT 11:

Steve Adams (formerly District 18)
Peter Grabosky
Jim Hoskins
Tom Lavers

DISTRICT 12:

P. Rano Khokhar
Reg Rankin (formerly District 22)
Bruce E. Smith
Mary Wile (formerly District 10)

DISTRICT 13:

Peter Lund (formerly District 23)
Doug Poulton
Matt Whitman

DISTRICT 14:

Brad (BJ) Johns (formerly District 19)
Laurie Sauers

DISTRICT 15:

Steve Craig
Janet Langille
Stephen Taylor
Curt Wentzell - Good luck buddy

Ian Wilson

DISTRICT 16:

Tim Outhit (formerly District 21) - Good luck buddy

Mark Ward

Councilors not rerunning this election: Peter Kelly (Mayor), Bob Harvey (Lower Sackville), Jerry Blumenthal (North-End), and Debbie Hum (Rockingham-Wentworth).

All ridings are contested this election but districts 1, 3, 8, and 12 have two current councilors running against each other.

Personally I'm not sure about most of the districts but if Wayne Mason, Sam Austin, Jennifer Watts, Curt Wentzell, and Tim Outhit get voted in I will be extremely happy.

I would also like to say thanks to Councilors Bob Harvey and Debbie Hum. I have enjoyed dealing with both of you in the past. I wish you the best of luck in future endeavors.

The Candidacy List has the links to individual candidacy websites and other information (like School Board Candidates).

- DJ

Keith P. · #**113** Posted **Sep 30, 2012, 9:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Personally I'm not sure about most of the districts but if Wayne Mason, Sam Austin, Jennifer Watts, Curt Wentzell, and Tim Outhit get voted in I will be extremely happy.

Why are you supporting Watts? She is an extreme anti-development type.

I too would be happy to see Wayne Mason elected. There is another fella with a similar name who I am less sure about, as he was endorsed by Kyle Buott and Big Labour, which means he is obviously a dangerous extremist.

Vl@dy · #**114** Posted **Sep 30, 2012, 9:47 PM**

If i can say my opinion,

I think, here the politician, work for the success of the city (just look the big and beauty structures in the town). In Italy there's a disaster situation for the policy, because the our politicians thinks is better save their position that than to save the italian situation.
So, if i can ask, what are the political parties here in Nova Scotia?
It's my curiosity

Thanks

Phalanx · #**115** Posted **Oct 1, 2012, 3:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vl@dy

...
So, if i can ask, what are the political parties here in Nova Scotia?
It's my curiosity

Thanks

On the provincial level, there are:
- The New Democratic Party (left-wing) which currently governs the province, and holds a majority in the provincial government.
- The Liberal Party (Centre/centre-left wing).
- The Progressive Conservatives (centre-right/Right-wing).
- The Green Party (environmental focus) also has a showing here, but currently holds no seats.

There are a handful of other, very small parties, but they don't really have much of a showing at the polls. They usually exist only to promote various niche causes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...in_Nova_Scotia

The federal level is more or less the same, though rather than the Progressive Conservatives, there's just the Conservative Party, the result of the former Reform/Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties merging on a national level. Politically speaking, they tend to be a little more conservative than their provincial cousins. They currently form the government at the federal level. While it's not really applicable to Nova Scotia (or any province outside of Quebec...) there's also the Bloc Quebecois, a left-leaning party which exists to promote Quebec's interests on the federal level (which usually amounts to advocating that Quebec separate from the rest of Canada).

At the municipal level, there are no parties, though many candidates will have past affiliations with political parties (Mike Savage was is a former Liberal member of parliament )

Halifax Hillbilly · #**116** Posted **Oct 1, 2012, 11:44 PM**

Is it just me, or is this election unbelievably boring? Maybe it's because I'm following along from out of province, but wow. I have no idea what any of the candidates for mayor stands for and it seems to be a coronation for Mike Savage. I think he'll be decent, but he doesn't seem very passionate.

I assume things are less than boring for Waye Mason and SPAustin.

Good luck gentlemen.

Dmajackson · #**117** Posted **Oct 2, 2012, 12:36 AM**

^Well Wayne was certainly part of the interesting #d7debate tonight which is apparently trending nationwide.

Of course most of the tweets were about hot dogs and Dawgfather PHD

spaustin · #**118** Posted **Oct 2, 2012, 2:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halifax Hillbilly

I assume things are less than boring for Waye Mason and SPAustin.

Good luck gentlemen.

If by boring you mean all-consuming then yes, yes it has!

Thanks everyone for the good wishes. If you live in Dartmouth Centre, make sure to vote!

Antigonish · #**119** Posted **Oct 2, 2012, 12:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaustin

If by boring you mean all-consuming then yes, yes it has!

Thanks everyone for the good wishes. If you live in Dartmouth Centre, make sure to vote!

Hey Sam, is the Dartmouth Cove area (Kings Wharf and along the tracks there) is part of your district?

Most of my friends living in HRM live just down the tracks from KW and I've been urging them to get the word out to neighbours and co-workers.

Hope this is your district or I'll sound like a complete tool.

haligonia · #**120** Posted **Oct 2, 2012, 8:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

^Well Wayne was certainly part of the interesting #d7debate tonight which is apparently trending nationwide.

Of course most of the tweets were about hot dogs and Dawgfather PHD

Waye.