Municipal Politics

[Pimpmasterdac]

That area has always been on the radar of change for decades, hopefully something is done. There was talk of building a new direct bridge from Dundas to King, and closure of Kensington Bridge but has never materialized. The old court house is always the obstacle in any plan. Get the die hard heritage people who will fight tooth and nail at any change, even though it overlooks the folk of the Thames and would be prime real estate for development.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Yeah. I hate that fugly health unit building. Did Pre-natal classes there (in the gloomy basement) with my wife 7 years ago. Now if only they could eliminate (or at least hide) the courthouse building.

After living in Kingston for two years, it's mildly humourous bringing friends to London and showing them our courthouse and our city hall. Both born out of the same era that brought us Weldon Library and the Social Science Centre.

[GreatTallNorth2]

Originally Posted by Pimpmasterdac

The old court house is always the obstacle in any plan. Get the die hard heritage people who will fight tooth and nail at any change, even though it overlooks the folk of the Thames and would be prime real estate for development.

Are you serious? You would want to bulldoze the old courthouse from 1827? For what reason? No thanks. I'll keep that kind of heritage over any tower. I think that courthouse should be a museum.

[MolsonExport]

^2nd that.

[haljackey]

^3rd that.

The old courthouse is worth keeping. Feel free to demolish the 'new' courthouse if you want.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by haljackey

^3rd that.

The old courthouse is worth keeping. Feel free to demolish the 'new' courthouse if you want.

If you thought the CN building implosion was cool, the current courthouse would be 10 times as awesome.

[MolsonExport]

^I'd pay big money to watch that. Hell, I'd pony up a share of the demolition cost. Ugly, big-shouldered hulk of a building with a windowless back/sides. A that face only a mother could love. Whichever architect gave birth to this fugly monstrosity should have his face slapped by the delivering doctor.

All it needs is some tattoos (graffiti), and it would be complete:

[haljackey]

Matt Brown is running away with the mayor race

http://www.lfpress.com/2014/09/05/fo...n-mayoral-race



Both Joe Swan and Roger Caranci are below 10%, behind unknown Paul Cheng. That could change, as there were a lot of undecided voters on that poll.

[MolsonExport]

who the handful of assholes that would vote for Mr. Towers of Spite?


Matt Brown is ahead by more than a nose. By a couple of horse race laps, it would seem.

[GreatTallNorth2]

A bit interesting...Paul Cheng leads the youth vote (18-34). I would have thought that youth would vote for the most progressive candidate.

What do we really know about Paul Cheng? Does he have much of a platform apart from low taxes?

[haljackey]

I think Paul Cheng is getting a lot of support because he isn't a council member.

It seems people are fed up with council, myself included. The most 'legit' councilor in my mind is Mr. Brown, and he's got my vote. It would take a lot to change my mind, but then again the election still has more than a month to go.

[jaradthescot]

Where do you guys get most of your information? I feel very uninformed, with Brown getting my vote thus far solely on the basis of the Kingsmill issue, what little I know of Cheng, and the positive word-of-mouth I've heard of Brown from this board. Not much to go on. I haven't even heard of a debate, although I'm sure at least one must have occurred.

[Wharn]

Ever since I moved away from London, I haven't been following local politics nearly as close. I was only distracted from the Toronto circus when I came down for a brief visit last week and noticed all the election signs out in full force.

The level of discussion on SSP is noticeably muted compared to the 2010 election, when we were all so sick of Anne-Marie that we were willing to shill nonstop for the fraud.

[HillStreetBlues]

My normally relatively engaged parents know a few candidates’ names, but not yet much about any of their platforms this time around. I’ve tried to get info from them, and usually they’re pretty good for it, but not this election.

My theory has been that the insane amount of attention given to Toronto municipal politics this year has sapped people’s energy for their own local races. I remember having a conversation with two coworkers (Oakville and Mississauga residents) just after Soknaki dropped out of the race, and they were well aware of the fourth-polling candidate leaving the race in another city. When I asked the Mississauga resident, however, about her thoughts on replacing the country’s longest-serving mayor, she had not given it any thought yet and indeed was not aware of who was running. Too bad.

I’ve had similar experiences with people in Kitchener and Hamilton: people who in 2010 seemed fairly well-informed and interested this time around do not have a lot of passion for their local races.

[haljackey]

I haven't really made myself an informed voter yet, but now that it's election month things may change.

I think one of the major causes for disinterest is the lack of any bold visions for the city from any of the candidates. Also we're still feeling the effects from Fontana's downfall and one of the most divided / least productive councils in the city's history.

-----

A quick summary of the 4 main candidates.

Matt Brown:
-A little more progressive, wants modest tax increases to help the city recover from the tax freeze years.
-One of the most legit councilors at least in my mind, has kept his composure over his first and only term. Could translate into someone we want to represent the city.

Paul Cheng:
-Conservative, wants to run the city 'like a business'. This has some pros and cons.
-A complete outsider, which people who are fed up with council will love. This inexperience may translate to someone who may have a hard time fitting into the mayor's shoes.

Roger Carnanci:
-Pretty conservative, wants to focus on transportation issues and cut red tape for developers like the urban growth strategies.
-Has past experience with council, but a shakier reputation than others. He would also be London's third mayor in a row with Italian roots. Not saying this is a bad thing, but people get ideas of the Fontana and Dicico-Best years.

Joe Swan:
-Status quo moreorless. Not Joe Fontana's tax freezes but wants to cap them at 1%.
-As London's current deputy mayor, he's looking to move up the food chain. He's got the experience and the right positioning to be mayor.

-----

For me I'm still a little conflicted. Overall I think Brown would be the best person to represent the city but I also like Carnanci's plan on transportation, Chang's 'breath of fresh air' influence, and Swan's experience. Need to do my research.


Then again there's always Aron Kaplansky. A vote for him = crappy houses everywhere!

[MrSlippery519]

I am leaning towards Cheng or Brown myself, need to do some more research on them both but feel either should be a step in the right direction.

[Wharn]

Just looking through their platforms, all the candidates seem to be pretty reasonable. Except for Kaplansky... I knew I remembered that guy from somewhere! The LFP ran a story back in March of 2011 about how he blamed the City for the Towers of Spite on Huron. Sure. "You took too long to approve my plan, which is why I built cheap crap". Not really the kind of guy you'd want running a city of 360,000.

I think Matt Brown has the right idea but is a little bit too vague and general. His plan for affordable housing, for example... half the reason why there is no affordable housing around is because Ontario's landlord-tenant laws make it very difficult for smaller landlords to rent out their properties (and, by virtue of their complexity, create "professional tenants" who regularly ruin said landlords). It's a total waste of time and money to address this at the municipal level when the Provincial government is trying so very hard to drive landlords (and thus the supply of rental units) out of the market. He also talks about keeping taxes low and then turns around and starts talking about a tax increase.

Paul Cheng sounds like your no-nonsense, perennially anal boss who demands results but is ultimately proud of you when you achieve them. I think it's good that he's coming into government from the real world; he may have some issues at first, but I've seen too many people who end up in an insular fantasy world after years in government. Fresh blood may be just what London needs. I like the fact that he realizes that there is no simple solution to London's stagnation. The City needs a change of attitude, not some magic 5-step plan. Still suffers from vagueness, but again has the right idea. His campaign page mentioned 1 in 5 Londoners did not graduate High School... I'd be interested in seeing the age breakdown for this claim but it's still pretty pathetic considering what a joke High School has become.

Caranci is also kinda like Brown; talks about addressing things at the Provincial level and negotiating in good faith with the most dishonest government we've had in a while. Vague, overly optimistic plans that are not going to work. But I like his approach to transportation and funding. I just can't tell if the guy is a sleazebag or not.

Joe Swan: Fontana without the wedding reception.

[MolsonExport]

thank god Schmuel isn't running for mayor.

[haljackey]

New poll. Brown gains, Cheng gains even more

http://www.lfpress.com/2014/10/13/fo...-londons-mayor

P.S.: Ignore the Free Press comments. I almost lost my sanity after reading a few.

[tyeman200]

Looks like Roger Caranci dropped out of the race; he's now supporting Paul Cheng for Mayor:

http://www.lfpress.com/2014/10/14/ca...-to-back-cheng