Distributing leaflets gto residents in town condominium buildings. We were always able to leave a small bundle on a shelf or table.
For years I'm would knock on doors in apartment buildings happy to be campaigning warm and dry. EspeciallySeniors' Buildings. Can't do it any more. They are locked up tight. A person on duty at one condominium building simply refused to accept the leaflets.
People have rights .
I mention it because it's a change since the last election. All residents pay property taxes whether they rent or own. All have a stake in the community. Not being able to leave leaflets does not mean residents are uninvolved.
Campaigning means reaching as many people as possible.
My impression of the audience at the all-candidate meeting on Sunday was predominantly senior.
That hasn't changed.
Seniors have a better sense of what it cost the vote cost and what's at stake. They are first out to vote and in their numbers.
The next all-candidates meeting is organized by Sport Aurora. The topic is
Sport and Recreation. It suggests jocks are a single interest group.
The Mayoralty candidates will be the only speakers. Council candidates are invited and will be. questioned on their profile statements. We received last minute instructions to-day.
Since I don't play soccer,rugby,hockey or baseball, that could possibly mean no questions will be directed to myself.
It sounds like the questions for each candidate are prepared beforehand but candidates will not receive them.
It is a little odd.
Reminds me of the meeting organized by the same party in 2006. Mayoralty candidates Tim Jones and Nigel Kean had reservations about the format.They figured the odds were not even.
Right or wrong...that's how it turned out.
The. daily news reports out of Toronto are not about issues either.
They are about who will or won't attend which debate. Seems there are fifty candidates for the office of Mayor. Two already dropped out. Doug Ford , who replaced his brother Rob, says he won't attend any debate that includes an apparently benign, smooth-talking fringe candidate.
Then John Tory declared he won't attend where the fringe candidate got disinvited.
Olivia Chow is outraged because the neighbourhood has serious youth problems which she contends can only be solved by investing in the people of the city with, early child care and housing and job opportunities.
But if that was true and even from this distance , the problem would have been solved a long time ago. My impression is the two senior levels of governments have been funding programs to deal with the problems for years.
Young people are still killing my young people not only at the week-end but every day of the week.
Even students in school yards.
Whether it's frequency of debates or control of format or who really is a viable candidate, the level of discussion for the Office of Mayor of Canada's largest city is substantially less than impressive.
Add to all of that the media's anxiety to foretell the outcome of the election before the outcome of the election with daily polls and exit polls on the day will also be feverishly reported
In the end ,the process will evolve, people will make their choice, votes will be counted and another election will go down in the annals of history.
The sky will not fall.
Friday, 10 October 2014
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10 comments:
The debate between the 2 men wanting to be mayor that Rogers has is to be shown Sunday evening. I think I have a fair idea of those platforms. Have you heard when the bit of time given to the candidates for councillor will be available ?
There was a Forum Poll that showed Tory just a few points above Ford. I am still hoping for Olivia and she has a long list of sponsors but it does look grim down there.
Christopher
11:06
Forum got the last few elections totally wrong. But then so did most of the polls. I have no idea how they actually contact possible voters who do not have land lines.
Received your flyer today (north end of Aurora).
I heard Tory, Ford and Chow on the radio today - Ford and Tory are committed to cost of living tax increases. Chow is almost similar, but seems a little uncertain, giving herself a little wiggle room for unknown events such as major ice storms or other severe acts of nature.
I sure hope we hear some of this talk in Aurora. That is, tax increases at or less than the rate of inflation.
10:32
These days I place more credibility in a candidate's character than in platforms.
The former is the result of a person's life, the latter is something that can change with the wind. There is too great a tendency to have a "plan" for everything.
These inevitably involve consultants and tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, i.e. a rigid building for tennis was going to cost $200,000 for planning/architects' fees. We have a Promenade Study (plan) and a Trails Study (plan) and several more, including the STRATEGIC STUDT for our future to the year 2041 (as mandated by the province).
The mayoralty incumbent has held that office for nearly four years. And regardless of what you think about his time in office he does have character.
His opponent, an incumbent councillor, was plucked out of a hat by the former mayor, disregarding strong public desire for a by-election. He served on council during the attack on Evelyn Buck that resulted in her lawsuit, and participated in the cowardly and totally wrong decision that ultimately launch a defamation action against three Aurora residents. This latter court case was thrown out by a Superior Court Judge and ruled a SLAP effort to shut down the right of the public to comment on and criticize elected representatives.
The former mayor ruled by threat and fear and in many ways was similar to our present prime minister's approach to government. When he disagreed with a ruling of the Supreme Court he attacked the Chief Justice.
Neither of these serving officials has anything about their character that could be called desirable, and neither of them deserves to hold office.
As far as I am concerned there is only one legitimate candidate for mayor.
10:32 Not sure you have all the information on the existing. In my experience he was unable to deliver on a commitment made by him in writing.
His reaction was to deflect to staff who drafted a bag of excuses that I am sure he never read nor did he sign. Very disappointing. It does not, in my opinion, speak to character.
I am looking for candidates who treat the Hydro Fund [ formerly Reserve ] with respect. It belongs to the entire town. There is entirely too much idle talk about it being used for purposes not even in the Strategic Plan. Visions that benefit a few with no sustainability or inclusion. And both candidates for the position of Mayor are running on versions of that Plan.
18:28
You are mistaking me for someone else. Do try to follow.
A neighbour of mine has two signs on the lawn that gave me a moment's pause. Then I remembered that during the last election there was a Nigel sign there. I do like their dog though.
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