Katie Robinson running for Mayor

[XT225]

Unless Ms Robinson has been through an intellectual make over and gained a Phd in common sense, I would not vote for her.
Watching Pearce's arm and Ashton's mouth move in sync for another few years is too much.
I sincerely hope we have some credible candidates.

Alex, unless you want to vote for the "Wolfman", you don't have many other options. It looks like it will be D.A. or Katie, and since you don't like the way D.A. and the Prison Warden worked together, who will get your vote? I know Katie and she (in my opinion) is a very wise and educated person; and with experience on council previously (and was high in the vote count if I'm not mistaken) she has a good chance of being our next mayor. She is open to suggestions, approachable and willing to work hard for Pentictonites and to clean up city hall (not just fire the workers; there are huge morale issues, still, in the city that need addressing). Plus the bonus is that she "lives right here in Penticton"!

[Alex1967]

Unless Ms Robinson has been through an intellectual make over and gained a Phd in common sense, I would not vote for her.
Watching Pearce's arm and Ashton's mouth move in sync for another few years is too much.
I sincerely hope we have some credible candidates.

Alex, unless you want to vote for the "Wolfman", you don't have many other options. It looks like it will be D.A. or Katie, and since you don't like the way D.A. and the Prison Warden worked together, who will get your vote? I know Katie and she (in my opinion) is a very wise and educated person; and with experience on council previously (and was high in the vote count if I'm not mistaken) she has a good chance of being our next mayor. She is open to suggestions, approachable and willing to work hard for Pentictonites and to clean up city hall (not just fire the workers; there are huge morale issues, still, in the city that need addressing). Plus the bonus is that she "lives right here in Penticton"!

Not a chance!!!
I too knew Katie, but may moons ago. I have not seen her or heard anything of her since her return to the area. Maybe she will be the least mediocre of some less than great choices.
As you say, the morale in the City is not good. It is terrible these days.

[XT225]

Unless Ms Robinson has been through an intellectual make over and gained a Phd in common sense, I would not vote for her.
Watching Pearce's arm and Ashton's mouth move in sync for another few years is too much.
I sincerely hope we have some credible candidates.

Alex, unless you want to vote for the "Wolfman", you don't have many other options. It looks like it will be D.A. or Katie, and since you don't like the way D.A. and the Prison Warden worked together, who will get your vote? I know Katie and she (in my opinion) is a very wise and educated person; and with experience on council previously (and was high in the vote count if I'm not mistaken) she has a good chance of being our next mayor. She is open to suggestions, approachable and willing to work hard for Pentictonites and to clean up city hall (not just fire the workers; there are huge morale issues, still, in the city that need addressing). Plus the bonus is that she "lives right here in Penticton"!

Not a chance!!!
I too knew Katie, but may moons ago. I have not seen her or heard anything of her since her return to the area. Maybe she will be the least mediocre of some less than great choices.
As you say, the morale in the City is not good. It is terrible these days.

I notice that D.A. is waiting til the very last to announce his intentions; bet he is wondering if Billy is gonna retire or not? However, frozen smile Janice is also vying for Bill's job so D.A. hasn't necessarily got that one in the bag. I don't consider Julius a serious threat to Katie Robsinon; however a third person could split the vote and we would be stuck with D.A. once again. Come on Bill, please retire!

[beam-me-up-morrison]

*off topic remark removed*/ferri
With no disrespect to Mrs. Robinson, who is she?
Great, she was on council in the 90s. Where has she been for the last 12 years?
Has she been present at council meetings? Has she been writing Letters to the Editor? Have you seen her coordinating any community events like say a Dr. Gerry Carr or participating in arts events like say Ben Amos?
Now she arrogantly thinks she has a pulse on the community.
Her introductory interviews with both The Herald and the twice-weekly freebee which name escapes me, were repugnant.
She pointed out what was wrong with the City (and yes, many of the points were valid) but offered no clear solutions.
At least Julius Bloomfield has been active at council and school board meetings, writes a blog and column on Green Issues and you see him all the time at the Farmers Markets, etc. and his website offers SOLUTIONS.
My advice to Mrs. Robinson, you can still pull out of the race before Friday at 4 p.m. Run for council and you might get elected.

[XT225]

*off topic remark removed*/ferri
With no disrespect to Mrs. Robinson, who is she?
Great, she was on council in the 90s. Where has she been for the last 12 years?
Has she been present at council meetings? Has she been writing Letters to the Editor? Have you seen her coordinating any community events like say a Dr. Gerry Carr or participating in arts events like say Ben Amos?
Now she arrogantly thinks she has a pulse on the community.
Her introductory interviews with both The Herald and the twice-weekly freebee which name escapes me, were repugnant.
She pointed out what was wrong with the City (and yes, many of the points were valid) but offered no clear solutions.
At least Julius Bloomfield has been active at council and school board meetings, writes a blog and column on Green Issues and you see him all the time at the Farmers Markets, etc. and his website offers SOLUTIONS.
My advice to Mrs. Robinson, you can still pull out of the race before Friday at 4 p.m. Run for council and you might get elected.

Careful on attacking the PERSON; the censor will chop you. Katie had a graet record on council; Yes it was a few years ago but nevertheless she has served as a councillor (Alderman in those days) and knows the inner workings of this city and was extremely popular; Julius has never served on council and his record is more geared towards Real Estate and the Provincial or Federal Green Party. If he wishes to run locally, then he needs to start out on the bottom rung; not skip that step and go for mayor. I doubt that the predominately seniors population in Penticton would vote for anyone associated with the Green Party. I'm not against the Greens; just don't think they have a chance. Nor will Julius, he will just split the vote and the "same ol; same ol" will slide back in. Heaven Forbid. ps: oh dang....the "same ol, same ol" has just announced his intention to run again. His record speaks for itself; let's hope it does him in.

[XT225]

I was curious as to WHO the 4th person supposedly running for mayor is but when I looked further, it appears that there are now FIVE candidates as of October 14th. Wonder why the media is not picking up on this. Two of whom I have never heard of. This is on the City of Penticton website as of Oct 15th:

Robinson - Katie - Mayor

Bloomfield-Julius-Mayor

Laurio-Jukka-Mayor

Powell-Vic-Mayor

Ashton - Dan - Mayor

ps: they are not necessarily in the order of how they will place in the polls but if I had MY choice, this is how it will score...lol

[Jamesie]

Is Katie still in the race? I have seen no signs, no ads, nothing since the fanfare around her announcement. Does she even have a blog or website?

[XT225]

Is Katie still in the race? I have seen no signs, no ads, nothing since the fanfare around her announcement. Does she even have a blog or website?

Very good question, Jamesie. No sign of Katie at all; very strange; not sure what her plans are. It would be nice (and admirable) of her to back out gracefully now and throw her support behind Julius. We often see this done Provincially and Federally. I'm somewhat concerned that if she stays in, the vote will split three ways (sorry the other two no-name contenders won't do well in the polls) and D.A. will get back in. People have to realize this and even though I am a supporter of Katies, I want more than anything to oust the status quo and get new blood running this city. Julius may just be that person. Remember, if D.A. loses for mayor, he is out of the RDOS; the two-hat syndrome would be over. Bonus!

[MRO]

I appreciate Katie Robinson for her qualities and, have supported her in the past, but I'm an even bigger believer in a new direction for Penticton. While candidates have to get "psyched" and believe in winning to survive the electoral process, I believe that she is wise enough to see the big picture and realize that "vote splitting" is not going to help anyone except the "old boys". Her determination in wanting the city back on track should make her consider this.

That move would be BOLD, show confidence and a depth of WISDOM that is rare these days.

Being that electors crave a new direction for the city, she would deliver this change indirectly and be rewarded sooner or later for it. Heck, I'd hand deliver a bouquet of flowers for starters! It would be a win-win-win for her as well: change the city, make your mark in history and have the freedom to enjoy life.

Imagine being a fly on the wall and see the facial expressions of the Ashton / Pearce team learning of this move?
MRO

[clouseau]

I appreciate Katie Robinson for her qualities and, have supported her in the past, but I'm an even bigger believer in a new direction for Penticton. While candidates have to get "psyched" and believe in winning to survive the electoral process, I believe that she is wise enough to see the big picture and realize that "vote splitting" is not going to help anyone except the "old boys". Her determination in wanting the city back on track should make her consider this.

What exactly is “back on track” ? I heard Katie mention all of the problems but I didn’t hear any solutions. What does back on track mean exactly ? Going back to the days when senior city hall administration was suggesting a ten percent property tax increase every year so certain city managers could hire underlings? Where exactly would we be going back to?

[twobits]

I appreciate Katie Robinson for her qualities and, have supported her in the past, but I'm an even bigger believer in a new direction for Penticton. While candidates have to get "psyched" and believe in winning to survive the electoral process, I believe that she is wise enough to see the big picture and realize that "vote splitting" is not going to help anyone except the "old boys". Her determination in wanting the city back on track should make her consider this.

What exactly is “back on track” ? I heard Katie mention all of the problems but I didn’t hear any solutions. What does back on track mean exactly ? Going back to the days when senior city hall administration was suggesting a ten percent property tax increase every year so certain city managers could hire underlings? Where exactly would we be going back to?

Or we could go back to Kimberly and Perry days where so much redundant staff was hired that they had to rent out office space accross the street. The cries of lousy moral at city hall come only from a few staff that actually have to work for eight hrs now and the sheep that believe them. Anyone that interacts with city hall now on a frequent basis know's that things there are actually running much better now after the re-org with the exception of some dept's on the second floor. Hopefully that will change soon too. Katie made a big mistake by coming out with staff being an issue and I have no doubt that she heard that message many many times.
I've been considering Katie for some time now and I have come to the conclusion that while she is a great lady, her forte is more towards the wine and cheese social aspect of the job and I have serious doubts as to her administrative abilities and making the sometimes needed unpopular decisions. I think she would have shelved or watered down the Helios report and caved to CUPE just trying to make everyone happy. You can't do that if you want to be an effective administrator.

[beam-me-up-morrison]

With no disrespect to Mrs. Robinson, where has she been for the past 12 years? She says she's angered by what she's seen.
She, by her own admission, spent five years "sailing". Boy, can Joe Six-Pack identify with that one.
Love 'em or hate 'em, guys like Julius were writing letters to the editor, attending council from time-to-time and asking questions, doing his Green Party thing, you see him at the Farmers Market every week, doing some charity work here and there.
And yet this is someone who's "Proud to Live in Penticton", she sailed off into the Gulf of Mexico, which is a heck of a lot further than Trout Creek or Naramata.

[XT225]

With no disrespect to Mrs. Robinson, where has she been for the past 12 years? She says she's angered by what she's seen.
She, by her own admission, spent five years "sailing". Boy, can Joe Six-Pack identify with that one.
Love 'em or hate 'em, guys like Julius were writing letters to the editor, attending council from time-to-time and asking questions, doing his Green Party thing, you see him at the Farmers Market every week, doing some charity work here and there.
And yet this is someone who's "Proud to Live in Penticton", she sailed off into the Gulf of Mexico, which is a heck of a lot further than Trout Creek or Naramata.

Ah...we have at least TWO D.A. supporters on here; hard to believe. All those who voted against the prison will not soon forget D.A.; believe me. I was FOR the prison; however over 4000 were not. These people have more sense that they are given credit for. In this case, I believe the senior population will elect a new mayor, effectively giving the present one the boot from both jobs (city and RDOS). I applaud the seniors. Katie has done a fair bit of travelling the past few years and good for her. Now, after having the experience on council, she hopes to better it once again. Good for her; she has my vote. Re twobits post above, how interesting that past councils were blamed for certain situations; yet D.A. was a part of those councils for many years; too many in my opinion.

[clouseau]

With no disrespect to Mrs. Robinson, where has she been for the past 12 years? She says she's angered by what she's seen.
She, by her own admission, spent five years "sailing". Boy, can Joe Six-Pack identify with that one.
Love 'em or hate 'em, guys like Julius were writing letters to the editor, attending council from time-to-time and asking questions, doing his Green Party thing, you see him at the Farmers Market every week, doing some charity work here and there.
And yet this is someone who's "Proud to Live in Penticton", she sailed off into the Gulf of Mexico, which is a heck of a lot further than Trout Creek or Naramata.

Ah...we have at least TWO D.A. supporters on here; hard to believe. All those who voted against the prison will not soon forget D.A.; believe me. I was FOR the prison; however over 4000 were not. These people have more sense that they are given credit for. In this case, I believe the senior population will elect a new mayor, effectively giving the present one the boot from both jobs (city and RDOS). I applaud the seniors. Katie has done a fair bit of travelling the past few years and good for her. Now, after having the experience on council, she hopes to better it once again. Good for her; she has my vote. Re twobits post above, how interesting that past councils were blamed for certain situations; yet D.A. was a part of those councils for many years; too many in my opinion.

In my opinion the jail is yesterday’s news. I see no productive reason on being democratically vindictive regardless if you were for or against the prison. This election should be about the future of Penticton and what a Mayor would like to see over the next three years.

From where I sit I have yet to hear any future vision from either Robinson or Ashton. Julius I will credit for at least taking the time to be on these forums and attempting to answer questions and criticism. So far I have only firmly decided on two council votes and the rest, including mayor remain up for grabs.

[Jamesie]

In my opinion the jail is yesterday’s news. I see no productive reason on being democratically vindictive regardless if you were for or against the prison. This election should be about the future of Penticton and what a Mayor would like to see over the next three years.

The prison is not yesterday's news and still relevant to the election for (at least) three reasons:

1. No decision has been made yet on the final location. Mayor and all but one councillor (Gary Litke being the positive exception) chose to shove the democratic decision by the people of Penticton to turn down the jail right back in their faces by passing a motion supporting any neighbouring community to bring it to the region. They hooked up PIB #2, which to all intents and purposes is in town, to city services without stipulating that no prison should go there - which could easily have been part of the agreement. Ashton, Pearce, Vassilaki, Jakubeit and Sentes will do their utmost if re-elected to bring the prison as close to Penticton as they can and that could well be just up Carmi right next to the Cantex site. Letters have been sent signed by Ashton basically telling Oliver, PIB, OIB and Summerland: bring it on, we will help you!

2. The stance people took on the prison tells you a lot about their vision for Penticton. Even if the prison does not come to the South Okanagan, it is a very strong testcase for the type of future Ashton, Pearce, Vassilaki, Jakubeit and Sentes envisage for our town and region. Do they want us to be a a creative, green, prosperous, tourist, wine, high tech, and retirement town? No, they want us to be a drab town with drab mediocre jobs, high crime rates, dependent on government handouts. As long as they can get a quick buck, a shot in the arm, they will go for anything. That is very relevant information in the election.

3. The fanaticism Ashton, Pearce, Vassilaki, Jakubeit and Sentes displayed in their desire to get the prison, the bully tactics, backbiting and behind the scenes cajolery that these guys displayed make one suspicious of their true motives. Were they so hell-bent on getting the prison here for the perceived good of their electorate, or were there incentives a little closer to home, for them personally that drove the fanaticism. We do not know, but there is definite suspicion. Can these people be trusted?