Mayoral Poll

[beachwear]

I hope you guys realize that a vote for anyone else except Sharon Shepherd will put Walter back in. It's not that someone else couldn't do a better job, but in this election cycle it's too risky . . . the vote could easily split and ensure a Gray win.
I'm willing to give her another chance, and if she does not perform better, I would be willing to look at someone else next election.

A protest vote at this particular time, in my opinion would be irresponsible and could have unintended consequences . . . especially due to the fact that the fourchange group is prepared to hijack city hall if they can and they're very well organized. I can see the line-up already.

This election could easily turn out to be one of the most unsettling , and if you want change just for the sake of change, I think that would be the wrong approach . . . just my opinion.

Hi Unbiased,

I have to disagree,

The purpose of having a "Free" election is so normal people can hire who they think would best serve their interests. Everyone has a different style, and it's typically that style that demonstrates how they will perform as a leader. The whole notion of vote splitting to prevent this or that person form getting in is disengenious. It's your vote, and it matters to you more than anyone else. Vote with your heart and vote with your mind. That way, regardless of the outcome, you'll be happy with yourself, and at the end of the day, that's what really matters.

Cal Condy

Cal: vote splitting happens all the time; it is not a disingenuous attempt to prevent someone from being elected; it is an unintended consequence that produces undesirable results, that's why, at times a strategically placed vote may serve better.

Sorry, not buying it. You want to waste your vote that's up to you. It's this kind of stuff that's turns most people off of voting. Do your own due diligence and then vote. You've got to live with yourself.

Cal Condy

Now you're being presumptuous. I don't care whether you buy it or not; you're making assumptions about people you do not know or know nothing about; my vote is considered, and deliberate to achieve a particular result, and I would not consider it wasted. Now a vote your way, in my opinion, would be a wasted vote, because I don't believe your qualified.

You're free to vote any way you want. If you want to vote for someone, so someone else doesn't get in, and that logic makes semse to you...then go ahead. I prefer a more direct approach.

[Jonrox]

Jonrox,

Good to hear fron you. I think before we go too much further you should go to a few Council meetings. Right now you seem to be too easily impressed. There's nothing magical about it. Good decision making and asking the right questions, it's pretty straight forward. Let me know when you've been to a couple of meetings and we can talk.

Cal

Cal, going to a council meeting has nothing to do with me thinking you have the wrong attitude about all of this. When you thought too much money was being spent on a bridge, you didn't think "well at least it's a great day to be alive" - you tried to do some research. But I get the feeling that if you were mayor, you wouldn't want to be held accountable for any decisions and would instead reply with "I'm not president of the universe. Let's go find ways to have more fun!"

[beachwear]

Jonrox,

Good to hear fron you. I think before we go too much further you should go to a few Council meetings. Right now you seem to be too easily impressed. There's nothing magical about it. Good decision making and asking the right questions, it's pretty straight forward. Let me know when you've been to a couple of meetings and we can talk.

Cal

Cal, going to a council meeting has nothing to do with me thinking you have the wrong attitude about all of this. When you thought too much money was being spent on a bridge, you didn't think "well at least it's a great day to be alive" - you tried to do some research. But I get the feeling that if you were mayor, you wouldn't want to be held accountable for any decisions and would instead reply with "I'm not president of the universe. Let's go find ways to have more fun!"

It has everything to do with council meetings. Let me know when you've actually gone to one.

[Jonrox]

I've never been mayor, but have a pretty good feeling there's a lot more to being mayor than council meetings. In fact, I think the council meetings themselves are only a very small part of being mayor. It sounds like Cal may be better suited for a councillor position - mayor is out of his league.

[beachwear]

I've never been mayor, but have a pretty good feeling there's a lot more to being mayor than council meetings. In fact, I think the council meetings themselves are only a very small part of being mayor. It sounds like Cal may be better suited for a councillor position - mayor is out of his league.

Your blowing smoke Jonrox. You don't know the players and you don't know the league. Get yourself up to speed and I'd be happy to go for a coffee. It's time for a change in this town. We've had the same two mayors 15 years, and unless something happens it'll be 18.

[Gilchy]

I've never been mayor, but have a pretty good feeling there's a lot more to being mayor than council meetings. In fact, I think the council meetings themselves are only a very small part of being mayor. It sounds like Cal may be better suited for a councillor position - mayor is out of his league.

Your blowing smoke Jonrox. You don't know the players and you don't know the league. Get yourself up to speed and I'd be happy to go for a coffee. It's time for a change in this town. We've had the same two mayors 15 years, and unless something happens it'll be 18.

How is Jonrox blowing smoke? The council meetings are a very small part of the position, be it mayor or councillor. There is much more to civic governance than common sense and listening to everyone's opinion, let alone "good decision making". Two peoples ideas' on what constitutes a "good decision" can be extremely different from one another.

I'm not saying that change is, or isn't for that matter, needed; only that, in order to make an educated decision on who to vote for, I would like to review everyone's platforms, and hope that they are filled with more concrete plans and ideas than "fun", "common sense", and especially [not just Cal, but a common theme among candidates], "more affordable housing in some undefined fuzzy way".

I'm not disputing that housing here is expensive, but I have yet to here a rational or reasonable idea on how to increase the amount of available affordable places to live.

[pacificcapital]

We need a Mayor that can make tough decisions and work cohesively with others on Council. What we don't need is a Mayor like Sharon that waffles and has committees decide the outcome of the decision making process. Sharon is a nice lady and was okay on Council but a horrible leader for the City.

That is a VERY costly and ineffective way to run a business let alone a City. We need Walter Gray back, he understand how to work with others on Council.

During his 9 years in office (1996-2005), Walter Gray showed our community not only his commitment to our future but his willingness to make decisions, hold council accountable and do what was best for the City of Kelowna. During his tenure we saw improved relations with other levels of government, other municipalities, and key partnerships established all with the entire City of Kelowna in mind.

Go Walter go!

[exFarmerS]

I'll be voting for Sharon again.

I'm happy with the way she operates. With her at the helm, supportive housing was built (ignoring the outcry of the Pandosy elite) and multiple projects were done using the federal stimulus money. She has been mayor during a downturn in the economy while Walter led during boomtimes. Hard to make comparisons with those facts in place. She also holds a warm spot in my heart for flying the rainbow flag over City Hall. I don't agree with everything she supports but I agree with a lot more than I agree with Walter.

[EdCase]

We need a Mayor that can make tough decisions and work cohesively with others on Council. What we don't need is a Mayor like Sharon that waffles and has committees decide the outcome of the decision making process. Sharon is a nice lady and was okay on Council but a horrible leader for the City.

That is a VERY costly and ineffective way to run a business let alone a City. We need Walter Gray back, he understand how to work with others on Council.

During his 9 years in office (1996-2005), Walter Gray showed our community not only his commitment to our future but his willingness to make decisions, hold council accountable and do what was best for the City of Kelowna. During his tenure we saw improved relations with other levels of government, other municipalities, and key partnerships established all with the entire City of Kelowna in mind.

Go Walter go!

The only people Gray knows how to work with is a small clique of vested interests who want to keep Kelowna the small-town backwater it now is. He knee-capped our Economic Development Office at every opportunity and was not in favour of UBC expanding to Kelowna. He and his associates want to keep our youth as cannon fodder for their McJob enterprises, not provide them with a vibrant community that develops and attracts entrepreneurs and high value added enterprises to set up here.

We have a real choice to make here: do we want to become a centre of excellence for business or remain a small-town entity catering to the geriatric set (of which I am one).

[beachwear]

I've never been mayor, but have a pretty good feeling there's a lot more to being mayor than council meetings. In fact, I think the council meetings themselves are only a very small part of being mayor. It sounds like Cal may be better suited for a councillor position - mayor is out of his league.

Your blowing smoke Jonrox. You don't know the players and you don't know the league. Get yourself up to speed and I'd be happy to go for a coffee. It's time for a change in this town. We've had the same two mayors 15 years, and unless something happens it'll be 18.

How is Jonrox blowing smoke? The council meetings are a very small part of the position, be it mayor or councillor. There is much more to civic governance than common sense and listening to everyone's opinion, let alone "good decision making". Two peoples ideas' on what constitutes a "good decision" can be extremely different from one another.

I'm not saying that change is, or isn't for that matter, needed; only that, in order to make an educated decision on who to vote for, I would like to review everyone's platforms, and hope that they are filled with more concrete plans and ideas than "fun", "common sense", and especially [not just Cal, but a common theme among candidates], "more affordable housing in some undefined fuzzy way".

I'm not disputing that housing here is expensive, but I have yet to here a rational or reasonable idea on how to increase the amount of available affordable places to live.

"Fuzzy" is about the best you can hope for whether It's Cal, Shepard. Gray or whoever. Unless a Bylaw is passed requiring a fixed % of new developments to have an "Affordable" quota, nothing can be done. Anything else will just be more talk.

[pacificcapital]

Ed, now if your going to quote facts be sure to have your facts correct. Walter in my opinion has done more for the City than anyone that comes to mind.

Walter does support UBC expansion as he spear headed raising millions of dollars for the Bold Horizon campaign,. In addition how in the World is he a small time business thinker. Read the below! I think its time you do some research Google is a fabulous tool. He was honored for man of the year on Nov 16, 2006 for all of his crowing achievements for this City. (United Way honored him)

Walter Gray is the former Mayor of Kelowna for nine years (1996-2005). Prior to that he was owner/operator of five radio stations in the Okanagan/Kootenay areas. He is currently a director of Sun Country Cablevision Ltd (Salmon Arm, Armstrong, Enderby) and FortisBC (a power utility company). Mr. Gray is a former Director of BC Transit and of Telefilm Canada. He was recently the volunteer Chair for a Capital Fundraiser to build a 24-suite Hospice at Kelowna. The $3-million campaign concluded September 1, 2007 at $3.7 million.

Walter Gray began his radio career at CKOV Kelowna in 1957. He worked as on-air staff member at CHBC-TV in Kelowna in 1964 and then he and his business partner, Bob Hall, established radio stations in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke in 1965. In 1971, he established CKIQ Radio and The Bullet in 1995 in Kelowna.

As well as managing both stations, Walter Gray was President of Four Seasons Radio Ltd. which owned and operated five radio stations in the Okanagan and Kootenays. In 1993, Walter Gray was named Broadcaster of the Year by the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters. He sold his interests in his radio stations in 1996. He is currently a Director of Sun Country Cablevision Ltd. with stations in Salmon Arm, Enderby and Armstrong.

Walter Gray’s service for his community began in 1975 when he was the Founding Director for the Kelowna Snowfest Committee. Between 1975 to 1998, he served as President of the Okanagan Neurological Association.

President of the BC Association of Broadcasters, President of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, President of the Kelowna/Kasugai Sister City Association, Director of Telefilm Canada, Chairman of the Okanagan University College Bold Horizons. Director of the Okanagan Film Commission, and currently as Director of BC Transit, Member of Premier Campbell’s Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions, and Member of the BC Achievement Awards Advisory Panel.

We need a Mayor that can make tough decisions and work cohesively with others on Council. What we don't need is a Mayor like Sharon that waffles and has committees decide the outcome of the decision making process. Sharon is a nice lady and was okay on Council but a horrible leader for the City.

That is a VERY costly and ineffective way to run a business let alone a City. We need Walter Gray back, he understand how to work with others on Council.

During his 9 years in office (1996-2005), Walter Gray showed our community not only his commitment to our future but his willingness to make decisions, hold council accountable and do what was best for the City of Kelowna. During his tenure we saw improved relations with other levels of government, other municipalities, and key partnerships established all with the entire City of Kelowna in mind.

Go Walter go!

The only people Gray knows how to work with is a small clique of vested interests who want to keep Kelowna the small-town backwater it now is. He knee-capped our Economic Development Office at every opportunity and was not in favour of UBC expanding to Kelowna. He and his associates want to keep our youth as cannon fodder for their McJob enterprises, not provide them with a vibrant community that develops and attracts entrepreneurs and high value added enterprises to set up here.

We have a real choice to make here: do we want to become a centre of excellence for business or remain a small-town entity catering to the geriatric set (of which I am one).

[John500]

Sure Gray has done a lot. And he has been thanked for that as well. Its now time for him to sit back and relax. But his ego (imo) is in the way. Maybe look up Sharon's resume of accomplishments and you may be surprised.

[johnhenry]

I'll give my vote to whomever either fires the City Manager or brings the wages for the City Manager down to an acceptable level. There is no way that our City "Manager" deserves to make that much money.

[Rwede]

I'll give my vote to whomever either fires the City Manager or brings the wages for the City Manager down to an acceptable level. There is no way that our City "Manager" deserves to make that much money.

How do his wages compare to an equivalent position in the private sector?

[wthwyt]

I'll give my vote to whomever either fires the City Manager or brings the wages for the City Manager down to an acceptable level. There is no way that our City "Manager" deserves to make that much money.

How do his wages compare to an equivalent position in the private sector?

Hmm... private sector City Manager, good luck with that google search.