Civic Election here we come!

[fz6adventure]

The on-line question by Michele Rule on AirBnB was interesting especially when they started to all pile on the idea of applying the Hotel Tax to AirBnB to use the funds to put towards "beautification" of the City. Kennedy and Schewe could be excused from their ignorance on Legislation regarding the tax in that all of it must be used directly towards tourism. The amount collected each year in Kelowna at current is roughly $4 million and after the province deducts its handling charge, it is forwarded to the city who then forwards 100% to Tourism Kelowna . No doubt Basran, Dyas and Tourism Kelowna were salvitating over the opportunity for giving an even larger amount to Tourism Kelowna who are strong supporters of both Basran and Dyas.

[WalterWhite]

Watching a replay of the UBCO mayoral forum and some of my takeaways so far:

- Basran completely twisted the question in his answer/avoidance on Central Green - and Kennedy called him out on it.
- Kennedy is focusing somewhat on revenue generating ideas. Some feasible, some not - however as he has stated, they're "proposed" ideas.
- Absolutely not impressed with Kennedy's suggestion that the homeless "ranch" could actually be constructed out of storage containers stacked two high on the vacant lot across from Orchard Park.
- asked on ways to improve transit for students - Kennedy missed and went straight into proposing the rapid rail service proposal between Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton as well as proposing a bus for all the Australians coming here to get to Big White - huh?
- Schewe unfortunately imho just doesn't seem to come across as having a solid firm grasp on some of the broader issues.
- Basran thinks development along the rail trail will greatly alleviate traffic gridlock - simply not realistic thinking imo.
- Kennedy wants a trolley - the "Grape Vine" that will service wineries and be paid for by wineries. I guess he's unaware of the for-profit wine tour companies that already provide that service.
- Basran looks like he's got ants in his pants - constantly fidgeting moving - looks very uncomfortable.
- Lost track of how many times the words "inclusive" and "sustainable" were used.
- Dyas is a robot - can only speak if reading notes.
- Kennedy putting too much hope/emphasis on weed revenue.
- Schewe is still a man of few words - too few and those he does utter lack substance.

[Giardinera1]

Desperate Basran paid supporters were at my job site yesterday. Hardly anyone honked. Does a dead cat bounce ? Get rid of the rainbow warrior socialist clown. How much did he pay those freaks to wave signs . Who would do that for a guy who has ruined a once nice city . Basran. Worst mayor I have had in my 28 years here. Pack your rainbow crosswalk. Time to find a job.

I'm sorry but that's simply not true. Can we not go down the Infowars Fake News rabbit hole and throw wild conspiracy theories around? Protesters and Supports are not paid. If there were, Elections BC would have records of these payments. And no, none of these candidates are paying supporters under the table.

I know this because I'm an active member of this community and I've worked with, volunteered with, socialized with, and lived in neighbourhoods with a lot of these people you see out canvassing, and also online. I've spoken to these people in person. If you show me a photo of any candidates "fake" protesters, I will be able to identify the majority of them and am confident their support is genuine. Maybe they indirectly benefit on a personal level - Ie, they have a Transgendered Child so support Basran's message in the hopes of protecting their kid. Or, they are a business owner who supports Dyas because through his advocacy get some sort of support through the chamber/Tourism Kelowna, etc.

I may not agree with who they support and why, but I can assure you with 100% confidence none of these people have been shipped in as fake protesters. It's ridiculous and dangerous to spread such misinformation. Get off the internet, turn off whatever fake news channels you're watching, and go into the community. Kelowna is small enough, if you get out there in person, you can get to the bottom of the truth pretty easily and quickly.

[Giardinera1]

One thing I have to say though is that Bobby is very entertaining to watch, kind of like Donald Trump when he was running for presidency in the states. However, I am not one to gamble my vote for someone with a precedent of illegally selling weed and who acts as arrogant as he does. Just my opinion. I respect yours too.

Sure he's entertaining, but I second the arrogance. Doesn't seem to know the first thing about how collaborative government works. Doubt he would be able to negotiate with bigger stakeholders and navigate the complex policies around accessing Ministry funding. Doubt he's ever prepared a grant application, with a proper financial summary.

I have seen this guy out at a bar. His conduct alone is a big disqualifier in my books. That guys on more than weed if you ask me. Only 1 drug that gives you that swagger and delusion of grandeur.

[WalterWhite]

One thing I have to say though is that Bobby is very entertaining to watch, kind of like Donald Trump when he was running for presidency in the states. However, I am not one to gamble my vote for someone with a precedent of illegally selling weed and who acts as arrogant as he does. Just my opinion. I respect yours too.

Sure he's entertaining, but I second the arrogance. Doesn't seem to know the first thing about how collaborative government works. Doubt he would be able to negotiate with bigger stakeholders and navigate the complex policies around accessing Ministry funding. Doubt he's ever prepared a grant application, with a proper financial summary.

I have seen this guy out at a bar. His conduct alone is a big disqualifies in my books. That guys on more than weed if you ask me. Only 1 drug that gives you that swagger and delusion of grandeur.

Hard to bring it up (in bold above) without it being an accusation - but strictly as an observation I couldn’t help but come to the same conclusion. He looked “agitated” and was almost aggressive in most of his responses.

Also agree that as articulate as he may have appeared there was an overall lack of substance (not as blatant as Dyas or Schewe). Again, none of the candidates are a perfect fit for the position they’re seeking - very far from it - and so it really is a matter of picking the best from the worst. An unfortunate outlook with so much at stake.

[Scrobins94]

Watching a replay of the UBCO mayoral forum and some of my takeaways so far:

- Absolutely not impressed with Kennedy's suggestion that the homeless "ranch" could actually be constructed out of storage containers stacked two high on the vacant lot across from Orchard Park.

Holy f*ck. This guy, is he serious?

[Giardinera1]

Watching a replay of the UBCO mayoral forum and some of my takeaways so far:

- Absolutely not impressed with Kennedy's suggestion that the homeless "ranch" could actually be constructed out of storage containers stacked two high on the vacant lot across from Orchard Park.

Holy f*ck. This guy, is he serious?

The neighbours from the Inveu condos are protesting BC Housing's proposed supportive housing project not far from there. Pretttty sure they're not going to be cool with a sea can ranch. When I was a vendor at the Kelowna Farmers' Market, I was close to all the discussions about moving the market to the location Kennedy is talking about. A lot of red tape that made it impossible. If Kelowna's squeaky clean farmers and artisans couldn't make the move there, 100% certain Kennedy's ideas wouldn't fly.

[Giardinera1]

Hard to bring it up (in bold above) without it being an accusation - but strictly as an observation I couldn’t help but come to the same conclusion. He looked “agitated” and was almost aggressive in most of his responses.

Also agree that as articulate as he may have appeared there was an overall lack of substance (not as blatant as Dyas or Schewe). Again, none of the candidates are a perfect fit for the position they’re seeking - very far from it - and so it really is a matter of picking the best from the worst. An unfortunate outlook with so much at stake.

Don't mean to spread rumours, but having been around substance users, that's the vibe I get from him. And I also am not judging him for it; But if you're on hard drugs, be open about it, especially if you're inserting yourself into a conversation about how to police and manage drug users.

That's how I see it, too - pick the best even if they aren't absolutely your dream candidate. But big picture - that's politics, isn't it? Just because there's a candidate who represents my personal interests and checks my boxes 100% doesn't mean they are the best for office. I'm only a small percentage of this community, as are most people. Hard to find people who match your back ground, vocation, socio economic situation, beliefs, etc. Too many variables to find what you want all in 1 package.

That's where people all go wrong in the identity politics debate. Don't vote for someone because they are exactly like you; Vote for someone whose platform promises to strike a balance between all of us; who can achieve the greater net good of the community, overall.

It reminds me of the wolf cull. Predators have to be kept in check in ecosystems, because they don't self regulate. They consume their prey until they run out, threatening the livelihood of their own pack because they will run out of food.

A 100% left or right leader isn't good, for anyone, in local municipal politics. That's why I don't get too mad when someone very far right or left of me gets into council. There's nothing more dangerous than a room full of people agreeing with one another. Debate is good, and keeps the needle in the middle where it should be.

I hope we end up with a balanced council, of very different individuals so all elements of this community have a chance to be heard & represented.

[Scrobins94]

A 100% left or right leader isn't good, for anyone, in local municipal politics. That's why I don't get too mad when someone very far right or left of me gets into council. There's nothing more dangerous than a room full of people agreeing with one another. Debate is good, and keeps the needle in the middle where it should be.

I hope we end up with a balanced council, of very different individuals so all elements of this community have a chance to be heard & represented.

100% agree. I would also like to add that I am in support of at least a portion of current council to stay. Why you ask? Because I believe there needs to be some depth and continuity in the line of work that anyone begins. The absolutely worst that could happen is if every 4 years a new Mayor and council is elected and they scrap everything that preceded them. 4 years is a short period of time, and for some things to gain traction you need at least a couple of years of it being implemented to see fruit. Some things take time and commitment, which is part of the reason I will vote for around 3-4 of the current council incumbents.

[kelownman]

I did my civic duty today and voted at the city hall polling station.

Voted Kennedy only because I will never vote for Basran who has demonstrated over the past 4 years he is in the developer's pocket, making shady deals for the Tourist Kelowna build right on the lakeshore, and voters are only there to spend their money to enrich the developer's pocket!

As for the other candidate, Tom whats in it for me Dyas, another individual to ensure the taxpayer enriches the developers!

I voted for Bell, Boyer, Hostland, Lovegrove, Wooldrdige for Council and

Bowman, Cacchioni Pagliocchini, and Nierfeld for Trustee.

[Giardinera1]

100% agree. I would also like to add that I am in support of at least a portion of current council to stay. Why you ask? Because I believe there needs to be some depth and continuity in the line of work that anyone begins. The absolutely worst that could happen is if every 4 years a new Mayor and council is elected and they scrap everything that preceded them. 4 years is a short period of time, and for some things to gain traction you need at least a couple of years of it being implemented to see fruit. Some things take time and commitment, which is part of the reason I will vote for around 3-4 of the current council incumbents.

I agree, I work for a large org with much bureaucracy to get things done, and after 2 years I still don't feel confident about all the moving parts. It's good to strike a balance of incumbents to newbies, though. Group norms can form fast, and so can alliances / personal relationships. People can get stuck in their ways and defer to what worked /didn't work in the past. Especially some of those people who've been there for multiple councils. So some new blood and fresh eyes doesn't hurt to shake things up and bring new ideas. There's tons of old staff members in City Hall - they bring seasoned expertise to their reports & recommendations. It's the council's job not to provide all the answers, but to ask the right questions. Something I don't see some legacy members doing, like Maxine Dehart. Above all, they should be expected to read the damn reports completely.

[fz6adventure]

I had some spare time late this afternoon and attended Gordon Lovegroves talk today on a valley light rail system at the Innovation Centre. As fate would have it, I ended up sitting directly in-front of council candidates Sargent and Wooldridge followed by former Mayor Shepard who joined them. While awaiting Lovegrove to begin, I could not help but overhear them chat about James Miller's Courier article today. I took the opportunity to turn around and likewise express my disbelief a local paper would publish such a thing. Surprisingly, neither candidate offered to introduce themselves, engage in conversation and ask for my vote - I guess the days of door knocking so citizens can get to know a candidate and a candidate can get to know and hear citizens concerns prior to election time, is not widely practiced anymore?

Their failure did tell me a couple of things though. First, if they don't get elected there will be no wonder why. Second, if they are elected, actually talking to the citizens would not be high on their priority list.

Oh, BTW Sargent will be partying it up with Wooldridge on Saturday night after a quiet dinner out with his wife, electing not to throw his own gathering.

Vote informed, vote wisely.

[WalterWhite]

Not sure if this is permitted, but Ron Seymour from the Courier has a great piece posted that is a scorecard of current council's past major flubs and follies. Worth reading.

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/ ... d3292.html

[dle]

A 100% left or right leader isn't good, for anyone, in local municipal politics. That's why I don't get too mad when someone very far right or left of me gets into council. There's nothing more dangerous than a room full of people agreeing with one another. Debate is good, and keeps the needle in the middle where it should be.

I hope we end up with a balanced council, of very different individuals so all elements of this community have a chance to be heard & represented.

100% agree. I would also like to add that I am in support of at least a portion of current council to stay. Why you ask? Because I believe there needs to be some depth and continuity in the line of work that anyone begins. The absolutely worst that could happen is if every 4 years a new Mayor and council is elected and they scrap everything that preceded them. 4 years is a short period of time, and for some things to gain traction you need at least a couple of years of it being implemented to see fruit. Some things take time and commitment, which is part of the reason I will vote for around 3-4 of the current council incumbents.

Agree with you that some continuity must be maintained so a few need to stay on. Not EVERYTHING current council/Mayor has actually got done or set in motion is bad so those good things need to have forward motion otherwise we will be like Trumpville - childish, petulant, & arrogant without forethought, sensibility, or caution. Motions we make to just willynilly throw anything out the previous admin did just because it was the previous admin would be beyond foolhardy; we just need NEW blood, NEW ideas and ideas to go further and to get on with things and we need to protect our City and our waterfront. There are a lot of things we are NOT getting addressed with present council/Mayor and that will continue if there is NO change, but there needs to be some experience mixed in with the newbies.

As for Shewe, while I would have liked to hear more from him, his starting platform is simple and free from all the posturing and smoke & mirrors blablabla that is mostly tossed out in elections. Not everyone was born with the "gift" of gab - thank goodness - but just because he doesn't engage his mouth, doesn't mean is brain isn't in gear. I would like to have seen him start with a run at council, but I don't see why being a freshman at Mayor will be an issue. Every job has a learning curve and if he is sincere in his convictions and down to earth that works for me. I am looking to see change so I can't really vote for the same ol' if that is the case.

[Jflem1983]

I disagree. I would be thrilled to see each one replaced. Time for a new look.