Westside Council - General Discussion

[David]

This thread is for general discussion of Westside Council candidates.

You may discuss specific candidates in detail in the thread dedicated to that candidate.

[parachute]

Let us get this election done right and stop the discussion and examination of unimportant issues like honesty, openness, reasonableness and justice for all. Get with the program, darn it! Here is the way we must vote:

Mayor == Findlater

Councillors:
Knowles
Ophus
Zanon
Milsom
Webber
Dixon

Then for sure everything will get done quickly with no time wasted in Council meetings and governing issues will be dealt with exactly the way the public deserves.

(A teeny-weeny worry: some of the public in the north end may not approve of what DOES get done …. but so what! They do not have history on their side!)

[fairweather]

SOS!

[hereiamagain]

I have to say again how very disappointed I am in council's actions. Transparency transparency transparency.

[omisimaw]

So where is Dinwoodie?

[usquebaugh]

He wouldn't dare run.

[omisimaw]

He did last time, what makes this time any different?

[usquebaugh]

I can't describe his character, since Jo wants us to keep things civil. Insert a series of expletives here: ___________, _____________, ___________, ____________, _______, etc.

[parachute]

When a voter goes into a Westside polling booth on November 15 the voter will mark some X’s for a municipal name, a Mayor and 6 Councillors. The recent (say 6 months) history of the municipal name questionnaire is rife with opinion, argument, emotion, nastiness, lack-of-unity, etc. but really - in the grand scheme of things - where the voter places his/her X on the naming questionnaire is almost irrelevant. The ballot is simply an opinion poll and the new Council will make the decision for us in any event. Whatever the name turns out to be -- that name will not put food on (or take food away from) our table.

On the other hand, the people we choose for our Council are extremely critical to our future. Those members of Council are our representatives and they will be the stewards of our tax monies and the directors of the civil servants who actually manage this expensive business of ours called the “Municipal District of Whatever”.

I intend to subject each and every person running for election to my own examination of their individual trustworthiness, their honesty, their competence, their concern for the entire population of the municipality, and their ability to manage my tax dollar.

Angusog presented a makeup for Westside Council and I will present here a different possible makeup.

Angusog’s Westbank
Makeup
Doug Findlator – Mayor
Carol Zanon (i)
David Knowles (i)
Duane Ophus (i)
Gord Milsom (i)
Elva Webber
Jim Dixon

New Direction
Makeup
Peter Haslock - Mayor
Joe Strocen
Bryden Winsby
Marc Greenberg
Rosalind Neis (i)
Mary Mandarino
Duane Ophus (i)

I suggest that the two “makeups” listed above would provide this municipality with QUITE different types of government. Which type of government do you want?

I have done my own ranking of each candidate on: trustworthiness, responsiveness, honesty, competence, concern, and ability to manage. There are candidates in each of the above “makeups” that do not rank very high (in my estimation) in many of these categories.

I wish you all good luck in making your own selections for the people whom you wish to govern us for the next three years.

[occasional thoughts]

Unless there is a strong turnout at the polls from elsewhere, District of Westbank and the slate of candidates preferred by the pro-Westbank people and disclosed by angusog will undoubted sweep council. And it will be all "democratic" if people who preferred otherwise don't bother to vote on November 15.

The opinion poll and the election will be determined by voter turnout. And most of the people who might not vote and even many of the people who will do not bother to read these posts.

[parachute]

rturner, you are probably correct when you suggest that most people do not visit these threads.

If the NON-westbank crowd are really concerned about being governed by a special interest group who have directed the government in the past and are afraid of loosing that power in 3 weeks time ----- then that NON-westbank crowd better get out to their neighbors, their friends, and the non-political mass of residents and inform them of what has been, and what will, take place if angusog and his crew are successful.

Vote NO for question 1, vote West Kelowna for question 2. Explain to everyone why this will be best for all of us (when I say ALL, I mean angusog's crew as well).

[canadman]

I completely agree with Rob.

There will still be many people who don't vote or who simply aren't sent the message. We can make a difference. I believe if we can really get the message out, and that doesn't have to be through expensive campaigns, it can be through simply speaking with people day to day and encouraging them to do the same, we can bring about a fair and balanced Council.

The math:

We have 30,000 people on this side of the lake. Not all of course can vote but even those who can't can influence others who can.

You deliver your message to ten people = 10 people are now informed
Encourage them to do the same = 110 people are now informed
They encourage their people to do the same = 1210 are now informed
Those people encourage 10 more each to do the same = 13,310 are now informed

It doesn't take much to spread a message among a population base as small as ours. That doesn't mean they'll agree with your points but at least they'll be made aware of your points and can determine whether or not to support your case.

[the_zipper]

To all candiates council and Mayorial alike,
Please have the courtesy to ask property owner if they mind your campaign signs in front of their property.Even if it is road easement and you think you have the right to do so. I'm sure most property owner won't mind as it is only for a short period of time. This will gain you votes as you will be able to talk to voters. If you have a bad attitude like I can put my sign where ever I want...will certainly not gain you any votes. Thanks again for you courtesy!

[parachute]

The article by Jason Luciw in the Oct 25th Kelowna Capital News titled “New cop shop put on hold” gives great insight into the workings of the present Council and could be very instructive regarding who we should vote for on November 15.

Apparently it was suggested that Omicron, the architectural firm that has already charged something like $700,000 for their grand design of a supposed $8.2M Westside RCMP building that is now estimated at $9.4M, could have been chosen as construction manager or even general contractor. That idea should raise red flags if there ever were any!

But now look at what Luciw reports as the various comments made by our wonderful council members:

Our Mayor (a woman and an Operating Room Nurse) says: “We have to justify this (project) to our taxpayers.” And she said she needed a “guaranteed cost for the completion of this building.” And: “If the whole project hasn’t been tendered, how do we know what the final price is?” Also, according to Luciw, she brought forward the possible suggestions of: 1. a simple “tilt-up” building, 2. reviewing and retendering the project, 3. reviewing and retendering floor work, painting and millwork, 4. exploring other cost savings through a Value Engineering Review Report, and 5. the use of less expensive materials.

Carol Zenon apparently had no comment.

David Knowles apparently had no comment.

Duane Ophus apparently said he saw no point in redesigning the building and said that a subsequent tender could potentially come back at a higher cost.

Gord Milsom apparently said he saw no point in redesigning the building.

Doug Findlater said the local RCMP would eventually get the new building they needed in Westside.

However, Council apparently decided to review and retender the Westside RCMP building project.

BOTTTOM LINE QUESTION: Why is it that the Mayor has to bring forward a whole bunch of questions and ideas regarding this nine-point-4 million dollar project while Findlater’s Fabulous Five quietly and meekly (apparently) defer decisions and will probably just go along with whatever ideas and whatever cost figure Vancouver-based Omicron comes up with next year.

Findlater’s Fabulous Five have fought our Mayor on every issue, haven’t they?

We need a CHANGE in leadership!

[hereiamagain]

LOL! you are way better with words than I am parachute - by all means, and please feel free to do so.

You sound as angry as I am.

Bestside just posted another thread about the Westside Governance Committee - I just dont understand what has happened between 2003 and now. Have they lost sight of how they got in to the office? The Governance Committee seems to me to have had the correct focus, and now it just seems to be all about power, and personal agenda. Maybe I am a bit dense, but I dont understand how things could have changed so drastically.