Andre Blanleil - Council Candidate

[stearnzy]

I would like to see Proof that Mr.Blanleil only participates in only 50% of council meetings, because every time I turn it to the council meetings on TV I all most always see him sitting there on the right hand side

[docktergonzo]

Any counciller that supports the Caberet Cartel

[Snarf]

Does anyone know how long Mr. Blanleil has been on city council? Just curious.

[Kevin Craig]

Does anyone know how long Mr. Blanleil has been on city council? Just curious.

Fifteen years. He was first elected in 1993.

[Enviro]

Since we're all picking on Andre, does anyone have any statistics on how many times he, and all other council members for that matter, have voted against the recommendations of city staff? If memory holds correct, Andre has voted against the recommendations of city staff on many occassions. Is he trying to tell us he is smarter than city staff who have spent many years in university and have experience in urban planning? If he, and the rest of council constantly vote against the recommendations of staff, why do we even have a planning department? We could save millions by firing everyone in there and let council decide the fate of the city. Remember what happened in the early eighties when council at the time tried to stall development here so they could maintain their small town feel. Development came anyway and now we're paying the price with their lack of foresight (traffic gridlock, etc.)

[common sense]

I find it very ironic that as I drive throughout the City that I see no campaign signs for either Andre or Robert Hobson. The same arragent way they work council. Just ASSUME that we are all gonna vote for them and they are not even making an attempt at campaigning. The epitamy of arragance. We need a complete new council, someone who will stand up and say "This does not make sense" Why?

[FunkyBunch]

Enviro, while Andre has voted against the recommendations of city staff a number of times, he was right most of those times.

The city planning department suggests we provide more services and increase taxes, the city recommends many other things that aren't either wanted or warranted and they cling to the old OCP guidelines that are out-dated and largely irrelevant now.

For example, a land-owner wanted a useless piece of land (could not be used for farming according to an expert agrologist) to be able to be removed from the ALR. The city staff refused to supply the land with adequate drainage so it could be used for agricultural purposes. They also recommended against taking the land out of the ALR (which means it could be used for something other than the homeless camp and illegal construction dump it is being used for now). So they wanted to leave the land-owner with a plot of ALR land that couldn't actually be used for ALR purposes without the help they refused to give him.

This is the most recent example I could find. Rules for the sake of rules are not what I want. Someone who can stand up to nonsense rules and nonsense staffers is someone I want on council. But I also don't want change for the sake of change. It has to be common sense and forward thinking change.

My caveat to this is I won't be voting for Andre this time around as I think there are a number of possible candidates who can do well in this regard.

[3 B's]

This is going to be a very short post...

I agree, he should retire. lets have some NEW blood

We need some continuity from the old council - Blanleil and Hobson are the only ones who can do that. The rest are a waste of a good seat!

Nellie

"We need some continuity from the old council - Blanliel and Hobson are the only ones who can do that. The rest are a waste of a good seat!!"

Sorry Nellie, what planet are you from?? These people are Dinosaurs!! They have had their snouts in the public trough so long that they think they deserve it. I strenously disagree. Change, as you have I hope heard, is better than a rest. These folks NEED to retire orbe removed. They are arrogant, self-serving people who have actually come to believe that they DESERVE the position. Sorry, the time is LONG past for them to retire or be retired by the public. You are a sheeple, pure and simple!! It's folks like you that give these people their entitlement attitude and I for one am sick of it.!! We need CHANGE!! yOU like your rut but many of us do not.

[John500]

There should be a limit of how many years someone can sit on council. Suggest 3 terms and thats it. Andre and Hobson are career politicians in my book. Andre has an electronics empire in the valley. SO I assume he does not need the money. Still limit the terms. I am also sure that both, because of the lack of signs, assume that name recognition will get them enough votes.

[strikes&gutters]

There should be a limit of how many years someone can sit on council. Suggest 3 terms and thats it. Andre and Hobson are career politicians in my book. Andre has an electronics empire in the valley. SO I assume he does not need the money. Still limit the terms. I am also sure that both, because of the lack of signs, assume that name recognition will get them enough votes.

I respectfully disagree with the idea of term limits for elected officials. My view is that it should be left up to the electorate to decide if they think the candidate has stayed past their welcome. If the people of Kelowna truly believe that Hobson and Blanleil have been there too long, than they should express those thoughts at the ballot box. Obviously in 2005 enough people thought that way about Walter Gray and voted Shepherd in.

Would you like it if you were forced by law to quit your job every 5 or 10 years even though your boss thought you were doing a good job, and would do a better job than the others who were applying to get it.

[mechanic_virus]

Please list 5 of your top priorities, and how you would deal with each issue if it were completely up to you.

[homesec]

I absolutely agree to NO specific limit on terms of public service - imagine having to quit your "real" job every five or ten years - when you are at your peak performance due to so much experience! I personally would not want a brand new council without some continuity - they would not have a clue, have you been to council meetings? There are so many rules and formalities and processes, PLEASE, let there be some experienced councillors mixed with some new blood and ideas.

Also - if you had to pick someone to look after your own personal bank account - would you not want someone who is good with money, good at business??? I sure would, and that's what all our politicians are in effect doing - looking after OUR tax dollars taken directly from our pay checks. Yes, writers and artists and stay at home moms can be smart and have great ideas, but do I trust them to spend my money? Not necessarily.

And finally - I can not imagine anything more horrific than letting CITY PLANNERS have the power to make final decisions!!!!!! We would be taxed to our eyeballs - there is way too much idealistic thinking instead of common sense - do NOT give the power to the planners but rather to our ELECTED officials - they are the ones who are supposed to be our voices!!! Elect wisely everyone, because they write the checks paid for by us, think carefully about where we want money taken from us spent!! And here I must put in a plug for Hobson and Blanleil - they consistently make wise and well thought out decisions, Blanleil is an expert business man, I trust Hobson to take good care of our valley's environment - together they have around 30 years of experience in the running of our city. I think we need them now more than ever.

AND - please - you think those two men should have WASTED money with signs and littered up the community just because????? Get a grip - there is no arrogance there, just some common sense - we know who they are, we see their track records, which are very good, we have been able to watch them in action at meetings and read their opinions in the paper for 15 or so years, I hope we don't vote someone in just because they have the most or biggest signs.

[macker]

Time to move on Andre and not with city council.

[rms089]

This guy HAS to go.
He is only about business, business, business, and mainly his own!

He is not about the community. He's not looking out for the communities interests, only business.

Get rid of the little man Kelowna.

[km100503]

I couldn't believe my eyes today! There IS ONE sign out there for Andre Blanleil !!! Right on the corner of Hwy 33 and Rutland Rd. Must have suddenly popped up over night as I drive that route several times a week and have NEVER seen it! Still not voting for the arrogant guy regardless.