Peter Haslock - Mayoral Candidate

[Urbane]

p.s. cpt64. As you well know council would not have been able to weigh the relative support for a new name as opposed to Westbank/West Kelowna. No, I wouldn't have been happy if the two most popular choices were left off. I can't deny that and I fail to see how that would have been responsive to the wishes of the people or democratic in any way. We'll just agree to disagree.

[cpt64]

Actually, cpt64, I argued FOR a head to head. You must have missed that. I specifically asked TheNameGame to bring it up before the committee. He said he liked the idea and would, but the committee shot it down before he could even formally present it. I've said many times on here that there should be a final ballot with two names but it's too late for that now. The voting has started and most candidates for mayor and council have said they will accept the verdict. So having council MAKE the decision, as we would have had with the naming committee ballot, and having council AFFIRM the decision of the people, as we will have after the 15th, are two different things.

The head to head I was talking about was between Westbank and West Kelowna which was on the TNC ballot. I know you have been advocating for a final head to head which I agree with. My complaint is with the dropping of the option that allowed everyone to vote for up to three out of five new names. The excuse given to us was that it was too confusing....too confusing for whom? The Findlater ballot dropped three of the five new names and forces everyone to choose between either Westbank and West Kelowna or one of the two remaining new names. You and I and everyone on this board knows there's not a chance in that either Okanagan Hills or Westlake will succeed. We will either end up Westbank, West kelowna, or Westside. Frankly, I'm hoping for Westside at this point. Maybe after having Westside awhile longer and everyone finally acknowledging how divisive Westbank and West Kelowna are, we can all take the time to do this right and find a name we will all accept.

[parachute]

Peter, I’m somewhat sorry about this but after re-reading your 11:57 a.m. post I must point out some muddled thinking that you have engaged in.

You equated “first past the post” for this naming questionnaire with the circumstances surrounding the election of a Mayor (or a councilor) when you wrote:

Lastly, using your formula, should Mayor Neiss not have declined her nomination? Im pretty sure she didnt win 50 + 1.

(I think you were referring to “election” not “nomination” and “resigned” instead of “declined” but I am not concerned with those small points). Last year Neis got 33%, Dinwoodie got 28%, Winsby got 26%, Ensign got 11% and Burke got 2%. Now if had Neis resigned then so should have all the other four candidates and what then? Well we would have had no one in the Mayor’s chair at all and municipal government could not proceed whatsoever!

Now consider our naming ballot and possible percentage results. Let us assign (arbitrarily) similar percentages as obtained by the Mayoral candidates last year to the four names: Okanagan Hills = 35% Westbank = 30% West Kelowna = 25% and Westlake = 10%. OKAY, if now we request that all names be dismissed what then? Can you not see the difference in these two situations? For this last case government would carry forward as it should, no problem, and Council would meet, enact bylaws, etc. All that would happen would be that our municipal name would not change. Municipal business would carry on as usual.

Oh, yes, there might be a re-consideration of – should the new council revisit the possibility of a new Naming Committee and consider how and when and what cost for another questionnaire, etc., etc., etc.? And eventually we might have a permanent city name, but the situation is COMPLETELY different than the former case where four candidates running for elective office should resign if not one had a majority!

Perhaps I have lost you because of my long-windedness but I accuse you of muddled thinking and finally here is the bottom line one more time: a plurality in the naming ballot is NOT SUFFICIENT!

[hereiamagain]

okay, so this is really irritating me. Urbane, this is Peter Haslock's thread, not any of the the naming threads. This thread is for questions to him, and answers from him. Go back to the naming thread if you have some discussion to make about it. I am interested in what PETER has to say, , not what you have said over and over and over again on the other two three and four threads on the castanet forum.

cpt64 asked a question to Peter which has now been lost in posts.. I am interested to hear the answer as well.

I will repost it for him.



Peter, as I understand it, you're sticking to the " first past the post " concept as most of you answered on Monday night. Can we assume then that the name Westside is also being held to the same standard as the other four names? Just so I'm understanding where you're coming from....if none of the names gets 50%+1 and there are more votes for " No " in Question 1 than any of the others in Question 2, what does that mean to you?

[Urbane]

I was supporting Peter's answer that he will accept the vote on November 15th. Good for him. Peter makes the point that we don't want to draw this thing out. Again, good for him. I can't imagine starting all over now with a new naming committee! Good for Peter and for most of the candidates running.

[sellpro 46]

By the way, Peter, I certainly believe you “have spine” but I hope it is not so absolutely rigid that it can not bend or change position if legitimate, rational, good arguments are presented to you.

I have always been open to ideas and encourage free speech and thought because, as I said the other night, I am not necessarily the brightest bulb in the box. I rely heavily on my peers because more often than not, someone will bring an idea or thought to the table that I or others may not have even considered.

[sellpro 46]

:ohmygod:

okay, so this is really irritating me. Urbane, this is Peter Haslock's thread, not any of the the naming threads. This thread is for questions to him, and answers from him. Go back to the naming thread if you have some discussion to make about it. I am interested in what PETER has to say, , not what you have said over and over and over again on the other two three and four threads on the castanet forum.

cpt64 asked a question to Peter which has now been lost in posts.. I am interested to hear the answer as well.

I will repost it for him.



Peter, as I understand it, you're sticking to the " first past the post " concept as most of you answered on Monday night. Can we assume then that the name Westside is also being held to the same standard as the other four names? Just so I'm understanding where you're coming from....if none of the names gets 50%+1 and there are more votes for " No " in Question 1 than any of the others in Question 2, what does that mean to you?

If you vote no in question 1, you have voted for the "Westside District Municipality". As somoeone asked on the naming referendum thread, if you answer "no" do you still get a choice in part 2. My beief would be that no, you do not because you would have already cast your vote and I believe that if question 1 gets more no's than any of the other 4 get "xs", then you have your winner.

Regardless of the way the ballot is presented, there are really 5 names open for consideration.

This is the way I understand it andif I am mistaken then someone please show me where I am wrong.

This whole process has been blown so far out of proprtion and perspective so as to defy belief.

We voted on incorporation and so far we have managed to move forward to that end. The OCP and the strategic plan make no mention of amalgamation. All priorities listed deal with the new Municipality, not Kelowna. There's one positive.

The very next major decsion we have to face is "what name will we choose" and so far, all we've managed to do is muddy the waters so badly that many of us have forgotten what the question was.

There are 5 names to choose from. Yes, it's hugely important that all votes cast are cast for the right reasons and not for reasons of perceived popularity. Vote from your heart.

Lastly, at the end of the day, no matter which name is chosen by virtue of a majority vote, council does not have to accept it and remember, now the new council will have the unenviable task of approving it or denying it and I am not sure what the criteria may be.

This new group of people will be thrust into the spotlight and will have to make a decision for which by some, maybe many, they will be unfairly judged.

I presume that the reason that council has the last right of refusal may well be to ensure that the name that they believe in the most will win out no matter what. I can think of no other reason than this for their hold on the ballot.

If anyone out there can please share with me why council has this right, please do. Is it a part of the charter or did they place this caveat themselves.

What a mess.

[cpt64]

Peter, you are correct. What a mess and we all know who's responsible. However, let me correct you on one point. Regardless of how we vote in Question 1, all our votes count in Question 2. I confirmed this when I voted earlier this week. And if anyone, including yourself or whomever gets elected tries to cancel my vote in Question 2, there will be to pay. Again, we all know who we have to blame for this, don't we?

[sellpro 46]

Peter, you are correct. What a mess and we all know who's responsible. However, let me correct you on one point. Regardless of how we vote in Question 1, all our votes count in Question 2. I confirmed this when I voted earlier this week. And if anyone, including yourself or whomever gets elected tries to cancel my vote in Question 2, there will be to pay. Again, we all know who we have to blame for this, don't we?

But to clarify; If you vote no in question 1, you don't get a choice in question 2, do you?

That would make no sense to me as you will have already voted for your name choice by saying no.

[parachute]

Hey, Peter, I like what I see in your last post. The way I read what you wrote is that you are no longer absolutely sure that “first past the post” is a winner, no matter what! As soon as you say “what a mess” I say to myself --- yes, that man is thinking and he might well change his mind and accept advice (perhaps advice that is different than the opinion he holds just today) and go with it!

Good luck on Saturday.

[cpt64]

Peter, you are correct. What a mess and we all know who's responsible. However, let me correct you on one point. Regardless of how we vote in Question 1, all our votes count in Question 2. I confirmed this when I voted earlier this week. And if anyone, including yourself or whomever gets elected tries to cancel my vote in Question 2, there will be to pay. Again, we all know who we have to blame for this, don't we?

But to clarify; If you vote no in question 1, you don't get a choice in question 2, do you?

That would make no sense to me as you will have already voted for your name choice by saying no.

Yes, you do and I did and I'll bet a lot of others will too. Again, you can blame Findlater and Co.

[brightstar]

I VOTED TODAY (ADVANCE POLL) @ LAKEVIEW HEIGHTS BAPTIST CHURCH AND I VOTED FOR WEST KELOWNA.

I was instructed to answer BOTH questions.

BTW, Mr. Haslock, you got my vote today.

[sellpro 46]

Thank you for that. Now I know for sure that someone was listening to me. I really appreciate it.

[hereiamagain]

Peter I think a lot of people are listening to you.

We just got the westside weekly - there were comments in there about different questions, but I didnt see anything from you or Jim Dixon. Could you please tell us about that?

[sellpro 46]

I released the following Press Release to the media.
Please discuss it.

Email a copy to anyone you think may have some interest.

Thank you,
Peter Haslock

Press Release - Peter Haslock
_________________________________________________
Peter Haslock, Westside Mayoral Candidate, would like to bring the various Westside communities together in their new municipality. Peter stated "We need a united council to move our municipality forward, and it is equally important to have a united electorate who are proud of where they come from. "It is very distressing to see people abandoning their first choice for a permanent name for our municipality based on information being circulated that is confusing to a great many people" Haslock added. "Some people are proposing a rerun of the amalgamation versus incorporation runoff and that can be very destructive to our future. "We need to move forward together."

On his plans to bring the communities together Peter stated "I live in the southern part of the municipality and my first choice for a name was Westbank, however after good discussions with people from other Westside communities I appreciate their points of view. People need to listen and understand that people have very valid reasons for making their choice, and people should try to understand why others don't agree with their choice".

"People from Westbank say acquaintances from Lakeview Heights who have always considered Westbank as their home are voting for Westbank for the municipal name. "Others point out they never felt they were from Westbank, that the sign on this side of the bridge says Westbank 11 kilometers, the welcome sign to Westbank is placed at the couplet, and they have always respected those stated boundaries. "Both these points of view are valid" Haslock added.

"Many people would like West Kelowna as our municipal name because Kelowna is a great place. "Others point out that the names on the ballot have not been approved for municipal name use, and West Kelowna could be rejected. "There could be any number of reasons why West Kelowna may be rejected as our name and people would lose their votes. "Others point out the confusion that results when similar names are used. Invest Kelowna has been using Westside's Kelowna addressed population statistics as being part of Kelowna's Demographic Profile to attract investment. "Westside buildings and schools with a Kelowna address are shown in "The Community Resource Directories for Families" as being located in Kelowna. "People from out of province would not have a ready way of knowing that "West Kelowna" was a municipality separate and apart from the City of Kelowna. "These are good points and we need to appreciate the sincerity of the people who are concerned".

Peter went on to say "It is distressing that people are concerned that they feel they have to abandon their first choice of a new name and choose either Westbank or West Kelowna for the name. "It is true that the Naming Committee ballot was overly complicated and needed more work, however the replacement ballot was voted in without much comprehensive thought and discussion. "Council reaps what it sows". Haslock added.

"In discussions with people who like a completely new name, and from reading very good articles in our local media, it is evident these folks have compelling reasons for a new name. "These people need to be respected when they say a new name will put past divisions in the municipality behind us. "That would be a wonderful result if that could be achieved". Peter said.

Peter went on to give an example "a recent article by Dorothy Brotherton in the Westside Weekly supported Okanagan Hills for the name. "The article formed a very good discussion for that particular name. "It is a name that local wineries would be proud to put on their wine bottle labels to market their wine around the world".

"The ballot is what it is, however I would encourage everyone to vote for any of the four names they like best, and not engage in what you see as a destructive exercise of resurrecting hurt feelings of the past".

Haslock added, "we need to build on our sense of community, not break it down. "Some of us were distressed when our great neighbour across the lake was on the verge of extending its boundaries. "We don't want an internal re-play of that. "We need to celebrate our place and have a name that inspires unity and celebration. "As an example 2008 is the centennial of Westbank when the first store was built and the Westbank post office was moved from Shannon Lake. "We need a name that will inspire on-time celebration of all of our community anniversaries and events, no matter where they are located in our municipality, and our elected council should provide the leadership to encourage that all our residents join together as we go forward".

Peter's election platform is available at http://www.haslock4mayor.blogspot.com. Peter's vision is to see our municipality become the best in the Okanagan valley.

Peter Haslock encourages all voters to go to the polls on Election Day as Westsiders move forward united in the development of our new municipality.