Courtenay Election Roundup: RESOURCE LINKS It aint over until its over - so lets pump this one up and make strides for a more progressive council. Even if you bring just one new friend to the polls, one vote can make all the difference! With so many competing Get Out the Vote efforts, heres a round up of election resource links to help us make good choices. As in the links below, having those in office willing to defend the OCP and RGS is highly relevant to decisions around Stotan Falls. Weve got thirteen lucky contenders for Courtenays council, with Ambler shifting to the mayors race to give us just four incumbents. Assuming those four get back in (not a sure bet), nine others will vie for 2 extra seats. And please dont overlook the school trustees, theyre handing an $84 million budget. How will the numbers play out? 2011s paltry turnout of 28.4% made for a total of 5,009 voters with Jangula beating Phelps 2,543 to 2,466, a split of only 77 votes. Manno Theos took top billing to get elected with 3,156 votes, followed by Ambler (2,707), Winchester (2,583), Leonard (2,410), Hillian (2,142), and Anglin (1,923). With Ronna-Rae and Jon Ambler out, this frees up 5,000 possible votes, which could distribute to Frisch and Lennox to get them in. But more 2011 candidates are also going for a repeat kick at the can: Felgenhauer (1,557), Eriksson (1,264), Knox (652), and MacInnis (588). Assuming these players hold their popularity and the numbers crunch identically to 2011 (e.g. only one in four really vote), its easy to see that among 13 candidates, vote splits will make it challenging for our progressives to hit the magic 2,000 range. That means it would be strategic to plump your votes, meaning to vote ONLY for your strongest choices – throwing votes to lukewarm candidates actually turn into votes AGAINST your own people. The 2-minute pitches shot by SHAW-TV are useful for a quick, scrolling analysis. Like a casting agent looking at audition tapes, I read the communication style, body language, and rapport - and foremost, what issues are focused on. Then, I try to imagine the ongoing sit-com of Four Years in the Chamber with these characters - and no, were not casting for comedy: https://m.youtube/watch?v=O0dG4qNZCz0&list=UU0gKepT7udZM5HF03Wv6o6Q The Echos page at comoxvalleyecho/your-vote-matters/council-and-mayor-candidates , and the Records supplement are decent overviews: comoxvalleyrecord/municipalelection/ Look at the menu bars carefully, a lot of info is buried. But the confusing questions and mixed replies posed by the Record are not the only game in town. Reach the candidates own pages from the Tide Change links page: tidechange.ca/elections-2014/ Its only fair to give benefit of the doubt that people can learn and make personal changes. Study their actual voting records, beyond lip-service claims for political gain like solving the issue of Maple Pool. The watchdog group Citizen Voice did years of solid indy reportage of Council meetings up until May 2013, an archive which gives good insight into civic process: cvpcouncilwatch.wordpress/ As for Maple Pool, read engineer Andrew Gowers assessment of where we stand this week (citizenclass.ca/entries/politics/maple-pool) before reviewing the backlash at https://facebook/pages/Friends-of-Maple-Pool/652388261497774 GE Free Comox Valley polled CV candidates on GMOs and local agriculture: gefreecomoxvalley.wordpress Dogwood Initiative is phone blitzing based on their survey on oil tankers and thermal coal exports, and are backing Frisch, Hillian and Lennox: LocalVote2014.ca. Hans Peter Meyer proposes reviving downtown with the local tech economy in this article: https://linkedin/pulse/article/20141030163316-33672128-tech-and-downtown-an-issue-for-votenov15?trk=prof-post And HPMs video streeters with Jon Ambler can be seen here: https://facebook/amblerformayor Consultant Sandra Hamilton is promoting a Social Procurement Policy, polling results here: sandrahamilton.ca/ The Comox Valley Arts Council polled on the importance of arts and culture: comoxvalleyarts/comox-valley-candidates-arts/ Comox Valley Cares, an effort of the local chapter of Registered Nurses, is asking to endorse supporting the homeless with a 5 or 10 dollar annual tax increase. The question on the ballot is not binding, its more of an opinion poll: comoxvalleycares/ If youre concerned about preserving our rural areas, look to defending our Official Community Plan (courtenay.ca/EN/main/departments/development-services/planning-division/official-community-plan.html), the CV Conservation Strategy: (cvconservationstrategy.org/ ) and the CVRDs Regional Growth Strategy as adopted in March, 2011: comoxvalleyrd.ca Facebook is a treasure trove of discussion and analysis! Especially note #VoteNov15 – Get the Local Government You Deserve!, an ongoing thread of strategic info: https://facebook/events/1537825603100348/ So get informed, share this info, and do what you can to keep the Comox Valley a beautiful place for the next four years! Advance polls are open today, Wed. Nov. 12th until 8:00 p.m. - Dan Vie
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 21:07:29 +0000
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