Big News

After a cryptic conversation with Paul Brown last week, during which he mentioned that I should "keep Monday the 3rd clear", it turns out he's announcing three new candidates for City Council at noon in front of City Hall.

Not only that, but the candidates will be running as a slate, something that hasn't been done since the 2005 election hammered the VCE into non-existence. Coupled with the "Dean Team" unofficial slate and the impressive list of backers for both sides, this is going to be a truly vicious election. I'm excited, are you?


So today I met with this group's - we'll call them the Other Slate - campaign manager. He outlined a platform focusing on changing the way Council operates, streamlining municipal services and operations, and generally gathering the reins on City Hall.


Who's on the Other Slate? I won't ruin the surprise, and anyway it's no one you know (yet). Make no mistake - these are not big names, but this slate is going to be a contender. The list of backers, organizers, and endorsements for the Other Slate will ensure that.

The Other Candidates

In the meantime, it looks like Shellie Gudgeon has also semi-announced that she will run for Council. Shellie is the owner of the Fifth St. Bar and Grill, and has been heavily involved in the Hillside-Quadra neighbourhood and the community at large since setting up shop in Quadra Village.  She has never run before, and her website is not up yet but will be here.


Stay tuned for another update on Monday after the Paul Brown announcement, and for our continuing Know Your Candidate interview series.


Vic Votes

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Steve Filipovic Answers Some Questions

The latest in our Know Your Candidate series is Steve Filipovic! Remember: there will be a test.

Steve ran for Mayor in '08 and for the empty council seat in the recent by-election, placing a distant third for mayor with 8.3% of the total vote, and a much closer third for council with 14.8%. While he is currently running for Council, it's looking like a run at the Mayor's spot will be the fate of this campaign, that direction having been hinted at by Filipovic a number of times over the past few months.

At the moment Steve doesn't have a website, but we will post it as soon as it's around.

And here are his answers to our now famous questions:

Q: Why are you running and why should I vote for you?

A: I am running to instigate change in Victoria. Both of the two Establishment Teams will cling to the old way of doing things, they support the old boys club. It is time for a new boys and girls club to take over. You should vote for me and encourage your friends to vote for me because I will run the city in an open and democratic manner. More respect for the people and less PR! Right now the city is in the hands of developers, it should be in the hands of the people.

Q: What issue is most important to you and why?

A: Affordable Housing is the most important issue it effects everyone making it very difficult on young families to buy and very expensive for the 63% of Victorians that rent. Housing ownership was set up to cost about 35% of your disposable income; over the years we have seen rental costs skyrocket to well above the cost of ownership. We need to create more rent-to-own opportunities and promote cooperative models with city by-law support to remove hurdles for our renters to transition into home owners which is proven to be the most cost effective and provides plenty of spin-off benefits, like improved health and well-being.

Q: What's something people don't know about you?

A: Most people don't know that not only am I an environmental and social rights activist through my work with Earth Walk, I am also a small business owner. Having run a successful contracting company that specializes in building fences and sundecks for over 24yrs. I have also built many houses and even some apartment building under the tutelage of my now retired Dad who owned a very large construction company here in Victoria. So I know housing and I know we could be doing a lot to make it more accessible to the working class of Victoria.

Coming soon: What's up with school boards?

Until then,

Vic Votes

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Paul Brown Anwers Our Questions

Paul Brown Is running for Mayor of Victoria this year. He ran during the by-election and placed 5th with 7% of the total votes.

Brown is a consultant to various levels of government in the Pacific Northwest, and in talking to him it seems like his main concern is with the financial situation of City Hall. Brown's campaign has sent out a number of press releases on the subject of the City's ailing finances, and he appears to have spent quite a bit of time looking into the subject.

You can visit Paul's website here

And here are his answers to our questions three:

Q: Why are you running and why should I vote for you?

We need to ensure our City realizes its greatest potential. This means retaining our sense of community, culture and heritage while embracing opportunities for the future.

I am running because taxes and expenses at City Hall are both rising much faster than the rate of inflation and this poses a serious threat to the social and economic health of our City.

I believe in genuine citizen engagement. I believe in public access to all essential information. I believe in open debate and transparent policy development. Most importantly, I believe in setting honest, realistic financial goals and living within your means.

My experience consists of 23 years providing advice and consultation on financial, governance and risk management to governments throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Q: What issues are the most important to you and why?

We need to preserve the ongoing delivery of essential city services by reforming and strengthening its tax base.

Our City’s financial challenge is the most pressing issue. For the past two years, city services and department budgets have been cut while taxes increased well in excess of the rate of inflation. Our City’s infrastructure is showing the strain of age and neglect. Grants to community organizations are shrinking. Residents are concerned that megaprojects, such as the sewage treatment plant, the proposed LRT will overwhelm our City’s resources.

We need to:

• make better use of our City’s limited tax resources and become more prudent in our financial affairs.
• work closely with our neighbouring communities to establish a broader range of shared municipal services
• work more closely and collaboratively with senior levels of government to ensure their financial support
• accurately and fairly consider everyone’s perspective
• be open and honest with the public when we develop City policies, budgets and tax rates.

Q: What’s something people don’t know about you?

I spent my summers during the 1980’s and 1990’s exploring the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, the Sunshine Coast and San Juan Islands. The experience demonstrated to me the importance of stepping back to gain perspective and how delicate our environment is. Today, my wife and I treasure our walks throughout our City and do our best to respect the environment we call home.

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An interesting post over at Victoria Vision, regarding the longest sitting councillors in Victoria.

Here it is.

In other news, no new council candidates have announced,  however councillor Lynn Hunter has said that she will run for re-election. There are rumours floating around that some current councillors will not be seeking re-election, but to date Victoria Votes hasn't been able to confirm anything.

Candidate surveys continue to arrive, and will be posted as quickly as we can get them out.

VV 

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Rose Henry is our first official candidate interview!

Rose has been a poverty activist in Victoria and abroad for many years, and has run in both the by-electon and previous general municipal election, both times garnering between 2 and 3 thousand votes.

You can view Rose's website here.

You can view a recent Monday Magazine feature about Rose here.

And here are her answers to our three questions:

Q: Why are you running and why should I vote for you?

A: I still believe that the municipal leaders are just as important as the provincial and federal elections and that all citizens should have an active role in this democratic system; and that our elected leaders need to hear from the people who have lived in the inner city core for the past two decades. What I have to offer the city as well as the council is a lot in tapped and written wealth. I believe that the voices of the most marginalized residents of the downtown core have been silenced for too long. Because I have lived in the inner city for the most of the twenty-seven years here in Victoria I believe I have a lot to offer as a resident from a First person perspective. My age and experience are an asset as is my tenacity to stick to being a part of the solution to many of the social problems that are very costly to everyone.

Q: What issue is most important to you and why?

A: Most people would expect that I would say Homelessness: to me no one issue is greater or lesser then the other. But homelessness is solvable and it is in everyone's best interest to get this social problem under control. Why this is important to me is that this issue is costing everyone far too much. The tax payers pay with higher taxes, longer waits in community services like health care services, judicial system and multiple community services. The poor and the homeless also pay... they pay with the loss of their lives in addition to paying the sames taxes and other services as their counter-parts (the housed).

Q: What's something people don't know about you?

A: There is only one thing that I have regretted not finishing this year. That is not finishing my constitutional charter challenge (Bill C--31). This is the voter identification bill. I had been working on this case for three and a half years. Right now there is not a lot that the communities of Victoria don't know about me personally; but what I do want to let people know is that if I succeed this time at getting in that it will be a historical event that will start to bridge to gab between the First Nations and the rest of the world. Victoria will be 150 years old in 2012 and not once have they ever had a Coast Salish Representative on their city council. People need to hear that when I speak I speak from my heart and only want the best for everyone, and that I am more than capable of speaking out about just one issue and can give more than five minutes of my time to really listen to the issues of co-inhabitants of this community.

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Candidate Surveys Announced

So we've just sent out our candidate survey to everyone who has announced that they're running for the City of Victoria as either Mayor or Council. Answers will be posted as they arrive.

Our questions were:

Q: Why are you running and why should I vote for you?

Q: What issue is most important to you and why?

Q: What's something people don't know about you?

VV

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