Calgary 2010 mayoralty race

[Phenix]

Ralph Klein For Mayor.... Again

http://archives.cbc.ca/clip.asp?page...260&IDDossier=

[ShOwOfF]

Originally posted by whiskas


My solution would be to provide scaled tax incentives for those living closer to the core. As a reward for using existing infrastructure and services more efficiently.

Or alternatively, provide scaled tax increases for those living farther away from the core. Although I think my former idea would pass over better while maintaining the same result

Someone who walks 5 blocks to work everyday shouldn't be paying more for all the interchanges and highways than someone who uses them driving 30 minutes to work everyday.

The idea is good, but your assumption is that everyone who lives in the core, works in the core. Not true, and I know of at least 3 who live inner city who do not work downtown.

My concern with your earlier comments regarding the lack of fairness in Municipal Spending when it comes to established versus newly developed areas is that you only discuss infrastructure related items like roads/sewers/fire. One could easily argue that the inner city uses a disproportionate amount of police, public transit, carbon offset, health care on weekends, by-law services, municipal services, etc.

There are also more property tax paying citizens living in the suburbs than there are in the inner city; and thus suburbanites contribute more dollars to the overall tax base. So yes, some of your tax dollars do go towards the infrastructure required for sprawl, but those who are moving to these said areas are also contributing to the needs of those closer to the core.

[ShOwOfF]

^^Sorry, I was a little confused there with the 2 on 1. Part of my last post was for Whiskas and part was for Crymson.

[ShOwOfF]

About your Sunnyside argument; I get that. I've actually used that same short cut through your area. But that is a result of unfortunate location and the market will eventually price that in.

The city has spent more money in Sunnyside than it would have otherwise as the city has inserted speed bumps in many of the roads, more policing for traffic infractions, more snow removal, etc. Sunnyside is near the river; and I assure you there is more municipal money spent on Landscaping there than spent in Cranston. There is more money spent in certain areas in the inner city than there is in the suburbs just the same that more infrastructure is spent outside of the core.

But if the traffic is truly unbearable, and assuming that consumers are rational; the home prices in Sunnyside should decrease to compensate for this. And if they do, your Assessment will lower and you wont have such a large tax levy. Problem solved.

[ERROR]

ya, im going nenshi on this one. as mciver is too jadded, and higgins is the pretty face of a puppet bankrolled by some rich tycoon.

[guessboi]

Originally posted by CUG


Yeah, sure, so long as you're not discriminating against other candidates because their white, homie.

I am not brown or white. LOL.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by whiskas


Nenshi did put provisions in his plan to prevent this. He mentioned about having being able to provide parking on the property.

I realize that but you give people an inch and they take a mile. What you end up with are make shift driveways right through the front yard because the driveway is full or cars or there isn't even a driveway. I look at Nenshi's policies and I think of Toronto and I don't feel like living in a city that's like Toronto.

As for the urban sprawl argument, anyone who knows just a little bit about land development will tell you how bad massive urban sprawl is for a city. You basically have to spend a fortune on every new area because all these areas require there own police, fire dep, schools, roads, transit etc etc, theyre essentially mini cities and that ends up costing all of us when the property tax bill rolls around. The innercity areas are actually very cheap to maintain in comparison.

[downbytheriver]

Mayoral hopefuls' websites reveal where they stand -- or not

By Adrienne Beattie, Calgary Herald September 23, 2010

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Ma...747/story.html

[Disoblige]

Funny story about Ralph Klien. Before he left office, of course most of you know he put in the Alberta Recycling program, so you get charged a levy on computers, printers, TVs, etc.

He went into my store one time and bought a television and we had to explain to him what the levy was for LOL. He had no idea why there was this fee.

[Sugarphreak]

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[Sugarphreak]

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[Stealth22]

For those that think Nenshi is awesome...

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome

Nenshi is also wondering why the CPS budget has increased by 23 percent but the number of officers on the street has increased by only 11 percent over the past three years.

Hey genius! The police spend their budget on more than just recruiting, you know!

What does this guy think, that sidearms, Colt C8's, Tasers, and Ford Crown Vics are all free?!

I thought Nenshi was 'ok' so far...I probably wasn't going to vote for him, but this disqualifies him COMPLETELY in my book.

Its ok to ask questions about the police budget, but don't start making uneducated, cheapskate comments like that.

[frinkprof]

Originally posted by Stealth22
For those that think Nenshi is awesome...

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome


Hey genius! The police spend their budget on more than just recruiting, you know!

What does this guy think, that sidearms, Colt C8's, Tasers, and Ford Crown Vics are all free?!

I thought Nenshi was 'ok' so far...I probably wasn't going to vote for him, but this disqualifies him COMPLETELY in my book.

Its ok to ask questions about the police budget, but don't start making uneducated, cheapskate comments like that.

As I understand it, the part in red was the point he was trying to make in the context of the comment he made, and he just reeled off an example off the top of his head (asking for the police to explain cost/new cop).

The point he was trying to make is that the past council didn't ask any questions such as the example he gave when the whole police budget pre-approval was going on a few months ago. He wasn't trying to cast doubt, just that he was interested in hearing from the police admin about numbers such as that, and that council should have been asking as well, but weren't before they went ahead and pre-approved the budget anyway. That's what I have come to understood the context of these comments were anyway.

I say this as an undecided voter myself.

[speedog]

This news story might be just a bit sensationalized by he Calgary SUN, but never the less, the finger-trap bridge appears that it will remain to be a hot potato for some candidates and voters during this upcoming civic election.

[speedog]

Calgary Herald's got a story on the finger-trap bridge also - more amusing is the poor math that Jadwiga Kroman, the city’s project manager for the bridge, did in this article. The math I know says that 276,000 inches is only about 4.356 miles and the last time I checked it's a lot further than that from Calgary to Kelowna. Maybe there's another reason this bridge is now 3 months overdue - bad math.

[Gainsbarre]

Originally posted by Stealth22

What does this guy think, that sidearms, Colt C8's, Tasers, and Ford Crown Vics are all free?!

Big to Nenshi for bringing that up. I suppose that CPS isn't funded by taxpayers, thus we don't need to scrutinize their spending habits? Let's just give them all the money they ask for, because after all, who needs accountability? Is it completely out of the realm of possibility that the police of all people can waste money and spend it frivolously?

http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/201...mit-costs.html


The one I'm disgusted with here is Hanson -- what the hell kind of evasive response is that? Nenshi back up with response with facts -- what about Hanson? "The information presented by Mr. Nenshi is inaccurate" How so? Oh, you're willing to go over the budget line-by-line AFTER the election, right. That pledge sounds about as honest as Higgins' promise to reveal her financial backers -- AFTER the election. I'm sure that by that time Hanson will have come up with another excuse (maybe "that's confidential" or "in the interest of public safety we can't disclose that"). Hanson reminds me of the Conservative cabinet when he responds to legitimate requests in this manner. Did any of the recent council members (e.g. McIver) have the courage to ask such questions with regards to the police budget?

[ZeeZee]

We need a new poll!

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by Stealth22
For those that think Nenshi is awesome...

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome


Hey genius! The police spend their budget on more than just recruiting, you know!

What does this guy think, that sidearms, Colt C8's, Tasers, and Ford Crown Vics are all free?!

I thought Nenshi was 'ok' so far...I probably wasn't going to vote for him, but this disqualifies him COMPLETELY in my book.

Its ok to ask questions about the police budget, but don't start making uneducated, cheapskate comments like that.

I had Nenshi for a marketing professor when I was in University, so I may be a little biased here. The overall theme of Nenshi's campaign has been to ask the right questions because, as he feels, no one on Council has been asking the right questions which has led us to the kind of predicament that we're in now.

The way Nenshi is positioning himself among the 3 front-runners (McIver, Higgins and himself) is that if you vote:
McIver - You're going with the status quo. A candidate who has experience, but experience in an otherwise ineffective Council. Voting for him means more of the same.
Nenshi - You want some kind of change. Whether it is fiscal responsibility or fiscal justification. If you vote for him, you're willing to sacrifice political experience for idealism and change, since previous Council hasn't done much.
Higgins - Hard to tell because she doesn't have a strong position on anything.

[kertejud2]

The more Nenshi speaks the more I like him, and I've been set to vote for him for a while already.

[downbytheriver]

Nenshi dares to just ask that we scrutinize the $300 million police budget and Hansen throws a fit (inappropriate at that).

Contrast that to McIver who was more than willing to give the police a free pass on their budget without any scrutiny whatsoever.

Nenshi or anyone running for mayor and council absolutely have the right and the responsibility to ask those questions.