Edmonton Municipal Election 2010

[Phantasee]

So I'm at the victory party for a candidate in my area. So far I've backed two losing horses in the races for Mayor and for School Trustee. Crazy Girl I dated a few years back is married to another guy running for Trustee but he's winning so far. Hopefully I'm not some sort of curse.

Surprisingly (not) Mandel is on track to win a third term as mayor, which I believe is unprecedented or extremely rare in edmonton's history.

My neighbour is running for the adjacent council seat, but he is waaaay down (dead last). Almost every Ward has had results come in except for mine. They have the City's election results webpage up on the projector and the person running the computer is a retard. He or she is refreshing the City's results page as well as two from the local television stations as well as one radio station's results page. This results in a huge slowdown as the wifi here is open and everyone is on it, and all the other sites are getting their feed from the City's site anyway.

The tension here is pretty thick. Every conversation is interrupted by the flashes on the screen.

[Artemas]

Calgary just elected Nenshi, 39% vs McIver, 32%. And then BARB HIGGINS at 26%.

I gues my alderman just got reelected by a margin of, like 24 votes. Don't see that very often.

[Phantasee]

i want to see a tie one day

like, yes, we recounted and got the same result (which is rare enough) and it is a perfect tie

OH SHIT SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH A PREFERENTIAL BALLOT!

[Darth Fanboy]

Be honest how many voted for Gretzky.

[Phantasee]

There is no write-in space

[Darth Fanboy]

That is some bullshit.

[General Trelane (Retired)]

Ward 2 was the closest race for Councillor. But all the incumbents that ran were re-elected, so hopefully that will put the dead-horse propaganda campaign of Envision Edmonton to rest (or maybe not considering the whine-fest they've subjected us to for the last several months).

As for history of our mayorship, City Hall has quite an interesting display with write-ups on each and every mayor in Edmonton's past. Hawrelak was quite the colourful personality what with being repeatedly disqualified as mayor due to shady business deals and yet being re-elected several times despite that. I didn't know about this display until last Saturday when I went to City Hall to vote in the advance poll.

[Phantasee]

kim krushell is a total hottie

i don't know why the race was so close

[Bottlestein]

^ Will you throw your hat into the ring, next election?

You'd have my vote - in the US

[Phantasee]

HELL NAWWWWWWWWWWWWW

I dunno I might run for School Trustee if I've gotten my schooling done in time. I doubt it though I'm predicting at least 4 more years (HOLY SHIT I'LL BE 26!) before that.

Although I think voters would be more likely to elect me in 6 years, anyway. Who wants to vote for some 25 year old punk? 28 year olds, that's where it's at. You're almost 30, and by the time you're up for reelection you're 31 and matured and shit. Four more years and it's the White House!

[Thanas]

kim krushell is a total hottie

She looks a bit like a freaky version of Donna Moss/Janel Moloney.

[Thanas]

As this thread was lifted from testing, I'd ask my fellow mods to give it a bit more leniency.

Also, as this was a testing thread, no nuking (future) jokes etc.

[Phantasee]

well she's no actress

but in politics you take what you can get

however: Rona Ambrose

[Thanas]

well she's no actress

but in politics you take what you can get

however: Rona Ambrose

[Psychic_Sandwich]

i want to see a tie one day

like, yes, we recounted and got the same result (which is rare enough) and it is a perfect tie

OH SHIT SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH A PREFERENTIAL BALLOT!

This is Britain, not the US, but in the election before last, the MP for my constituency won by 79 votes out of 40,803. Maybe it's not as impossible as you think!

[Phantasee]

Well, my MLA won by barely two hundred votes in the election before last. This encouraged the other lady to run again since, hey, just need two hundred, right? Of course my MLA was a bit more clever than that and campaigned like he was in second place, and beat her by ~2800. That was out of... 13504 valid ballots.

EDIT: Oh shit, I just checked, and the 2004 results were different from what everyone has been saying: he beat her by 781 votes. WHOOPS!

Wow, we had 23845 total ballots cast that election. Turn out went down quite a bit! I imagine that trend was similar across the city, which explains the high number of PC MLAs elected in 08. Opposition didn't come out to vote. Although, election day was plagued by icy roads (literally, ice so smooth you could skate on it on almost every road).

EDIT 2: Yes Thanas, that Rona Ambrose. Former Environment Minister for Harper until she put her foot in her mouth.

[Thanas]

EDIT 2: Yes Thanas, that Rona Ambrose. Former Environment Minister for Harper until she put her foot in her mouth.

So what was your point in bringing up her name?

[Phantasee]

Well my point was that you appreciate what beauty there is among politicians since most of them are ugly old dudes/ladies, but there's always Rona Ambrose, who brings movie-star good looks to the House of Commons.

I actually did not realize you moved the thread at the time.

[Thanas]

Well my point was that you appreciate what beauty there is among politicians since most of them are ugly old dudes/ladies, but there's always Rona Ambrose, who brings movie-star good looks to the House of Commons.

I actually did not realize you moved the thread at the time.

No no, I just fail to be persuaded Ms Ambrose has movie-star good looks. Maybe it is an unflattering picture, though.

[Phantasee]

Calgary just elected Nenshi, 39% vs McIver, 32%. And then BARB HIGGINS at 26%.

I gues my alderman just got reelected by a margin of, like 24 votes. Don't see that very often.

So since I don't follow Cowtown politics any lower than the provincial level I had to look all these people up. Congrats on electing Nenshi, that is some good stuff. Everything I heard about McIver whenever he was in the news up here made me think he was something of an asshole, though.

I remember seeing Higgins on TV once or twice when I've been down there, what a GILF! What was her angle, anyway?

EDIT: @Thanas Yeah she's C-list at best, of course, but in person she is hella hot. Part of it is her personality, I suppose.

[Artemas]

Anchor Lady was pretty much just McIver, but prettier, and losing. Yeah, cool that Nenshi got elected.

How do you like Mandel?

[Phantasee]

He's a bit of a cold fish, on a personal level. Most politicians are a lot friendlier and warmer (especially if they know you are old enough to vote ), but he's always been a little standoffish to me. Everyone I know tells me different, but then, I'm not moneyed, powerful, or influential.

HOWEVER I did miss out on meeting him at a small get together a few people had recently with him (for fund raising, mostly, but also to meet and greet influential voters) and apparently he was very friendly there.

As for his politics, I'm not a fan of how him and council are closing the City Centre Airport, but at the same time the pro-Airport group have been a little shady as well. And he is building the LRT lines all over the city, finally. Can you believe the city that had the first light rail system in NA in a city of <1million only had ten stations until a few years ago? We finally have LRT to the South side, and he's going to push for extensions from downtown to MacEwan University, NAIT, and the former airport (by that time, I suppose), as well as a line into the heart of Mill Woods and out ot the West End (possibly -- might be better as a BRT route). So he's getting shit done, and he has had to raise property taxes to get it done, but that's a consequence of nobody raising taxes or keeping up on infrastructure for most of the 90s and late 80s. Someone has to be the bad guy eventually.

[Artemas]

I've visited edmonton lots, but I only discovered you guys even had a LRT about 8 years ago when my granparents moved into a condo near the capital building.

Do you really need a airport in the city, though? I mean what is it there for, the resupply of NAIT by air?

[Phantasee]

What capital building? Do you mean the Legislature?

The City Centre Airport is a huge benefit to the city, except for the part where they've banned flights of anything bigger than a 19 passenger plane out of there. If Edmonton is supposed to be a Gateway to the North, we need that air link between CCA and northern airports. Shell was going to put in a huge expansion just for their own shit up in Fort Mac and Fort MacKay (they have a sweet aerodrome up there), but they got fucked at the last minute. Plus air ambulance is better served by an airport that is almost next door to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, vs at least thirty minutes drive from International, which is at least ten minutes further south by air, I imagine.

There are some people who are going to benefit hugely from the lifting of the height restrictions on downtown highrises and the development of the land in the heart of the city. Whether their personal benefit should outweigh the future benefit of a municipal airport in the heart of Edmonton is something we haven't had a chance to properly discuss.

Also: downtown to Calgary flights are huge. Imagine if the current passenger limit was lifted and the airlines could field proper-sized planes! With the LRT going there you'd have a viable alternative to the current thirty minute drive (if you live on the southside) to get to the International. I forgot how much the cab fare is, but it's huge.

Oh well, I suppose it'll be a moot point once we have our high spped Alstom trains running between downtowns

[General Trelane (Retired)]

kim krushell is a total hottie

i don't know why the race was so close

I posit that it's because the municipal airport is in her riding, so Envision Edmonton's politicking was most effective there.

As for his politics, I'm not a fan of how him and council are closing the City Centre Airport, but at the same time the pro-Airport group have been a little shady as well.

More than a little shady. The closure of the Muni has been in the works since the 1995 plebiscite that approved consolidating air service at the international airport, so pegging the closure on Mandel and the last Council is dishonest to say the least. And Envision Edmonton throwing a hissy fit when their petition for a new plebiscite was rejected on the proper grounds of having insufficient valid signatures was laughably sad. Yes, Council could have granted a plebiscite anyway, but since the majority of councillors agreed with the phased closure, why should they? That all incumbents were re-elected (by landslides except for Krushell) will hopefully by the final nail in this unremarkable story. The sad part is that so much attention was paid to this non-issue that real issues were glossed over.

And he is building the LRT lines all over the city, finally. Can you believe the city that had the first light rail system in NA in a city of <1million only had ten stations until a few years ago? We finally have LRT to the South side, and he's going to push for extensions from downtown to MacEwan University, NAIT, and the former airport (by that time, I suppose), as well as a line into the heart of Mill Woods and out ot the West End (possibly -- might be better as a BRT route). So he's getting shit done, and he has had to raise property taxes to get it done, but that's a consequence of nobody raising taxes or keeping up on infrastructure for most of the 90s and late 80s. Someone has to be the bad guy eventually.

The biggest issue he's face is the infrastructure deficit that was build up under Bill Smith. He has some further good ideas (such as tackling homelessness). But I have to admit that while I voted for him, I would have liked to have voted for someone else this time. . .except that I didn't see any viable candidates on the slate.

At the least, it should be interesting to see how Kerry Diotte (former Sun columnist and now Councillor) fits in. I'm waiting to see if he and Don Iverson become fast friends!

There are some people who are going to benefit hugely from the lifting of the height restrictions on downtown highrises and the development of the land in the heart of the city. Whether their personal benefit should outweigh the future benefit of a municipal airport in the heart of Edmonton is something we haven't had a chance to properly discuss.

Was discussed. Was voted on. That's so 1995.

Also: downtown to Calgary flights are huge. Imagine if the current passenger limit was lifted and the airlines could field proper-sized planes!

Not hard to imagine at all since I remember it. We'd lose our international flights like happened in the late '80s and the '90s. Limiting flights from the muni to Calgary helped bring more international flights back to our region. The increased business also justified expanding and improving the terminals, which in turn helped bring in more flights. Had the 1995 plebiscite not happened, we would likely be flying through Calgary for anything other than the north.

With the LRT going there you'd have a viable alternative to the current thirty minute drive (if you live on the southside) to get to the International. I forgot how much the cab fare is, but it's huge.

Which is why it will probably be a long time before the LRT gets extended that far. Just look at the hullaballoo over the pilot project to have ETS bus service from the international. Council would have to really champion such an expansion to push it through. Sad, but true.