In the spirit of my last post, here are four youtube videos that Ward 5 City Council candidate Don Iveson has released. In them, Don Iveson talks about some of the key issues facing Ward 5.
Category: 2007 Edmonton Municipal Election
“Online campaigning is a bit of a fad, particularly so at the city council level,” says Lightbody, “in the same sense that if we were running a campaign about 30 years ago, candidates would’ve had disco balls in their campaign headquarters — they would’ve run around looking like bloody ABBA.”
I was only half-shocked when I read this comment from U of A Political Science Professor Jim Lightbody in today’s Edmonton Journal.
Lightbody is correct that traditional methods of campaigning are still core, but his armchair quarterback commentary in this story clearly shows that he fails to understand the power of web 2.0 and new online communication mediums.
On this note, ED has now posted their ratings for candidate websites…
In what is the first profile of various races across the city in the 2007 Edmonton Municipal Election, here are my thoughts on the race for Mayor:
Thoughts…
The 2007 race for the Mayor’s Chair is clearly much different race than the race we saw in 2004.
Three years ago, three-term Mayor Bill Smith was shooting for a fourth-term against second-time challenger and former Councillor Robert Noce, and little known first-term Ward 1 Councillor Stephen Mandel. In what is one of the biggest ‘come-from-behind’ wins in recent municipal election memory, Mandel moved from a distant third in the polls to achieve a sweeping +20,000 victory against Smith and Noce.
Since 2004, it appears to me that Mandel has done a fairly decent job as Mayor, though it’s sometimes difficult to tell whether he is actually being a good Mayor or if the breath of fresh air after nine years of the institutional mediocrity under Bill Smith is helping Mandel out. Whatever the case, Mandel has succeeded in scaring away any serious contenders from challenging his Worship.
Even though there is a thick list of nine candidates in the running for Mayor, none of them pose a large threat to Mandel, which is disappointing if you’re concerned with democratic debate and accountability.
The only semi-serious candidate running against Mandel seems to be hotel operator, self-professed genius, and Ed Stelmach-apologist Don Koziak. Koziak could have been a decent candidate, but his previous three losing Council campaigns coupled with his hasty last minute entrance into the election seriously undermine his credibility against Mandel. Also, Koziak’s complete lack of a platform coupled with his bizarre statement about global warming have to make you wonder what it takes to get into Mensa these days…
Of course, if you are looking for some purely bizarre entertainment, the Mayoral race is where to look – where wingnuts such as Dave Dowling and Bill Whatcott will most likely try to steer the debate away from any real issues.
Mandel has hinted that he would only serve two terms as Mayor, so if this is truth, expect a dogfight in 2010 when challengers could potentially include Councillors Kim Krushell, Mike Nickel, and Karen Leibovici.
The lack of credible candidates in this race has succeeded in halting the serious Mayoral-level debate that is supposed to happen every three years – and serious debates are needed on issues such as infrastructure and urban planning, affordable housing and poverty, and the regional tensions in the Capital City Region. It also leaves Mandel not having to defend or answer for any of his initiatives as Mayor – whether they were successful or not.
With the Mayor’s race being an unfortunate forgone conclusion, let’s hope that voters turn their attention to who they are sending to City Council and their Public and Catholic School Boards.
2007 Mayoral Candidates
Dustin Becker
Dave Dowling
Khaled Kheireddine
Don Koziak
Peter Lefaivre
Robert Ligertwood
George Lam
Stephen Mandel*
Bill Whatcott
2004 Mayoral Election Results
Stephen Mandel – 85,887
Bill Smith – 68,767
Robert Noce – 52,640
Tilo Paravalos – 921
Dieter Peske – 905
Dave Dowling – 858
Thomas “Buffalo Terminator” Tomilson – 768
Jean-Paul Noujaim – 390
My first post on the CBC Edmonton Votes 2007 Blog is up. Check it out…
Here are the results from the latest daveberta municipal election poll. It should be no surprise that affordable housing, infrastructure and roads, and urban sprawl are some of the big issues on the minds of Edmontonians leading up to October 15.
 |
||
| Selection | ||
| Affordable Housing |  34% |
28 |
| Arts and Culture | 1% |
1 |
| Crime and Safety | 2% |
2 |
| Infrastructure and Roads | 24% |
20 |
| Public Transit | 6% |
5 |
| Recreation and Parks | 1% |
1 |
| Regional Cooperation | 9% |
7 |
| Taxes | 5% |
4 |
| Urban Sprawl and Growth | 15% |
12 |
| Other | 2% |
2 |
|
|
|
| 82 votes total | ||
There is also new poll up, so vote early and vote often!
Some thoughts for Monday morning…
– CBC Edmonton has launched an Edmonton Votes 2007 website. I will have the pleasure of blogging for the CBC site starting tomorrow, so make sure to check it out.
– Connect2Edmonton is getting a bit of media attention which is good for the forum. Post your questions to municipal candidates in the forums – some candidates are responding.
– The Edmonton Journal’s Scott McKeen has a fun column today about the ‘Door knocking-Diet.’
– The St. Albert Gazette has some interesting stories on the Mayoral and Aldermanic races going on in the city just north of Edmonton.
– I spent a good chunk of my weekend campaigning for Don Iveson in Ward 5. I feel good about the positive response we received while we were out on Saturday doorknocking with Edmonton-Rutherford MLA Rick Miller.
Taking a page from Al Gore’s book, Ward 4 council candidate Sheila Mckay has claimed that she invented Edmonton’s LRT…
“Sheila McKay, who was on council from 1989 to 1995, took credit for the LRT, telling the audience it was “my idea” to bring light-rail transit to the city 30 years ago.”
Categories
familiar faces.
The October 15, 2007 Edmonton Municipal Election will include some familiar faces. Because of the difficulty of defeating incumbents in Edmonton City politics, many Council candidates run a number of times before being elected (this includes current City Councillors Dave Thiele, Jane Batty, and Mike Nickel).
Here is a list of candidates who are hoping that the second, third, fourth, or fifth time is a charm…
Mayoral
Dave Dowling (Mayoral: 2004; Provincial, Edmonton-Gold Bar: 2004; Federal Marajuana Party, Edmonton-Strathcona: 2004, 2006)
Don Koziak (Ward 5: 1995; Ward 2: 1998, 2004)
Robert Ligertwood (Mayoral: 1992, 1995, 2001)
Ward 2
Jabin Caouette (Ward 2: 2004)
Kerry Hutton (Ward 2: 2004)
Dave Loken (Ward 2: 2004)
Ward 3
Kyle Balombin (Ward 3: 2004)
Tony Caterina (Ward 3: 2004; Alberta Alliance, Edmonton-Centre: 2004)
Shui Wing Mak (Ward 4: 1995)
Thomas “Buffalo Terminator” Tomilson (Ward 2: 1989; Ward 3: 1992, 1998; Ward 4: 1995; Mayoral: 2001, 2004)
Harvey Voogd (Provincial ND, Edmonton-Norwood: 1997)
Ward 4
Ben Henderson (Ward 4: 2001, 2004)
Sheila Mckay (Ward 6: 1974, 1977, 1980, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998; Councillor: 1989-1995)
Adil Pirbhai (Ward 5: 1995, 1998, 2004; Ward 4: 2001)
Hana Razga (Federal ND, Edmonton-East: 1997; Provincial ND, Edmonton-Manning: 1997, 2001)
Debbie Yeung (Ward 4: 2001, 2004)
Ward 6
Chinwe Okelu (Ward 6: 1998, 2001, 2004)
Amarjeet Sohi (Ward 6: 2004)
Similar to the updated list of Edmonton City Council candidates, I have updated the list of candidates acclaiming and contesting seats in the Edmonton Public School Board and Edmonton Catholic School District elections on October 15, 2007.
Also, there is a new 2007 Edmonton Municipal election poll on the sidebar.
The new poll asks:
What will be the biggest issue of the 2007 Edmonton Municipal Election?
Affordable Housing
Arts and Culture
Crime and Safety
Infrastructure and Roads
Public Transit
Recreation and Parks
Regional Cooperation
Taxes
Urban Sprawl and Growth
Other
Vote early and often!
Today was nomination day at City Hall. Here is the final list of candidates for the Edmonton Municipal Election on October 15, 2007. I will be posting profiles of each ward and their candidates over the course of the election.
2007 Edmonton City Council candidates
(* indicates incumbency)
Mayor of Edmonton
(edmonton election 2007: the non-race for mayor)
Dustin Becker
Dave Dowling
Khaled Kheireddine
Don Koziak
Peter Lefaivre
Robert Ligertwood
George Lam
Stephen Mandel*
Bill Whatcott
Edmonton City Council
Ward 1
(edmonton election 2007: ward 1)
Betty Kennedy
Andrew Knack
Karen Leibovici*
Linda Sloan*
Ward 2
(edmonton election 2007: the race for ward 2)
Jabin Caouette
Ron Hayter*
Kerry Hutton
Kim Krushell*
Dave Loken
Mike Sokoluik
Shelley Tupper
Ward 3
(edmonton election 2007: a race in ward 3)
Kyle Balombin
Tony Caterina
Ed Gibbons*
Shiu Wing Mak
Chris Martin
Chris Roehrs
Thomas James Tomilson
Harvey Voogd
(Councillor Janice Melnychuk is not seeking re-election)
Ward 4
(edmonton election 2007: something about ward 4)
Jane Batty*
Nyambura Mia Belcourt
Lewis Cardinal
Judith (Jodi) Flatt
Ben Henderson
Sheila McKay
Brian Patterson
Deborah Peaker
Adil Pirbhai
Hana Razga
Thomas Roberts
Margaret Saunter
Brent Thompson
Brian Wissink
Debbie Yeung
(Councillor Michael Phair is not seeking re-election)
Ward 5
(edmonton election 2007: choice in ward 5)
Bryan Anderson*
Don Iveson
Brent Michalyk
Mike Nickel*
Ward 6
(edmonton election 2007: wrath of ward 6)
Lori Jeffery-Heaney
Chuck McKenna
Chinwe Okelu
Amarjeet Sohi
Dave Thiele*
Thomas Dennis Vasquez
(Councillor Terry Cavanagh is not seeking re-election)
It’s a big political day today…
– It’s the candidate nomination deadline for municipal election candidates in Alberta. After 12 noon, Albertans will know who they will be able to vote for in the October 15 Municipal Elections. I already know who I am voting for in Ward 5.
– Don Koziak has thrown his hat in the ring for Mayor. Koziak’s last minute run against current Mayor Stephen Mandel should be an interesting one…
– Today is by-election day in Quebec. With three by-elections set for today, it should be interesting to see which way the political climate in La Belle Provence is shifting.
I was in Outremont back in August and if the amount of signs mean anything, it’s Robert Mulcair’s to lose. That said, a Mulcair win in Outremont sends a strong signal towards the Harper Tories and Dion Liberals about their growth potential on the vote rich island of Montreal.
Ward 5 Edmonton City Council candidate Donna Finucane has officially withdrawn her candidacy in the October 15, 2007 Edmonton municipal election. In 2004, Finucane placed a strong third in Ward 5 behind Bryan Anderson and Mike Nickel.
Donna Finucane’s departure from the race leaves a less crowded field in Ward 5 and more room for Smart Growth in Ward 5 – Don Iveson’s campaign for City Council!
UPDATE: Don Iveson is quoted in two Edmonton Sun articles from today. You can check them out here and here.
A new interactive website has been set up for the municipal elections:
Take Back Your City.ca is your guide and tool for action in municipal politics in Alberta. Read up on the candidates’ views, ensure yours are heard, connect with people working on the issues.
Here is the final list of candidates running for election or re-election in the Edmonton Public School Board and Edmonton Catholic School District elections on October 15, 2007.
Edmonton Public School Board
Ward A
Bev Esslinger
Ward B
Wendy Keiver
Ken Shipka
Ward C
Sue Huff
Don Williams
Ward D
Amanda Beisiegel
Dave Colburn
Ward E
Ken Gibson
Neil MacDonald
Ward F
Don Fleming
Susan O’Neil
Ward G
Sheila Clifford-MacKay
Myrna Freeman
Terry McKinnon
George Rice
Marlene Spencer
Ward H
Catherine Ripley
Neil Robblee
Ward I
Judith Axelson
Gerry Gibeault
Edmonton Catholic School District
Ward 1
Debbie Engel
Ward 2
Luigi Esposito
Becky Kallal
Jim Urlacher
Ward 3
Joe Filewych
Cindy Olsen
Jim Shinkaruk
Ward 4
Rudy Arcilla
Ward 5
John Acheson
Marilyn Bergstra
Ward 6
Kara Pelech
– Right-wing Edmonton City Councillor Mike Nickel launched his pun-filled Ward 5 re-election campaign this week. Nickel’s campaign logo is a coffee stain (which accurately reflects his past three years on City Council).
– Tory MLA’s Greg Melchin (Calgary-North West) and Denis Ducharme (Bonnyville-Cold Lake) announced their retirements this week. Both Melchin and Ducharme were elected in 1997 after defeating Decore-era Liberal MLA’s Frank Bruseker and Leo Vasseur (Bruseker is the current President of the Alberta Teachers’ Association).
– The Edmonton City Council Election candidates list has been updated. The nomination deadline is on Monday, September 17, so I will be providing a final list on Monday afternoon (I may actually make a trip down to City Hall to watch who shows up as well). Help spread the word about the October 15 Municipal Election by joining the “I’m voting in the Edmonton Municipal Election on October 15, 2007” facebook group.
– Just in case no one noticed (which is a complete possibility), the Alberta Social Credit Party is looking for a new Leader as Socred stalwart Lavern Alstrom is hanging up his hat.