Sprawl...

What I find funny is the huge sprawl our city has undergone. We’re like a fat guy who undid his pants after a large meal and the resulting cascade of body mass just went where it wanted without any significant appearance of planning. When I think about where I currently live I remember back to when I moved to Calgary 10+ years ago and where my house is there was nothing but a field. For that matter the entrance to my neighborhood didn’t even exist and it’s 3km (give or take) from my front door!

Sure you want a backyard, I want a backyard we all want a backyard! Do we need a backyard though? I justified my purchase because it provided my dog with a backyard to play and hang out in but on a recent trip to NYC I saw dogs of similar size living in townhomes with a yard a third the size. The owners, like me, ran their dogs daily and cared for them so clearly a large backyard isn’t a requirement of dog ownership.

My other reason for purchasing my house where it is was proximity to my parent’s place. This works nicely because I can pop in to help them when needed and when my wife and I don’t feel like cooking we can usually convince my mom to BBQ. Hmm, I could just add 5-10 minutes to my drive and be living in the beltline somewhere. Okay, so being close to my parent’s place isn’t a necessity.

My final reason was price. Let’s face it I pay next to nothing in property taxes and my house was (at the time) close to $100k less than a comparable property downtown. Okay, I’m trying to be more fiscally conservative so I can justify this as the reason. But can I? Let’s evaluate.

1. I spend close to an hour each direction on the bus/train. Don’t even get me started on the insanity that is Calgary Transit.

2. If I want to shave 15-20 off my commute I drive to the train station and pay my $3 for a pass.

3. The train is next to impossible to work on so this time is a write off.

4. Heat in the summer and cold in the winter?

So when I look at it I lose close to 2 hours a day commuting to downtown, this is time that I don’t get back! I could spend that with my wife, with my dog, in the gym, playing guitar, learning a new language…. Okay you get the idea.

So why do we all live in the burbs if it is such a pain in the ass?!?

As your mayor, I would put together a focus group to look at this problem and present solutions. Not a focus group that wanders away and after three years of drinking coffee and eating doughnuts comes back with some sort of noncommittal report but a group that is tasked with a preliminary report in 6 months and required to present a time line on their solution. I’ll have to let my dog know that he is losing his large backyard but I think he’ll be happier knowing that I can potentially spend another two hours a day with him….

Jono

Political Backers.

It’s kind of like a food label when you think about it. The politician accepts money from ‘businesses’ or ‘citizens’ as a means to fund their campaign. The booster is then expected to sit back and watch as the dream they invested in comes to fruition. However, there are good examples of where financial backing has come with more strings than a bank loan.

If company X decides to support a candidate for a position and the candidate is successful in achieving their goal wouldn’t said company be entitled to some sort of back scratching? Running for office isn’t cheap and if you or I invest our hard earned dollars into a campaign should we not be entitled to a nod or wink from the elected?

Maybe, maybe not but the question you have to ask yourself is, “Are we going to be able to control for all outside influence?” No.

So why don’t we demand transparency?

I will promise you that I, if I have to take money (let’s face it we’re almost an online community and getting your voice heard is next to free), will publish were every cent I take comes from. This way you could look at my site and go, “Hey man, you took money from Business X and they were successful in securing a city contract.” At which point I would expect you to hold me to task to explain why they were chosen and what, if any, influence I had on the decision.

Clarity! It ain’t just for water.

Jono

PS – This would hold true for any support even if no money trades hands.

When the popular kid runs...

So Barb Higgins has decided that she'll run for mayor. What's funny is that at first she said she wouldn't and then she decides she will. Does this bode well? Not sure to be honest.

What this reminds me of is when the super popular kid in school would wait until the last minute to run for student council. They sometimes had good ideas but usually it was an attempt to further elevate their social status.

If she wins she's most likely going to get voted in based on her name alone. She could be a good mayor but you have to wonder how quickly she'll transition back into her roll as a journalist should she fail to make the seat.

Should we be skeptical? Maybe, but then again I require everyone near me to question what is being presented.

What do you think? Should someone run based on their name alone or should they have relevant experience in the position they seek?

Jono

....but why?

Hello all,

I'm Jono and I want to run for mayor of Calgary. The thing is I don't want to wade into the random fray of what's currently going on and am hoping to create a little bit of a buzz on line. I'm going to begin posting ideas on how I'd chance things and why I think I'd be a good mayor for Calgary as the weeks go on. For now I'll present a few of what I would consider my 'key changes' and go from there.

1. No more "in camera" votes. When council goes "in camera" they do so to debate a highly contested topic. Usually this is to protect their image with their constituents, the people who voted for them, so that they don't know how their councilor or mayor debated or voted on a topic. I understand that sometimes a topic is so inflammatory that discussion needs to be kept private to protect the ability to speak freely but you, as the voter, should always know which way we voted.

2. Funding for the police. I don't want to increase the chance of getting a speeding ticket more than you do but we do need more police on the street. Not 19 year olds fresh out of high school but educated officers with life experience. Simply put, more officers on the street means we can free them up for more proactive policing and community outreach which is what a police force should be.

3. Mayor for a day. Once a month I would allow for a resident of our city to join me to 'be the mayor'. You would join me for all discussions, all events and everything I do that day as mayor. Come join the process and see what happens in our city.

Please feel free to contact me and let me know what you think.

Jono.