The Burnaby Indy
Check out the article on independent candidates from the NewsLeader. It is difficult to explain how no hopers, especially those who do not have an interesting angle (like the small-business owning Communist Party candidate in Burnaby-New Westminster in the last federal election), get so much media coverage during elections.
posted by Robert Burnaby at 10:58 PM
11 Comments:
They're running too.
Why snipe about one article about the independents? Team Burnaby and the BCA have had their share of media coverage. Let the voters
be informed of all choices, not just the two political parties.
Maybe some of the independents like Chisholm would be a better
choice than some of the junk in the trays offered by Team Burnaby and BCA at the political buffet.
Some of those candidates especially a few in Team Burnaby's if you took one in support would
have you lose your lunch and want to put them back.
Independents are usually quacks or candidates who didnt have the ambition to run for one of the parties. Not always but usually. So you have to question how they would do if they are elected.
Most are, but some aren't. Party politics is a bit dumb at the civic level anyway. Most people in Burnaby do not vote slate 100% they'll pick and choose.
There's some quacks in the political parties too. Ron Churchill can go overboard on a few things for example.
First and foremost I commend you, Robert, on your close following of the Burnaby political scene. That being said, your last comment about independents being "no hopers" I find a bit unfair. I do not see you running for civic office. I am personally running for council as I have been impacted both on a personal and a business level by extremely high taxes. To be exact, the business that I represent has experienced a 103% tax increase since 2003 and I am under the impression that my personal property taxes will also increase according to both party's positions. The reason I am running as an independent is that I have not heard either party promise a tax freeze. I see the current council holding strong to their stance to build upon their 500,000,000 dollar surplus and Team Burnaby promising everyone everything. I stand for identifying the catalyst that causes the issue and spending money that will proactively eliminate long term costs. I do believe crime and homelessness are on the increase. I do believe we need more police but I have not heard either slate indicate that they will look at the root cause of these issues. We need to listen to the community, those affected most, and empower agencies such as block watch. We do not need a police state. We need to give citizens their hard earned money back. We cannot sit on a pedestal and say we are going to solve the cycle of poverty by taxing people more. It's time to stretch the dollar and make it count! As an independent I wish to challenge the council to spend money where the most impact will be realized and shift existing resources to the most value added areas. We need to streamline the access to services and we need to remember that a healthy community requires a healthy business environment and a healthy business environment requires a healthy community. We need to stop thinking about these two areas as being independant of one another as they are very much interdependent.
Robert, I thank you for your opinion. However, I truly hope that it does not represent the opinion of the rest of the community as I have thrown my hat in to this election because I believe that I can contribute to the community. I have served the community for many years and have a background with the Social Policy Institute of Canada and the ministry of Human Resources alongside experience in the private sector. I like to think I am fairly well rounded. I hope you will come to find that I am what I say I am. I have just as much, if not more, to contribute as anyone else and I have the background to help me do it. Please feel free to attend any all candidates meeting as I will be there to answer your questions. Perhaps your opinion of independents will change. Independents are an integral part of the democratic process and represent important issues that may or may not be covered by parties. To exclude and dismiss the importance of independents is a mistake.
Thank you,
Andrew Chisholm
(604)512-6017 if you wish to talk further with me.
Vote Andrew!
(Chisholm not Stewart)
Yay Andrew!
I think Andrew Chisholm is right about independents - just because you don't represent an existing party is not in my opinion a liability or a proof of 'no ambition'. It takes a lot of effort to run a campaign and Chisholm seems to be giving it all he's got judging from the all the Chisholm for Change signs, newspaper blurbs, and appearances at all candidates meetings. He's got some good ideas and a fresh outlook - Burnaby council (mayor included) needs revitalization and it seems to me that Chisholm could be good for us.
He seems to be doing things right.
Good thing he isn't running as a Team Burnaby candidate.
They would teach him the wrong things to do.
I was at the last All Candidates meeeting and heard this guy Chisholm speak. He was impressive and has my vote.
Two words for anyone who doesn't think independents have much of a role to play: Chuck Cadman. When you have the charisma and guts to work for what a community wants and needs, without having to worry about being a cog in a political machine, you can be a very effective voice for change.
Chuck was one of a kind.
Some of those cogs in the Team Burnaby machine are developing stress fractures. When that happens the cog comes apart when
it is made to work when it shouldn't be.
But some cogs work harder than others and all cogs need oiling once and a while.
Post a Comment
<< Home