| Mayor's Corner |
Summer is gone, rivers have receded to near normal, the leaves are turning yellow, the kids are back to school and some are leaving for college and we are all in the process of adjusting to a new schedule knowing all too well that Halloween and snow are but a few months away. This year there will be a change in our schedule in that it will be an election year. I encourage anyone with an interest in the well being and progress of our community to consider “running”. Particularly I encourage any of our many, many competent and intelligent women to step forward.
Speaking of schedules, the time requirement for elected officials has changed. Terms are now four years. In some quarters it has been estimated that the extra year may cause as many as thirty to forty percent of current mayors not to run. It gave me pause for thought so I noted down the “very approximate” time commitments one would need if elected. It is quite a bit of time and doesn’t include issues that come up daily. In no particular order they are, or would be (based on an eleven month year), approximately:
After jotting down these approximations, I realized being the Mayor is quite onerous regardless of how gratifying it is. Well I have until the 23rd of September to decide, as do your current councillors.
Our community is starting to thrive. Building permits and construction are up and several new businesses have opened. Planning for a new hotel just South of the Crowsnest Consolidated High School is underway by a private developer. Demolition of the old hospital and Learning Centre should begin this month and meetings with potential developers are occurring and being sought after. The development of the new mine has now been confirmed and the Riversdale people will be making some announcements shortly. At least one family from the Company is living in the Pass with other individuals to arrive shortly. I think a new mine is now a reality. Another mining Company is also interested in the area, however your Council has had no communication from them at this time.
Our new entrance signs at the East and West end of our community will be going up by the end of October.
Your Council has now begun the process of annexing a portion of the MD of Ranchland. Unlike some of the hysterical newspaper headlines the process will be a logical, sequential series of events with perhaps some heated community meetings along the way. However at the end of the process I feel our Crowsnest Pass will experience huge benefits relative to tax issues and tourism potential for many years into future.
Our Prevention Task Force is being developed and individuals are being requested to participate. The Provincial Government has treated us very well relative to the compensation for flood damage and are very pleased with our efforts to mitigate future natural occurrences through Task Force recommendations.
All told your Council has come through a difficult summer on top of things. I am looking forward to a long, dry, warm autumn that we can all enjoy.
“Every generation thinks its problems are unique and potentially fatal. And yet every generation has survived to the next.”
Carl Sagan
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Friday, September 13, 2013
Mayor's Corner (Maybe referred to as the first campaign speech?)
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28 comments:
So what do you think Dean? Is he running again or not and what about the rest of them? Traditionally they announce their intentions at a council meeting by now but it looks like these guys won't do it until they have to on nomination day. What's with this, I wonder? Hoping to gauge public opinion after the Inspection Report before deciding? Or is it something else that's holding them back??? As usual with this mayor and council, so many questions and so few answers.
“1,040 Daily Conversations with the Chief Administrative Officer,” This is pretty funny considering our Mayor is so educated in policy and does not see alarm bells which ringing with this admission.
Why would a Mayor have daily conversations with the CAO and councillors still find surprises at council meetings? We have clearly made a mistake of putting an administrator in the mayoral chair.
This is most likely at the root of why the petition took place and, also most likely, this will find its way into the provincial report.
Oh give it up, please. These things are like hemorrhoids.
I look and I see the Mayor having a conversation every day with the CAO. Wasn't the problem with previous council's micro managing?
Despite 1040 conversations it took six months for council to figure out that our assessment base dropped 6%.
What were they talking about Arizona?
Just for clarification, my 2:52 comment was referring to the "Corners."
Two newsletters in a row without slamming anybody. My guess he is running.
M
I do not see any allowance for meeting with hotel or coal mine developers.
Or destroying the volunteers in a community. Oct 21 the silent majority will no longer be silent.
No wonder the fellow needs consultants to everything. He is always away at a meeting.
"... meetings with potential developers are occurring and being sought after."
We were told that Group Vachon is "still the official applicant". I thought that meant the RFP is still alive.
Has there been a Council resolution to end the RFP process and authorize the Administration to sell the land to other developers? Is it for sale or not? If you are serious about selling something you advertise it and put an asking price on it.
Love the JP quote thing at the end of the post.
So our partner over at Group Vachon do you think he is putting up part of the cost of the demolition. Have all he is going to reap the benefits if the property sells.
We need to move forward. Glad to see the CLC is finally being demolished. Ask yourself - what has it done for our community since it was closed - other than being an eyesore. What has it done for our economy? I for one am glad it will be gone prior to the election. Some closure finally on this contentious topic. Let's move on.
Mayor's Corner, it reads like the Mayor is hedging. If the coming report goes easy on him, which is still a bureaucratic possibility, he will run. If the report is not so easy, he can cite the strenuous schedule and the added year, as the reason for not running. If that were the case, just speculating, Mr. Gallant would be a fine candidate to carry Bruce's torch forward.
I Googled up the quote. It is Sagan's summary of what he considers "Pollyanna" optimistic thinking about the future.
He says of it: "Whatever merit this argument may once have had ... its cogency is much diminished today".
I agree the Mayor is covering all the options. But I for one hope he runs it will only make the alternative look better. Bruce-lite holds absolutely no interest to me. Did the municipality get paid for the Fire/Rescue departments assistance during his race?
2:03 wrote:
"Glad to see the CLC is finally being demolished. ... Some closure finally on this contentious topic."
They have left open the hole in the ground and the question of how to pay for backfilling it.
Big Bruce and Little Bruce better understand that closure may come for the CLC. There will be no closure on the stupidity associated with the Best Western fiasco until after Oct 21. Does anybody know if there is any legal recourse to get our $50,000 back?
The Mayor’s head is much like that of the CAO who, somehow, was convinced the $50,000 payment was necessary to save someone’s face at the Best Western headquarters. At least this is how this appears to all reasonable observers.
Schickedanze, on the other hand, understands how business is done and told Best Western to go to hell; they will pick a brand because they are the ones who pay to build a hotel. So, the poor V.P. at Best Western will still look foolish in front of his peers.
But where was Brian Gallant’s head when he voted for this ridiculous $50,000 payment? He is supposed to have some business savvy, or so we were led to believe in the last election. We can’t make the same mistake twice; our community can’t afford these kinds of “gifts.”
I have watched Chicken Dance's endeavours for years. He made his money during Canmore's heyday, when even a moron could have made a buck. A bit of a pariah in my opinion. Had to buy our mall and the one in Hanna to get the one he really wanted in Invermere, as it was a package. Any thoughts on how he developed our mall to the point of being useless?
He smells our desperation! Just don't want to see his face around here again.
To Anom 7:51 Schichendanz is a "pariah" eh. What kind of a person uses a blog posting about local political topics to vent a personal issue they have with a reputable internationally accomplished company? "You do not want to see their face again"...I am guessing the feeling is mutual but why not be a man and say what you have to say to their face.
If any one is interested in a brief summary of the company this person is trying to slander, here is a link giving an overview since they emigrated to Canada after WWII http://www.indianspringsmontana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ShickedanzTimeline5.pdf
The bottom line is that the Mayor, Council and top Administrators are acting as elitists who do what THEY feel is needed. They have lost sense with all reality and are fed allocades by their supporters to fuel this power trip. They are a dangerous lot and now operate like the typical out of control bureaucrats in Edmonton and Ottawa.
It matters not who replaces them be it Painter, Prince or anyone new running for office. There has to a clean sweep to get rid of the rot that has set in at the municipal office. We must get the people out to vote this time around, then we can see what the Crowsnest Pass really wants. Forget the name calling and get out and vote.
Personally I would be very happen having schickedanz investing in our community.
We made a big mistake chasing them away in the 90's think where we could be today if that had taken place.
"Planning for a new hotel just South of the Crowsnest Consolidated High School is underway by a private developer."
Will that make it more or less difficult to get investors for the Crowsnest Centre site? I think investors check out whether there are already enough hotels to serve the market.
Bruce is grasping at straws to show us the "progress" he has created. It's too transparent. People here can see through this.
Ask anyone who has tried to do business here in the last three years. The bureaucracy is so thick at the municipal office one there is hardly any parkIng left.
Thank god they have dropped their early plans to add to the municipal office. Yes, we remember that preposterous idea.
No more references to CAVERS, wanna-a-be, old boys club.
Please put your name forward Bruce and mini-Bruce we need some light humor after the last three years.
"88 Agenda Preparation Meetings (1 hour each)"
The secret (Control the) Agenda Committee that Saje couldn't contact.
One person "agenda committee," - council dropped the ball on this one. This may have worked in a school district, but should not take place in a council of "equals."
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