It's Official! Ric McIver is Running for Mayor of Calgary in 2010

  It's official!  Ward 12 Alderman Ric McIver has officially announced his candidacy for Calgary's Mayor in the 2010 Election.  This announcement has been long anticipated by many ( including myself) and finally confirms his intentions to what what is considered by some the 'most open' secret in Calgary municipal politics.

 I was at Ric's Block Party event last night and I must say it was quite impressive.  The media confirmed the event had over 900 people attend and from a quick scan of the room, it was a very diverse cross section of Calgary.  At a $150 a ticket, these events usually draw the business suit/tie crowd so I was amazed that there were people of all ages and backgrounds attending.  It is likely a testament to Ric's popularity in this City. 

Ric gave an passionate speech about his vision for Calgary's future, which I think was key.  He answered Bronco's criticism of his "Dr.No" moniker and made repeat mention that he wants this city to be a Calgary for Everyone.  He also called for the inclusion of a written hansard in the City Hall meetings so there is a written record for all see, which I think is a great idea!

 Ric also talked about his C A T methodology and that he will be using this test on all spending decisions going forward.  The C A T test is as follows:

 C-  Cost Control
 A-  Accountability
 T - Transparency

Once again, I was amazed by the level of support that Ric has.  The fact that Ric can draw close to 1000 people will likely shake some reality into some of the other pretenders that want to come out of the woodwork and run for the mayors job. 

 It's going to be a fun summer and fall!

Shane

Friday Fun: Ric McIver and The Duke Save Calgary!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

  With all of this nasty snow ( And yes, I would love to blame Bronco for this weather at this time...) I thought we can use a little laugh! 

 Watch Ric and "The Duke" give our Lefty friends a good old fashioned snowball lesson!

Stay Warm.

Shane

Bronco's Running Scared!

  Give it up Dave!  Our Mayor, Dave Bronconnier just refuses to let the campaign fundraising issue go.  He brought this issue up last February and continues to push it in advance of the 2010 Calgary Municipal Election.  If you really think about it, it is not hard to see why!   His last challenger, Alnoor ( I will fund this campaign myself) Kassam caused Dave to spend a larger chunk of his campaign war chest than he hoped for, in order to compete in 2007.  Alnoor was never a serious threat, unlike the uphill battle the mayor is facing in 2010. 

 If Alderman Ric McIver decides to run for Mayor, he will win in a landslide.  So, if you are an unpopular, lame duck Mayor on his way out the door, what do you do?  Limit your challengers ability to raise funds.  I do not necessarily disagree with the "new" rules they are proposing, but I think that it is unfair to impose them on an existing group.  Like I said before, "Why Now Bronco"?...  if he is  so keen on the new rules, why should he be able to use the $300K+ that he already has stored in his mattress?  Why not just donate it to charity now and just run on the money you raise going forward.  Not likely?  You better believe it....

 Personally, I do not think Bronco is going to run again, regardless of what he has said publicly.  I believe that he announced his "intention" to run again to stop the flow of funds from his arch-rival, Ric McIver.  Bronco is a lame duck mayor and knows that if he announced he would not seek re-election, he would not be able to try and push through his socialist policies on the citizens of Calgary in 2009/10.   I can foresee a "change of heart" come August, when he will announce that he wants to spend "more time with his family" and not run for Mayor.

 If he does run again, the $5000 cap is not a big deal to him.  Take a look at his campaign contribution disclosure from 2007 here.  Most of the donations are under $5,000, save  a few giant donations from some of Calgary's largest construction/development companies.  It is truly an interesting ( and telling) read. 

Either way...I am just hoping that Ric McIver announces his intention to run.  I have a new pair of runners for door knocking and a piggy bank full of coins to donate.  Don't worry, it will be under $5,000 though!

Only $25Million for this Peace bridge...are you sure? ( and some alternate names?)

Ummm....ahem. YUCK!

After so much speculation and hoopla over the unveiling of the $25MM pedestrian bridge, I must admit I was quite disappointed with the final design. I was expecting this big, iconic bridge that would add something spectacular to the tourist postcard photos of downtown Calgary. This design is actually quite silly in my opinion.

Technically I am sure it is quite revolutionary, as the typical pillars and steel girders are purposely missing, but who really cares at the end of the day. It is so low to the ground, it looks like someone hauled a large log and laid it across the river. Yikes....

I am surprised that the architect did not put a cowboy hat on top of it, you know, to give it that Calgary Feel because it sure does not match with anything else in this city.

The Name...

I was really pissed when I found out that some council members threw up the NAME smokescreen to hide the biggest mistake of their political careers. Calling this the PEACE BRIDGE is fine, but the optics and reasoning are political in nature only. Who is going to come out and speak against our counties Armed Forces? This got me thinking...I wonder if any other names where thrown around? Here are my thoughts on some they should have potentially considered:

• "Don't throw rocks at small, cute kittens" Bridge? ( Because everybody loves kittens!)
• "FRIDAY" Bridge? ( Again...everyone loves Friday's!)
• "Druh Farrell's direct route out of council" bridge.
• "What a bloody waste of Money" Bridge.
• " We do not need to cut property taxes" Bridge.
• " The Piece of Shat" bridge.... ( Shortened to just the PEACE BRIDGE.)
• "Remember when Bronconnier was Mayor?" Bridge.
• "This would never happen if Ric McIver was mayor" Bridge.
• "I am sure the Wildrose Alliance will blame Premier Stelmach for this bridge" Bridge.
• "The Dollar Store Candy Cane" Bridge.

Any others?

Who will be Calgary's Mayor in 2010?

With 18 months to go until the next Calgary municipal election, I am pondering who will be making a run at Dave Bronconnier's mayoral seat? Here are my quick thoughts on some potential challengers...

1) Ric McIver... Common sense alderman. Popular. Organized. Loves the media (and they love him....his soundbites are a breath of fresh air.) A recent fundraiser he held is said to have had over 350 guests. Ric is my 1st choice for mayor, without a doubt.

Odds to Run? 2-1

2) Dianne Colley-Urquhart... Dianne would be an excellent choice should Ric Mciver not make a run at mayor. She is the other "common-sense" alderman and represents her ward well. Timing may be a big factor here, as she will not likely have much success with a split vote against both McIver and Bronconnier.

I cannot see how much further Dianne can go in City politics after 2010. She has probably better suited at a run for MLA, which she would win in a landslide.

Perhaps with the (rumored) pending "retirement" of Ron ( Federal Judge post awaits?) Stevens, she may look at the PC nomination for Calgary Glenmore. Just my thoughts?


Odds? 10-1

3) Al Koenig... Former Police association president. Could not win an alderman seat in 2007. Has a grand total of 4 signatures on an online poll supporting him to run for mayor in 2010. (Not scientific mind you, but pretty funny.)

Odds? Not good.

4) Alnoor Kassam... HMMM... Spent a fortune of his OWN money (close to $1MM) to run against Bronco in 2007. Lesson learned? I hope so.... But seeing that his website is still up and running, you never know!

Odds? 1 Million to 1.. ( no pun intended! )

Here is hoping some fellow bloggers run....

5) The Enlightened Savage... Maybe then we will see the 'mask" come off and find out his/her true identity? The E.S has some sound ideas and is not scared to rock the boat!

6) Jeremy Zhao ... 19 year old U of C Student runs...gets a respectable 8,000 votes. Awesome!

Anyways... it will be interesting to see who starts making noise over the next few months. As long as we get rid of Calgaryrants good friend, Bronco Dave, I will be a happy man!