Inclusive All-Candidates Meeting at Beban Park on November 10
PRESS RELEASE
Inclusive all-candidates’ meeting slated for Nov. 10
A coalition of Nanaimo neighbourhood and community groups is hosting an all-candidates’ meeting on November 10 at Beban Park from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m, with an informal canddiates’ meet and greet session followed by a structured discussion. CBC Radio host Mark Forsythe will be the moderator of the evening.
The groups’ agenda is to enable genuine dialogue between candidates and citizens about important issues facing the city, leading up to the Nov. 19 civic election.
Candidates and the general public will be asked to identify the major issues facing our community prior to the meeting by submitting their ideas online to
http://democraticnanaimo.blogspot.com/
This input will then shape the main themes of the evening’s discussion on November 10th.
The organizers hope that the extended opportunities for discussion before and after the Nov 10 event, and a more open format for the all-candidates’ meeting, will generate broadly-based, inclusive and thoughtful debates about governing the city for all its residents.
For further information, contact:
Jennifer O’Rourke or Karen Hovestad
Coalition for Democratic Nanaimo, CDNcity@shaw.ca
Posts and Comments on Nanaimo Governance 
I have put together a starting list of questions that I would like as of all candidates:
1. In these particularly tough economic times how would you prioritize how city money is spent and why?
2. How could you help make the numerous committees the city relies on more effective and productive?
3. Being part of Nanaimo city council is more than just reading your info package and attending City council meetings. Do you really know what you are getting into? Tell us how you know.
4. How do you model good citizenship, other than being an active member of the community?
5. If you are scrupulous about conflicts of interest with your business and financial interests, what kinds of projects would you recues yourself from as a Council member? Specific examples please.
6. If elected, would you require City staff to, in every report, report on what would happen if key project assumptions they or an outside consultant use are wrong? If you say no, explain why.
7. Will you be vigilant to see that staff and outside consultant information provided in reports does not include unsupported opinions?
8. What expenses in the City budget will you propose reducing or eliminating?
9. What are your ideas to increase economic development in Nanaimo? Give 2 specific examples.
10. How do you differ from the other candidates in this race?
11. For incumbents: What city council decision do you regret the most or would you change with information you have now? What decision are you most proud of? Why?
For challengers: What city council decision in recent years do you disagree with the most and why? What decisions do you agree with and why?
12. What do you think are the most important issues facing the city over the next 2 years?
5. If you are scrupulous about conflicts of interest with your business and financial interests, what kinds of projects would you recues yourself from as a Council member? Specific examples please.
WOW; there won’t be many many participants after answering that question!
Or will Mr McKinnon & Mr Manhas have differing views?
Great questions, Lynn. That would certainly be one long candidates meeting.
I would like to see a show of hands on which candidates would not support a salary increase for themselves. And I would only support those candidates.
Oh I think given a timeframe you could get through a number of these questions. Pick the ones that all feel at most imortant to te majority. Give 3 minutes to answer.
Any impressions from this forum??
I still have the feeling these forums are like watching a game of T-ball as they don’t even come to the level of softball and certainly light years away from hardball.
Perhaps this is the melba toast and pablum voters are looking for but I find it quite disappointing.
Jim: You really are a curmudgeon. While this evidently did not rise entirely to your standard, I trust that you will grant that it was head and shoulders above that held by the Chamber of Commerce which fully embodied the tradition of all-candidates meetings in Nanaimo.
How about giving our neighbourhoods a chance and describing the perfect all-candidates meeting?
Ron, while I don’t accept the curmudgeon label, if you thought the meeting was all you had hoped for, I understand your opinion of my opinion.
For example after listening to the candidates explain their views on ‘planning’ which of the candidates actually said SOMETHING. Yes, there were many wise statements extolling the virtues of planning, but nothing that would convince me I was listening to anyone with real plans. For example, folks who keep beating the ‘Tourism’ drum clearly don’t really understand the realities of tourism. But it ‘Sounds’ good! Attracting ‘Green Industry’ also sounds good. Building a convention centre also sounded good.
It certainly was an improvement over the Chamber meeting, but if the most a candidate can say is confined to less than 2 minutes, I don’t see how you would expect any real depth.
As for what I would prefer to see is a genuine dialogue between candidate and audience members, with the opportunity for a follow up question from the audience.
I think this is a good starting point, and look forward to a new council embracing the concept of OPEN town hall type meetings which of course will require the ongoing participation of the citizens at large. Who knows, perhaps next term there might even be 10 regulars at council meetings!
Jim: Now you are complaining about the candidates responses which were all too often vacuous. In this I may agree with you, i.e. I may be a self confessed curmudgeon. But the original topic was about the meeting and its format which you agree was a move forward. If you can think about how to make our candidates understand the issues about which they speak, to have any imagination in that respect, or to give any concrete suggestions about what they might do, let’s get it out. The format is open to this and exposes all the candidates (or at least 6 of them at a time) to these aspects. Let’s hope that the folks who put this together don’t wait until the next election to bring us together with our new Council.
Ron, I was not limiting my comment just to the meeting and it’s format, but also the result of the meeting.
I am saying that the constraints of time, trying to hear from 20+ people in 2 hours is hardly the format that allows candidates to give an in depth answer which could be quite insightful.
I hope it is not left to the four ladies who organized this event to bring us together again, I would hope the new council will demonstrate their desire for public input and openness and schedule at least four OPEN town hall meetings per year. Perhaps having a four hour session in the afternoon, and a four hour session in the evening, all sessions being televised.
Who knows what great ideas could come forward when we are not limiting ourselves to city staff and city council for ideas and direction.
The only candidate which I have spoken to about the event indicated that the meet and greet portion could perhaps have been cut in half. I have discussed with some the possibility of having a half hour per topic instead of 20 minutes. This would lengthen the overall program by only 10 minutes. As for longer discussions or more topics, I might like to see these improvements but I have been told that the attention span of most of us in this age of TV sitcoms is only about 20 minutes per topic and only a few topics long. Then there is the subject of the size of the audience. We had, I am told, a bit over 600 attendees on Thursday and the place was maxed out for space. Could we find a larger venue (I believe that the VICC can handle about 1100) or do it on TV with a wider audience. My point is that there is something to build on. My hat is off to those volunteers who took the risk and won. Let’s back them again.
Ron, if the same format were applied to a sitting city council, we would only be trying to hear from 9 people rather than 26?, which would allow for more time not only per topic, but more time per councillor.
I agree, and have said on my blob, kudos to those who organized the event, they have indeed started something that could be built upon. Hopefully, the next council will see the benefit of it and make it just a part of Nanaimo politics.
Now THAT would be a major step forward and could be something that really puts Nanaimo on the map especially if people really are interested and really do attend. If we are going to try and fashion a forum based on the 15 second sound bite, then we should just agree that would be a huge waste of time.
There is a link on my website to the video of the all candidates meeting for anyone who missed it, or for those who want to listen again. The audio and video quality is excellent by the way.
Nanaimo has spoken and clearly neither the candidates nor the non-issues which they addressed were enough to capture the imagination of even the 31% that showed up last time.
Total turnout fell to at least 26% meaning we have a Mayor with about 14% support and most on council with on average, 12% support.
‘Stick in the fork …… this turkey is done!”
Prepare for a downtown hotel at ANY cost, an even sweeter contract with the operators of the VICC and a foot ferry, again at ANY cost. All administered from the shiny new $16 million staff office.
But clearly, the vast majority of Nanaimo, doesn’t give a rip, making this whole process moot.
“Prepare for a downtown hotel at ANY cost, an even sweeter contract with the operators of the VICC and a foot ferry, again at ANY cost. All administered from the shiny new $16 million staff office.”
Don’t be too sure. Bigger things are happening that may eclipse elections in Nan.
Thanqxz for posting the results. You beat out MSM.
Roger ; It could have been worse!
Imagine a Council with McKinnon, Manhas & Filmore! (shudder)
We would be giving ten year tax breaks to golf courses & spa’s..
Not to mention the free infrastucture to make them viable..