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Showing posts from November, 2014

Political Integrity

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As one who has run for political office I always tried to campaign as I live: with integrity. I'm certainly not perfect, but I do my best to live with honesty, respect and more. I know all too well that there are many politicians who will do what it takes to win an election, including lying, making promises they cannot (or will not) keep, and bowing to the wishes of their funders rather than the electorate. Thus I am most concerned about a well-supported accusation that one of the local councillor candidates for Nanaimo's Council, who barely gained enough votes to be reelected, has been accused of breaking Elections BC rules on voting day (November 15, 2014). There is evidence strongly suggesting that she engaged her supporters through social media -even after being told by Elections BC that day that she was breaking the rules. I have written Elections BC requesting that they investigate. They are the best body to do so. If the allegations are correct, and that she con

Choosing Nanaimo's next Council

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As I reflect on the Nanaimo municipal election November 15th I am aware that the candidates have real skills and talent, so the choice is very difficult. I think I could work with virtually all of them (a good sign!). So how to choose? I made up a list of my values and then tried to rate the candidates based on that list. Not an easy task. There are a lot of candidates, many of whom I do not know. I sourced my information from in-person, on-line, newspaper and the opinion of others. Oh, and because incumbents usually get enough votes I have not included them on this list; although Fred Pattje earns my respect because he goes to the most community events, takes personal interest in connecting with people, is willing to take on city staff, is a team player, is an independent thinker, is willing to change his mind (e.g. Leadercast), understands how to make the city more sustainable and shows his care for people and the city. I chose based on my perception of their ability to: 1. c