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» babble   » from far and wide   » bc, alberta, saskatchewan   » New West mayor Wayne Wright

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Author Topic: New West mayor Wayne Wright
New to New West
recent-rabble-rouser
Babbler # 15661

posted 19 October 2008 08:59 PM      Profile for New to New West     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I wish I still lived in Vancouver because it was easier to figure out who to vote for. Vision, Vision, Vision down the ballot. I know its lazy but at least I had an idea of the candidate's politics.

But the rent is cheaper in the burbs so here I am.

I doubt I'll even vote because I don't know the local issues in New West and can't tell the candidates apart politically. At least there appears to be no Fraser Valley bible thumpers.

Can someone tell me anything meaningful about Mayor Wayne Wright? Is he worth bothering to go vote for?


From: New Westminster | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged
Adam T
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4631

posted 19 October 2008 09:11 PM      Profile for Adam T     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Don't know anything about him other than Larry Campbell endorsed him in 2005.

[ 19 October 2008: Message edited by: Adam T ]


From: Richmond B.C | Registered: Nov 2003  |  IP: Logged
New to New West
recent-rabble-rouser
Babbler # 15661

posted 19 October 2008 09:35 PM      Profile for New to New West     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Not really a good thing or a bad thing. He was a decent mayor, but he's a Liberal Senator now.
From: New Westminster | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged
Baddwolf
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Babbler # 9785

posted 19 October 2008 09:45 PM      Profile for Baddwolf        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Wayne Wright is not worth your vote. New Westminster has the second highest tax rate in BC after West Vancouver but our public amenities have decreased since he became mayor. The pool in Moody Park was filled in, so last summer the children in that part of the city had no pool to swim in for the first time in 50 years. The pool had been allowed to deteriorate to the point where it needed major repairs so the major and the majority of our city council ignored the pleas of the residents to restore the pool. Now they plan to spend 6 million dollars to build a new pool.This is only one example of the incompetence of Mayor Wright. New Westminster requires developers to pay a faction of what is required in other municipalities to help finance public amenities. Recently city council gave into public pressure and voted to increase Development Cost Charges, but that seems rather late as the building boom seems to be coming to an end. The Mayor has shown himself to be arrogant in ignoring the wishes of residents associations. The term "zoning by variance" has become popular as developers have been able to get variances to build structures that violate zoning bylaws over the objections of local residents.
From: New Westminster | Registered: Jul 2005  |  IP: Logged
New to New West
recent-rabble-rouser
Babbler # 15661

posted 19 October 2008 10:01 PM      Profile for New to New West     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Interesting. Don't know about the pool issue as I'm not in Moody Park area, but I hope he's not buddy-buddy with the developers. The whole Vancouver area is run by them and it shows.
From: New Westminster | Registered: Oct 2008  |  IP: Logged
Baddwolf
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posted 19 October 2008 10:17 PM      Profile for Baddwolf        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
He seems to be very friendly with the developers as they appear to get just about everything they ask for. I have watched several Council meetings when a large number of neighbours have come and given good reason to oppose a variance requested by a developer only to have the mayor and most of the council dismiss their objections and give the developer what they want.
From: New Westminster | Registered: Jul 2005  |  IP: Logged
keglerdave
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Babbler # 5839

posted 21 October 2008 06:40 PM      Profile for keglerdave     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Baddwolf is not exactly truthful when it comes to the Moody Park Pool. As a matter of fact, the pool is in the process of being re built, after the former Kiwanis Pool was closed because of its condemned nature, inspite of the bleatings of a few community types and an attempt to blackmail the current mayor and council by dragging kids in bathing suits and parents into council chambers one night begging to let their kids be allowed to swim in a condemned pool. One person put it best, alluding to people begging to allow their children to play in the street.

Mayor Wright is the 2 time incumbant mayor, who actually does a really good job at not being one sided or another, as any good mayor should be. 2 of the current councillors (Bob Osterman and Betty McIntosh) have decided to throw their lot in with a so called "electors organization" with a distinct RIGHT LEANING to it, called Voice New Westminster. Historically, slates haven't done too well in New West, and Voice is no exception, in my opinion. They will be somewhat successful IMHO, at the council level with the 2 incumbent councillors, but that's about it.

Voice's key people are defeated Mayoralty candidate in the last election, Casey Cook, who's know running for school board. And everyone's favourite also ran... Steve McClurg. Steve is used by Voice to point to the non partisan aspect of their slate, as he is the lone "NDP'er" on a slate that leans to the right. But looks can also be deceiving, as Steve actually was going to stand for the federal nomination in Burnaby New Westminster, but withdrew at the last minute. One could say he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, (that being a freight train called Team Julian) and opted to run civically.

Its shaping up to be a nasty campaign in New West. Voice has been vocal on a number of fronts, but not too positive on any of them. The present sitting council has (in my opinion) done a good job, though of course, as goes with any organization, not without hiccups here or there.

But nothing that warrants throwing Wayne Wright or the other councillors (perhaps excepting Osterman and McIntosh) out of office. There is alot of growth in the city, residentially, but there are problems around the industrial / commercial base. These are challenges that are being worked on, and will continue to be worked on through the election.

It's incredibly hard to unseat incumbent candidates. Last election there were 3 spots up for grabs, but for the following reasons:

1. Gerry Dobervoney got a promotion at work (City of Vancouver)

2. Chuck Puchmayr got a promotion from the electorate (MLA)

3. Casey Cook got his ass handed to him in the Mayor's race.

This time around, its the same councillors and Mayor running. And even though 2 of them had an apparent brain fart and are running with Voice, they are the only 2 members of Voice IMHO who have any shot of getting elected at the council level.

You'll hear alot of belly aching and ballyhooing from Voice about the "alleged" labour council endorsed slate. Let's hope that no one catches any Voice candidates seeking ANY endorsements whatsoever, lest they be called HYPOCRITES!!!

Whatever happens, New West is where the fireworks are going to be, and Baddwolf... GAME ON!


From: New Westminster BC | Registered: May 2004  |  IP: Logged
Baddwolf
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posted 21 October 2008 07:59 PM      Profile for Baddwolf        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The pool is not in the process of being rebuild although the mayor is apparently going to be digging the first shovel load of dirt sometime between now and election day. The parents and their children were not dragged to city hall by anyone. They were genuinely upset by the lost of their community pool. The mayor is the head of the city government that allowed the condition of the pool to deteriorate to the point where it needed major repair. It certainly would have been cheaper to replace the old pool in the same location rather than filling in and having to dig a whole new hole.
The mayor is anything but even handed. His treatment of citizens who appear before city council is arrogant and dismissive if they don't agree with him. What is really shocking is that the 3 members of council who were endorsed by the labour council have repeatedly sided with the mayor in favour of developers and against the interests of the local residents. Developers almost always get the variances they ask for.
As for Voice it is not right leaning. They have candidates who belong to unions as well as members who belong to four federal parties. Voice is an organization of community minded citizens. Their five non-incumbent council candidates have all been active members of their neighbourhood residents' associations.

[ 21 October 2008: Message edited by: Baddwolf ]


From: New Westminster | Registered: Jul 2005  |  IP: Logged

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