Municipal Politics

[TAS]

Here's the story on the actual debate.

Candidates come out swinging in first Edmonton mayoral forum, economic recovery and Downtown vibrancy top of mind

The gloves came off early as front-runners in Edmonton’s mayoral race traded jabs during the first candidates forum of the election campaign Thursday evening.

edmontonjournal.com

Oshry took swipes at some of his competitors, as well as Mayor Don Iveson, arguing that he has ignored Edmonton’s business community for the last eight years in office.

Oshry argued he would be the most effective leader for the city, saying he would make the tough decisions necessary to lead the city forward.

“On one side of the spectrum you have Mike Nickel, who refused to attend the biggest business event of the summer, who is outraged at everything and has zero support on city council. On the other side, I have to say Amarjeet, who is a very nice man, but who won’t say no to anything,” he said in his opening remarks.

“So really, do you want a mayor who can never say no? Or do you want a mayor who can never get to yes? Or do you want practical, achievable and focused leadership that is ready to get going on day one on both sides of the balance sheet?”

In the story, it only says Sohi and Krushell want a safe, vibrant downtown and to tackle homelessness. That means absolutely nothing. Why not outline in the story what they plan to do about it- unless they didn't outline any specifics. Watson, on the other hand, was noted for her downtown plan where a couple of details were shared.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

I think on big question to anyone including the "I don't agree with anyone" candidate. What is their respective plans on creating concensus in council?

 

[TAS]

If you would like to watch the mayor's debate from last week, here it is.

Although it says video not available, it should work when clicking on link. If link not working, when in youtube just search Beyond2021 KV capital and it should pop up.

 

[thommyjo]

Watched the whole video tonight. Cheryl was the clear winner for me. Oshry was a bit combative, but I like that he's a reasonable alternative to Nickel and could win over some of that crowd. Sohi disappointed me a lot. And krushell had lots of buzz words, but not a ton of details. Cheryl also had the best speaking skills and presence I'd argue. And she had unique vision and ideas. Oshry was 2nd on the vision meter for me, but more from a critical and brash style.

Overall, im interested to see how things pan out. I think Cheryl could be the dark horse if she gets in front of enough people. Hard to not like her as a personality, policies aside.

 

[TAS]

Watched the whole video tonight. Cheryl was the clear winner for me. Oshry was a bit combative, but I like that he's a reasonable alternative to Nickel and could win over some of that crowd. Sohi disappointed me a lot. And krushell had lots of buzz words, but not a ton of details. Cheryl also had the best speaking skills and presence I'd argue. And she had unique vision and ideas. Oshry was 2nd on the vision meter for me, but more from a critical and brash style.

Overall, im interested to see how things pan out. I think Cheryl could be the dark horse if she gets in front of enough people. Hard to not like her as a personality, policies aside.

I agree. Watson was impressive - not just for having the most policy ideas, which I hear doesn't tend to win elections, but that she's well spoken, accomplished and very likeable.

Sohi definitely tried to emphasize all he did for Edmonton as federal minister. I don't buy that
the pipeline wouldn't have happened without him - it was well on it's way to being approved after a lengthy process before he came into the picture near the end.

 

[archited]

From the Watson campaign... (remember you heard it here first)

​ ​ ​ Cheryll participated in the KV Capital Mayoral Forum BEYOND 2021. Cheryll was incredible. She was relaxed, confident and strategic. Her answers were practical and honest. She easily won the room and we are all so proud of her! You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgueZzL425Q This was a game changing debate for us. The feedback has been incredible. It’s clear Cheryll Watson is the right choice for Mayor. We need your help to get her across the finish line on October 18. Donate today and make a BIG impact. Thank you! Alex Hryciw,

 

[IanO]

Cheryll certainly sparkled and stood out in a very positive way. She was confident and calculated.

Sohi was calm, cool, collected and sat back a little bit but reminded us of his broad experience in areas few others could touch.

Oshry was saying much of the right things, but is not a politician. I'd love to see what he could do in the City Manager's office though.

Kim seemed less prepared than I would have expected and came across poorly.

 

[archited]

My ranking FWIW -- 1. Cheryll Watson 2. Kim Krushell 3. Amarjeet Sohi and 4. Michael Oshry. The women in this forum were so far ahead IMHO that the contest at this point is not even close.

 

[IanO]

I'd love to know your rational with Kim there.

I quite like Kim and enjoy our conversations but believe that she would be a better Councillor or business leader versus Mayor.

 

[archited]

^^^^ Yes, as I suspected, you have pre-conceived notions all-'round. I have known Kim for years and apart from a strong resume and powerful tech connections in California's silicon valley and the successful start-up more recently of two tech companies of her own, she came across as self-assured in this "non-debate" with an idea of how to reactivate the downtown and work to put Edmonton back on the map. She and Amarjeet shared a Council term and she was more animated and activated by far in on-going council business particularly in the early stages of encouraging a down-town location for a new arena -- efforts that have certainly paid off for downtown activation (pre-COVID). Amarjeet is a nice guy but he is not engaged with the same kind of intensity that Kim displays. I'll go even further in my non-debate assessment -- on a scale of 0 to 10 -- Cheryll 9.5, Kim 8, Amarjeet 5, Michael 2, Mike (no-show) minus 5.

 

[kcantor]

preconceived notions all around are one thing but campaigning on things that are in fact not even legal - even though they make for nice sound bites - is foolish.

buy local? i get it and when i have a personal choice i walk the talk. but for a government - even a municipal one - to think that those kinds of barriers are appropriate shows a large disconnect. firstly, there are numerous agreements from the canada/us/mexico trade agreement to tilma that says you can't do what's being proposed. secondly, those things are a two way street. how would she feel about an edmonton contractor or service provider not being allowed to bid on projects in st. albert or leduc or vancouver or toronto or austin texas? is she really talking about those kinds of roadblocks for pcl and stantec and clark etc. being acceptable? anyone seriously wanting to be mayor should know better than to campaign based on windmill tilting - it's a waste of time both before and after the election that would be better spent focused elsewhere.

i don't believe either kim or cheryll demonstrated other than a superficial understanding of how things really work - or need to work - if they're going to be successful.

and while i like michael, i don't think there are enough "quick wins" to be sustainable over the long term (although i am quite supportive of "deemed approvals" resulting from undue delays).

 

[archited]

^^^^ brings to mind the most recent winners for the 5 selection spots for the design of Edmonton's Warehouse District Park -- no landscape design selections from Edmonton (none... zero... nada... nicht... nein... nyet), one from Calgary, one from Vancouver, one from Toronto, one from NYC, and one from Boston/L.A. I think Kim's point was that we shouldn't be so insecure about our own City that there should be no local representation at all in big-City decision making. Little wonder that real talent leaves the City looking for greener pastures.

 

[kcantor]

^

it's hard to comment on the selections made without knowing the bidders seeking.

it might be more telling to know who didn't submit - and why - than who wasn't chosen.

as an example, i doubt whether you'll see perkins+will bid on any more edmonton work whether it's part of a design competition or not.

it's not fair to say it's "not buying or supporting local" when the issues are much deeper and more complex than that (as noted in some of your comments elsewhere including the touch the water initiative).

 

[archited]

^^^^ this might sound like sour grapes, Ken, but really it isn't because we found a way around the City inanity. We submitted a proposal with Douglas Cardinal on our team (19 honorary doctorates and a citation for excellence from from ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) and an honorary lifetime membership thereon), with Georgina Lightning on our team (many-times honored film-maker), with Laura Powell on our team (world-renowned vertical planting design aficianado), with representation from up-and-coming Edmonton-based landscape firm -- Invistec) and many others with outstanding recognition in their various fields. So good was our team that we self-scored into bonus territory over and over again by City reconning standards. Que sera sera -- we still expect to win.

 

[Avenuer]

^^^^ this might sound like sour grapes, Ken, but really it isn't because we found a way around the City inanity. We submitted a proposal with Douglas Cardinal on our team (19 honorary doctorates and a citation for excellence from from ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) and an honorary lifetime membership thereon), with Georgina Lightning on our team (many-times honored film-maker), with Laura Powell on our team (world-renowned vertical planting design aficianado), with representation from up-and-coming Edmonton-based landscape firm -- Invistec) and many others with outstanding recognition in their various fields. So good was our team that we self-scored into bonus territory over and over again by City reconning standards. Que sera sera -- we still expect to win.

You can stack a team with as many award winners, doctors, famous professionals, etc., but you could still lose out on a bid if you don't hit the RFP's requirements exactly. I have reviewed many consultant proposals where team experience is highly touted and noted in the hundreds of years but they failed to meet some of the requirements in the proposal and eventually lost out to another bidder.

Government procurement is very tedious, it has to be given the public dollars that will be paying for the services required, and in effect there are very specific requirements for any consultant bid requests.