Each councilor pays just as much as you do come tax time.
It wasn’t like it would a landslide last election. Mr. Pond will win via the villages, especially if Rupert is pretty close in the NDP vs. Liberal race again.
His advocates represent 80% of the voters in the last election. I’m curious–what has Gary done for the right wingers who didn’t vote for him. Actually–scratch that–what has he done at all? I’m guessing that you’d still beat his drum after answering those questions.
As for local issues–the Container Port is both a global and a local issue. We live in a global world now–what we do affects people on 5th West as well as people around the world.
As I’ve said before, the people working at City Hall pay the same taxes as you do. I’d say the port is about as industrially developed as Prince Rupert can hope to get in the next decade or two, so so much for that. As for jobs—I know of several cases where families are moving back to Rupert, or Dad can stop commuting, because the Port has offered them a position that matches the one they held at the pulp mill.
See above port comment. The population is expanding, and the City is doing so a little more slowly, so it makes sense there are a few people looking for work. However, the fact that families who have gone through to tough times can become families again makes it all worth it.
[quote]
Just saying that things are getting better isn’t quite the same as actually showing the fruits of your labor.[/quote]
Ask Mr. Pond to drive you down Graham. You’ll be able to see a few towering cranes poking up.
No taxpayer will ever get the attention of our elected city officials by posting 159 vandalism threads on HTMF, nor by throwing a few signs in the window of your store. These people need to take their concerns to the telephone machine or the City Council meeting each Monday.
LAO …adjust the dosanjh!!!
You knew what you were coming back to…suck it up.
Terrace isnt that far away if you dont like eating crow. I guess you could flog your house for an admirable profit pending terms, and move back to ganster park.
What are the issues not being addressed? What have you done to be part of the solution?
Have you called your councillor? Have you called Herb?
Local issues should take care of themselves …Or if not take care of it your self…
Might I just point out that even though the city is “moving forward”, there are still millions of dollars in outstanding debenture debt? Some $7 million, if I remember correctly and it comes from further back than Herb and the current council’s term in office… and it’s no drop in the bucket for a community of our size, when interest fees match base payment fees. So make no mistake, if there were “one” responsible for the fact that we pay higher taxes and don’t get more for it, you haven’t voted them into office for sometime.
Amen to that post…I never cease to be amazed that councils from the mid 90’s on didn’t see the writing on the wall earlier regarding the pulp mill and adjust their views accordingly when it came to budgets and long term planning. There still would have been shit happening at the civic level when it comes to streets filled with potholes (and trust me when I say that other cities with money in the bank still have issues with potholes that never seem to get addressed), etc but the mistakes come from too much optimism back when and not enough planning that took into account NOT having those mill taxes coming in. It was that kind of “the rainbow is just around the corner when it comes to Skeena Cell” that convinced my family it was time to get out of town almost eight years ago and neither of our jobs were even threatened by the shut-down, it was just getting more and more clear the city was going downhill and had forgotten how to use the brakes. I’m happy there seems to be some kind of upturn in Rupert but I don’t forget how blind the politicians were to the reality of those times either. Not saying any one persons out there has the answers and that things are going to get better overnight because of how you folks vote next civic election but don’t put all the blame on the current crop warming seats in your council chambers either.
[quote=“Saffron”]
Not saying any one persons out there has the answers and that things are going to get better overnight because of how you folks vote next civic election[/quote]
Excellent point Saffron! We do need to remember that it took us time to get into this situation and we cannot get out of it with one election day!
I notice that we - as the citizenry of Prince Rupert (or BC, or Canada for that matter) have a few underlying assumptions or behaviours that create more trouble than they are worth…
Fear of change. We tend to be afraid to vote for unfamiliar or new people. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten”…which is very connected to my second point…
We tend to behead our leaders. If our leadership is going to get us out of these difficult times, we need to give them the chance to do that. It will require difficult choices, long term vision and committment to get through this.
Lack of responsibility. We really need to stop acting as though ‘the government’ is something utterly beyond our control and the source of all of our unhappiness. Democracy only works as well as citizens MAKE it work.
Also a good point…with a qualifier that I expect more from a city councillor than ‘warming seats’. In fact, I think Pond would have been a truly great mayor if he KNEW that he was accountable (oohh…there’s that word again) back to a strong council that reflects his constituency. If only he would remember what audience he is suppose to be playing to…
Let me remind all of you that when the Skeena Tax issue began, Kathy Bedard and Herb Pond were both on Council. Maybe Herb wasn’t in his present sit as Mayor, but he was there voting on setting up Skeena as a receivable. Not only did this turn out to be a joke, but it has ultimately hurt us all. Furthermore, what real interest does Kathy Bedard have in our community - she lives in Port Edward in subsidized housing because her husband is the Port Edward Administrator. She may work in Prince Rupert, but her bucks are going into the bank for retirement…
Well when I was on council way back in the 1900’s when you fucked up you got it from both sides. It was very frustrating at times especially when you were up against the one that came off Noah’s arc. I believe that Pond would have been dealt with in a fashion that would have called for another election for the big seat. I really believe that he does not plan on running again but to run for a provincial position but I also heard that they do not like in Victoria either.
Well I am sure the jury is still out on that one. I was told by another city council member about Victoria folk getting tired of him and his being Hollywood Herb. I am just sharing here and either way he must go and get someone who will apply himself/herself to serving the people who helped them get their seat.
I heard Lord Gord really likes Herbie and is keeping close contact with and grooming him fo ra seat in the leg.
Would probably mean that it would be the first time we had a MLA as a cabinet minister since our old friend Dan MIller.
But how would Herbie be able to stand being ruled by Gordie, not being able to travel and see his buddies in all them furen places like Chicago and points beyond.I would think that there would not be a Spotlight big enough for these fools.
I’ll be very curious to see what Mr. Pond does in the next little while. Will he run locally or provincially? Interesting times ahead for political junkies like me.
I think Pond will join Gordon and why not? Prince Rupert is getting stronger as is BC…We always hate those in power but if Pond was old, bald,fat etc…would BC liberals have accepted him?
