Election Year Day 2 – More Names on the Ballot

Either an indication of how busy the local balllot’s going to be this election, or that there are a lot of eager beavers out there, three more names have been added to the rolls for the 2014 Municipal election. As per the Guelph Votes website, three people have added themselves to October 27 election, including two for mayor and one for city council. Continue reading “Election Year Day 2 – More Names on the Ballot”

The BTBB Awards for 2013

I’m writing this both as a way of organizing my own thoughts and encapsulating the year that was according to the criteria of the annual “Beyond the Ballot Box” Awards show. These year end analyses are always tricky; a balancing act of what was important, what was fascinating and what was overlooked. For this year’s awards show, I was very conscious to sidestep around the words “Rob Ford,” as he could have easily taken the prize in two, maybe three, of the categories. The truth is that even without RoFo, there was still a lot of material out there. I’ll be interested to hear what the rest of the gang has to say, and who they give out their awards to (and by the time this article goes live, we’ll all know). For now though, here’s my BTTB Award winners, and my reasoning for their getting the laurels. Continue reading “The BTBB Awards for 2013”

The Election Year Begins

If you’re still hung over from the New Year’s festivities. sober up(!) because the 2014 Municipal Election is officially underway as of today. Today was the first day that potential candidates could file papers to run for mayor or city councillor in the October 27th election, and both here in Guelph and in Toronto, some early birds were hoping that they have what it takes to get the worm. Continue reading “The Election Year Begins”

New Year’s Message from GCL

Happy New Year! Now let’s talk about the election.

Just kidding. (Sort of.) As you undoubtedly know (and since you’re reading this blog, I assume you do know), 2014 is a Municipal Election year. So the time is right to start a discussion of the important issues facing Guelph this year, and how we’re going to promote greater voter engagement and get out the vote this fall. But where to begin? How about at the Annual General Meeting for the Guelph Civic League. The details for next week’s meeting can be found in the open letter from the GCL below. Continue reading “New Year’s Message from GCL”