VIDEO – Highlights from the GrassRoots Guelph Barbeque

GrassRoots Guelph came into 2014 looking to shake up election race by creating more civic engagement, which is no mean feat when the voter turnout in the 2010 Municipal Election was at an all-time low garnering a slim one-third. But will GRG been able to live up to those ambitions, especially when being chased by rumors and accusations that they’re Tea Party Light and concerned merely with taxes and supporting politicians who put the word “low” in front of it? Which GRG was hosting the barbeque they put together on September 18? Good question. Continue reading “VIDEO – Highlights from the GrassRoots Guelph Barbeque”

Cartoon Wars

The discussion about election matters in the last couple of weeks has turned nasty. Well, the conversation is about nastiness, not necessarily that people talking about it are being nasty to each other (although from what I’ve heard there’s some of that too). Since I’m a lover of all things cultural, one recent trend in particular caught my eye, and that was a pair of cartoons by noted Guelph cartoonists that have headed waist deep into the campaign, and they seem to have a common target in mind. Continue reading “Cartoon Wars”

Cathy Downer (Ward 5) – Candidate Questionnaire

Cathy Downer was first elected to city council by Ward 5 in 1994, and served for four terms working on committees and boards like including Planning, Works and Environment, Heritage Guelph, Family and Children’s Services, Loretto Convent Task Force and Guelph Non-Profit Housing. She was also chair of the City Hall/Courthouse Redevelopment Committee. Since leaving council in 2006 she’s been on the Boards of the Guelph Community Health Centre and the Guelph Youth Music Centre, and was Elections Ontario Returning Officer for Guelph from January 2011 till December 2013. Downer has also served as a volunteer mediator with Community Justice Initiatives and the John Howard Society, and has received her Advanced Mediation and Conflict Management Certification from the University of Waterloo-Conrad Grebel Peace and Conflict Studies. She also holds a Chartered Mediator designation from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario/Canada and currently works in private practice as a mediator. Finally, Downer was awarded with a Guelph YM-YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Public Service in 2007. And now she’s back! Ready to rejoin council and answering the questions in the candidate questionnaire. Continue reading “Cathy Downer (Ward 5) – Candidate Questionnaire”

Bob Moore (Ward 3) – Candidate Questionnaire

Although they came to the Royal City via Stoney Creek, Lindsay, Ottawa and Kingston, Bob Moore and his wife, Jane, have called Guelph home for 10 years now, living near the intersection of London and Edinburgh in the middle of Ward 3. Moore recently retired after more than 25 years of experience as an administrator in both secondary and elementary schools. He has also served on the Boards and Committees of a wide range of community and educational organizations, such as Hope House, and the Julien Project. When he’s not serving on committees, or building furniture, Bob researches and writes articles of historic interest, and has published articles on pioneer immigration, genealogical searches, colonial government, and Quaker history. He recently published an article on the University of Guelph’s Professor Zavitz for the Guelph Historical Society. Now he’s making a run for a seat on city council, and he took some time to answer the Guelph Politico Candidate Quesitonnaire. Continue reading “Bob Moore (Ward 3) – Candidate Questionnaire”

Craig Chamberlain (Ward 3) – Candidate Questionnaire

Craig Chamberlain aims to fight an uphill battle, trying to unseat one of two incumbents in Ward 3. This isn’t the first time that the husband, father, and property manager has run in his ward, but Chamberlain’s running hard on the idea that his two councillors haven’t been as representative as they should have to him and his fellow Ward 3-ians. Continue reading “Craig Chamberlain (Ward 3) – Candidate Questionnaire”

Election Day Exactly One Month Away

It’s the final (ish) countdown starting today, exactly one month until the Municipal Election here in Guelph (and many parts of Ontario). Practically speaking, I have about one-quarter of the candidates’ responses to the Politico candidate questionnaire, and I expect that I’ll be getting many more through the week. I have one mayoral candidate podcast in the bank, but I’m still chasing the two main competitors in the race to give them their 15 (or 30 to 40) minutes. As we enter October, I hope to put the emphasis on issues reporting, and less on information gathering, so there will hopefully be a chance to generate some good discussion. But as we’re marking one month to Election Day, I thought I would post this little treat. Continue reading “Election Day Exactly One Month Away”

GUELPH POLITICAST #15 – Andrew Donovan, Mayoral Candidate

Andrew Donovan has the distinction of being the youngest person in the Guelph Mayoral race, and although others in the race may certainly seem that way in terms of platform, he’s also the race’s only avowed libertarian. Entering the race late in August, Donovan, who graduated from the University of Guelph just this past spring, aimed to shed some light on issues other than the ones getting the most air this campaign, which is mostly tied to Urbacon and whether or not Guelph is overspent, and overtaxed.  Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #15 – Andrew Donovan, Mayoral Candidate”