Monthly Archives: September 2014

Endorsements

25 Thursday Sep 2014

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David Anderson, PC OC (Queens Privy Council for Canada & Order of Canada)
Former Environment Minister & Member of Parliament for Victoria, 1993-2006

“Victoria needs diversity on its city council, and a greatly under-represented group is young people. Andrew J. Reeve is both young and energetic. You can vote for eight councillors–use one of them for Andrew!”

Michael Geoghegan
Political Analyst & Commentator, CTV News

“Andrew Reeve will provide a much-needed breath of fresh air to our community that for too long has stagnated under Victoria’s stale political establishment.”

John Vickers
Executive Director, Victoria Buskers Festival & Victoria Chalk Art Festival

“Andrew Reeve will be a great representative for our community, and for a younger generation, on Victoria city council.”

Rob Reid
Local Business Owner, FrontRunners Footwear

“It is so important to see youthful candidates with real substance like Andrew running for community service in our City. We need to both adapt, and create a viable alternative to the same ways of thinking to bring about a thriving city. Candidates like Andrew offer a hopeful chance to bring real time change.”

Paul Brown
2011 Mayoral Candidate, Victoria

“I endorse Andrew Reeve as an excellent candidate for Victoria City Council. I have known Andrew for the past two years. I am impressed with his commitment to improving our City. He will bring insight along with a determination to make informed and meaningful decisions that put our City’s needs first and foremost. We need more candidates like Andrew on Council for our City to reach its potential.”

Stephen Hampton
Wildlife Conservationist & Political Strategist

“I highly encourage you to vote Andrew Reeve to city council. Not only is Andrew one of the hardest working guys I know, he is one of the most principled and committed people I know and Victoria would be lucky to have him.”

Paul Summerville
Fmr. Chief Economist, Royal Bank of Canada Dominion

“I have known Andrew for four years. His deep interest in public service for the betterment of the community impressed me from our first meeting. Andrew has a firm grasp on local issues and understands what needs to get done to make Victoria a better place to live. Among other things he has pushed for evidence-based policy making, fiscal and environmental responsibility, as well as greater municipal transparency and accountability. I believe his vision and energy is exactly what’s required at the council table.”

Kayleigh Erickson
Board of Governors, University of Victoria

“Andrew will make a terrific City Councillor. His love for Victoria and passion for politics and creating positive change make him an ideal candidate. I have met very few people in my life who are as dedicated and enthusiastic as Andrew is when he sets his mind to something. He would be a great asset to our city on council and I really look forward to seeing all that he will accomplish for Victoria.”

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Partisan Political Affiliations In Municipal Politics

12 Friday Sep 2014

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A user on the popular local online forum VibrantVictoria submitted a question to me about federal political affiliations in municipal politics. I intended to provide a quick response with my thoughts on the matter but it turns out I had a lot to say. I think the question is important and should be asked of any candidate that, like myself, has ties to a political party.

“Andrew, It says in your bio that you’re the President of the Local Federal Liberals. Does this mean you’re running “as a Liberal”? Could you speak about your political affiliations?“

Something I love about municipal politics is the lack of political parties. People get to judge their candidates without any of the baggage they may carry from certain national political brands. So no, I am not running “as a Federal Liberal” but I don’t shy away from where I stand in national politics. Being a moderate centrist is something I’m proud of. It allows me to bring the ideals of the left together with the practicalities of the right, meeting in the middle, and forming policy based on evidence. If city staff told me that there was “no technical data to support the reduction in speed limits” then I, unlike every member of the current council, would have personally voted against it.

We are facing some very serious issues here in Victoria. 60% of the city’s infrastructure is “past its useful life” and our infrastructure reserve is nowhere near where it needs to be in order to cope with that. Add on to that the challenges of climate change, the growing debt, our city’s spending problem, and the blatant accountability issues at City Hall. My generation is going to be dealing with these issues for decades so the reason I’m running has nothing to do with partisan politics, it has to do with stepping up and doing something for the city I was fortunate enough to have been born and raised in. My Priorities are laid out on my website if you want to check them out. They are the things I believe in, dictated by my experiences living and working here, the knowledge I gained studying Political Science and History at UVic, and yes, even my activities in federal politics.

Recently, I voted for BC Green Leader Jane Sterk in my riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill in the 2013 Provincial election. I voted for the Liberal Party of Canada in the 2012 Victoria Federal by-election. That shouldn’t matter, because unlike Vancouver, we are lucky to have our municipal politics free of the influence of political parties. While I know the partisan allegiances of many incumbents and several new-comers running in this upcoming election, I choose to judge them based on what they stand for personally and not who they prefer to be Prime Minister. I think it is for that reason that I have people supporting me and volunteering on my campaign that are members of the NDP, Greens, Liberals, and Conservatives. I’m not running “as a Liberal,” I’m running as a concerned citizen who is willing to serve and give back to my community for the betterment of all.

This is our city, our future, and we’re all in this together.

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Pandering To The City Hall Bubble: Why Council Is Lowering Speed Limits

08 Monday Sep 2014

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Speeding “hasn’t been an issue” in Victoria. That’s what Mayor Dean Fortin admitted in August, as he tried to defend the expenditure of nearly $90,000 of our money, to combat a problem that doesn’t exist.

As I detailed back in July, several months ago the paid professionals of our city staff concluded that there was “no technical data to support the reduction in speed limits.” Council decided to ignore the facts in spite of the scientific evidence, opposition from the Victoria Police Department, the recommendations of their employed experts, and overall common sense. While a majority of those members of the public who spoke at the July 17th council meeting appeared to be in favour of lowering speed limits, the amount of correspondence received by City Hall in opposition to the reduction far outweighed the proponents. Apparently the current council finds it far easier to ignore a stack of letters and emails than a few out-spoken advocates in council chambers, and this is precisely the problem. While some had expressed hesitance or opposition to the proposal beforehand, they all caved and voted in favour during the session. In short, the “City Hall Bubble” got to them.

Those who wrote to City Hall in great numbers were the average citizens, caught off guard by the likelihood that a backwards policy flying in the face of all evidence was going to pass in our municipality. These were Victorians with families and friends to be with on a beautiful summer evening, not sweating in the humid council chambers that particular Thursday night. It’s not council’s fault that three hour long July committee meetings are not particularly engaging to the general public. However, it is their fault when they fail to realize that those who do attend are not representative of your average Victorian. With most of our current council having served multiple terms, it is easy to see how the “City Hall Bubble” had them thinking that the majority of citizens are in favour of a reduction in speed limits. After all, they need only consider the many passionate complaints voiced at that very meeting to see there is general dissatisfaction, right? As any pollster worth his or her salt will tell you, those who regularly attend committee meetings are not a representative sample of the populace. Yet, our council seems to have forgotten this basic fact. Politics, not ignorance, is why they unanimously supported the motion over the facts. They believed that with such great support in the chamber right in front of them, going against it could cost them their jobs in the upcoming November election.

Fast-forward to mid-August and it became obvious that their political calculations had failed. Your average Victorian was unhappy with the decision and even more unhappy that it was going to cost $90,000 of their tax dollars to implement. Further boggling the mind was the nearly $10,000 designated for an information campaign, as if we would fail to comprehend what any of the 295 newly posted speed limit signs truly mean. However, it would appear that after weeks of complaints and the retirement announcement of the policy’s architect, Councillor Shellie Gudgeon, council finally blinked last Thursday. They opted to drastically reduce the number of signs posted in the downtown core, far from the number necessary for proper implementation and enforcement of their policy, in order to save money.

Finally the truth was out, but they’re proceeding anyhow, albeit with significantly fewer signs posted because, to our current council, admitting they were wrong and being labelled “flip-floppers” is apparently far worse than wasting taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, we have massive cost overruns on the Johnson Street Bridge and several inevitable major infrastructure projects on the near horizon that are going to put a significant dent in municipal finances. Victoria City Council needs to readjust its priorities and take on the big issues facing our city for the sake of the entire population, rather than micro-managing and dealing with minor trivialities for the sake of those within the City Hall Bubble. Those diligent committee meeting attendees don’t represent us citizens, and neither will Council if they continue putting politics above what’s practical.