If you didn’t vote, please don’t complain I could swear that more than 38 per cent of the residents of Victoria complain about the state of affairs, yet only 38 per cent of the people voted.
So, if you are one of the non-voters, I politely ask that you refrain from expressing any negativity about your city or the people that have the energy to show up to run it.
This is probably not entirely true in the case of mayor-elect Marianne Alto. Her election campaign, I am quite certain, was guided from the get-go by Lisa Helps, so don’t expect any direction from the new mayor’s chair, to be anything different than what we saw from Helps. Would it not be wise for our new council to at least try to solve our downtown issues by actions rather than allowing the problems to subsist and grow? More police officers on our downtown streets does not mean ill to the less fortunate but reassurance to all.
The current landscape is wasteful and embarrassing. It’s time for a premier to have the gumption to legislate amalgamation and stop this madness.Langford, Victoria coverage has fallen short In the Times Colonist’s coverage of Victoria politics, the overall tone is often quite critical and negative, with a lot of focus on perceived dysfunction and controversies .
It’s easy to stroll to the polling place if you live in Saxe Point or Highlands, the least densely populated areas. Municipal elections are the only ones where Esquimalt High isn’t used. “End of 30 km/h zone” signs, or “Resume speed” signs, do not explain to the confused, and/or uninformed local or visiting drivers, what the speed limit on any stretch of the battered and neglected asphalt in Victoria is.
However, I noticed something along the way. Voters who were using walkers, canes, or mobility assistance were leaving the lines. Some tired out from the lengthy standing in line. Why then, do we have 13 separate municipalities requiring the same number of mayors, councillors and policing? If this madness has not resonated with inhabitants here, surely it must have made a dent in the consciousness of some who were trying to sort out the extravagant numbers running for office in various municipalities, or going cross-eyed trying to read all of the signage on the boulevards.