Putting WOW factor into city election
by Michael J Morris
So far in the city election race, I have not heard a real WOW from
any of the candidates for mayor or council.
I've been listening closely and it seems that depending which side
of the fence they are on regarding taxes and infrastructure improvements, they
are essentially, for the most part, using election platforms, I heard 25 years
ago when I first moved here. All the candidates are sincere I'm sure, just too
much same old, same old. No WOW factor!
I recently came across an article in PureWOW which ranked the ten
best cities in the United States in which to live and decided to share the
results with you in the hopes of injecting some WOW into your campaigns.
PureWow is a digital publication dedicated to finding ways to make
your life more interesting, beautiful and manageable. Our motto, "Elevate the
Everyday," drives us to deliver irresistible discoveries to our readers every
single day" according to its web site.
Here we go.
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The smartest place to live, based on memory, attention and problem solving tests is Ithaca, New York. Now, Ithaca is known as a college town, which may contribute to its smartness, and Cranbrook has a college and is a town, but a college town it is not.
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The most affordable city is a place called Norman, Oklahoma because of low property taxes, gasoline prices, average home prices, even movie tickets. How about seeing how the folks in Norman do it!
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The fittest city is Minneapolis-St Paul in Minnesota according to the American College of Sports Medicine. A study showed it is because of low smoking levels, high level of exercise participation and access to quality physicians and healthy lifestyle programs. Sounds like a good plan to use to attract family physicians to Cranbrook
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The sunniest is Yuma, Arizona and never in my years here have I heard anyone use the information that Cranbrook has the most hours of sunshine in BC to promote the city.
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The best smelling city is San Francisco for a wide range of reasons.
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The friendliest is Charleston, South Carolina according to the Condo Nast Traveller's Reader's Survey, just overflowing with southern hospitality. That is a great reason to live anywhere.
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Most smiles per capita is St Louis, Missouri. Yes they actually tracked the stats using photos from Instagram users. A company called Jetpac analyzed millions of pictures.
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Most walkable, believe it or not, is New York City, as you can get to many amenities on foot. Having walked about parts of New York, I tend to agree, and I include it with two Canadian cities -- Toronto and Vancouver. Sorry folks, although I walk everywhere in Cranbrook, the "amenities" so to speak are far too spread out, and the Strip is hardly pleasurable.
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For women, Purenow says that Las Vegas is best American city to find an eligible man.
The article appeared at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/purewow/the-10-best-cities-in-ame_b_6087838.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067
I do congratulate all candidates for standing for office. It requires a huge commitment on your part, and I know all sincerely want to serve the community as best they can. My email is mj.morris@live.ca
There is one 'wow' factor amongst new candidates in
this election, about which I am surprised.
It is the assumption by many of these candidates that
they will, if elected, be able to greatly change the City’s budget. I wonder what magic wand and unknown skills
they possess. Council has unanimously
approved its Five Year Financial Plan, which was carefully crafted by very well
qualified staff working in collaboration with Mayor, Council and Department
Heads.
I have attended most budget meetings and all but a few
council meetings over the last five years. I have rarely, if ever seen any of
these new candidates attend these meetings where rationales and discussions
were heard.
None of these candidates has provided insight as to
what they consider frivolous spending.
So scratching my head, I wonder if the following might be some of the
items to which they refer. Subsidizing the Ministry of Highways to improve the
West Entrance was a problem for a few councillors. It was the opinion of
several Councillors that twin benches (a department decision) on 14th
Avenue were not necessary. The bioswale
on 14th Avenue is sorely misunderstood. The plant growth may not be
pretty (to some) but there has not been a single flood since it was installed
and the resulting debris and costly cleanups are gone. The total monetary sum of these items would
not fill many potholes or lower taxes, let alone barely begin to pay for any
infrastructure replacement. We must
also remember a large part of the City’s budget is controlled by other
authorities, policing and fire protection.
So come on candidates, please be specific and
enlighten us about where you will cut and what you consider to be frivolous
spending.
Sincerely,
Jenny Humphrey
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