Voters return majority to the Pond

November 20th 2005

The votes are in and barring any surprises from the advanced polls the line up will remain the same.  One thing is apparent and that is the gender split of Council.  It will be interesting to see if this Council will be more compassionate to the concerns of those that have given them power for the next three years.

Here at the Portal we congratulate all the successful candidates and wish them well during their new term.  A special hats off to those that rose to the occasion and broadened the scope of debate for a better Prince Rupert.  Because of your efforts, it will no doubt make this Council more accountable and therefore better for us all.

November 19th 2005

Good Golly Folks we've Got an Election Happening!

It’s now down to the dying hours before the final votes are tallied and the official winners of Election 2005 are confirmed.  Having 17 candidates running for six Council positions, two candidates seeking the chair of Mayor and a host of eager and willing candidates for school board make it truly a voters’ smorgasbord.

Last night’s Daily News arrived on the doorsteps just in the nick of time for news hungry Rupertites and other ailing hard-core political junkies.  Like tiny herds of confused voters can sometimes be, their anticipation of the need to know who would actually have the final say in the editorial section of letters to editor column became the needed tonic.  Not unlike thirst itself, many dinner conversations surrounded politics and weather either side had the significant ammunition to score a major win Saturday?  Each side being firmly positioned and hoping for an electoral biscuit that could win the hearts and minds of Prince Rupert’s long-suffering taxpayers. 

Today voters will choose either from the present regime and/or the new pool of challengers.  Many of whom are offering doses of new spirit, a cargo of perceived greater intellectual goods, and the willingness to engage in the next three years of rebuilding our community. What recipe mix will it finally be?  It appears the question is down to a simple, should the menu of the last three years remain or do we bring new cooks into the mix.

And finally the latest news flash/annoying email spam (depending on ones appetite) was served up by Prince Rupert's  Mayor Herb Pond.  The Portal has received several copies of the world according to his worship.  An overview of its contents will appear early next week once repairs are finally complete as the Portal’s BS filter blew a gasket during the digesting process.  The Portal however does confirm the fact that the contents did originate from the official email address of the Mayor’s office.  This no doubt will bring up another question for the ever vigilant debate team down at Tim Horton’s.

So that’s it today from the folks here at the Portal and we encourage everyone to participate in democracy!  So get down to the civic centre and vote.  Then we can all legitimately say no matter what the outcome that we were all part of the solution.

Campaign Countdown Jitters 2005

There is just one more advertising day to go till Saturday’s civic election.  Political junkies still hungry for election coverage will no doubt be waiting with baited breath for Friday's Daily News final pre-election editorial.  I can hear the questions now.  How fat do you think this weekend edition will be?  Will there be extra flyers?  How about an extra helping of last-minute political ads to fill all those empty pages?  I'm sure there will be a little bit for everyone except maybe a few good answers to the many questions not asked during this campaign.

So after hearing so much about the big-box issue the staff here at the Portal decided to inquire directly to the Challenger Gloria Rendell for some answers.  We simply asked her to give her side of the story on the big-box issue.

Rare by present council standards, we received the following prompt answer from Ms. Rendell after we had spoke to her earlier that day while she was out door knocking for her campaign.

We here at the portal also received the following letter from one of our readers commenting on an earlier post on the recent town topic of Big -Box development and leadership.

Tensions Build With Only Days To Go

Incumbent council candidates appear to be faltering in the final days of the civic campaign 2005.  While the 12 new candidates vying for the six available council seats continue to garner discussion throughout community venues, it appears locally more than half the conversation is not going to the incumbents.

Coverage in the media has been somewhat subdued from years gone by.  Perhaps with there being so many candidates running both for council and school board could arguably be why there has been so little in the media?

Some candidate hopefuls have invested certainly more into the  number of lawn signs than the substance of their platforms.

Equally humorous is the fashion signs have been placed through out the community.  Placed at times in clusters like  little sheep in a commercial while others have chosen to place there signs like jobs, jobs, jobs in the latest vacant business/or vacant lot location that has occurred during their three year term.

Most interesting is the impersonal approach to politics by the incumbents.  Unlike the newcomers running for the first time who are attempting to identify themselves by actually getting out to meet the public (besides Tim Horton's) in this campaign.  The incumbents on the other hand have used the paid media approach as opposed to the personal touch of meeting individuals on the door-to-door basis. 

Of all the candidates that have used questionable slogans and/or bi-lines, the most notable is the Mayor.  Pond certainly appears to have a good scriptwriter(s) for this campaign.  Having been absent so often this term, his words when placed on the scale of local opinion have already raised the total to 12 competitors for Council and one for Mayor. Team Pond appears genuinely challenged this election, including from his side of the business community.  Over at a town called Podunk the latest tales from the campaign trail get rationalized. 

The promise of big-box stores

November 13th 2005

The 2005 Prince Rupert Civic election has seen it's first big topic hit the spotlight, the big-box store issue.

Right before the seated home team crowd (and those watching at home on cable), Mayor Herb Pond came out swinging for Big-Box development.  ” If you don't want big-box stores you don't want me” said an adamant Mayor Pond.

Challenger Gloria Rendell made her position on the question of her personal preferences to have a good boutique style downtown store base core.  We have made a decision towards a tourism based economy, however she did say that there are no doubt constituents that would utilize such a shopping option within their community.

Not unlike Prince Rupert, the city in Vancouver has its own Mayor's race and the big-box store issue as well.  Vancouver gets the Wal-Mart question, in Prince Rupert the developer has declined to mention who is exactly he is representing regarding possible tenants within his big-box mall setting.  Could it be Wal-Mart?

Certainly when one mentions Wal-Mart in any community you instantly have a topic of conversation that has more than one point of view.  Some argue that the Wal-Mart philosophy is anything but a prudent decision for a community with an economy that is coming out of distress.  Worker representatives have expressed concerns that working conditions and benefits often have been an hot issue, not only in the United States but also in Canada and elsewhere.

Not so ironically Robert Greenwood's critically acclaimed film” The High Price of Low-Cost” gives some interesting insight into the operations of Wal-Mart and its business philosophy.  Jonathan Tansini article” Wal-Mart's culture of crime and greed” offers an eye opening view of Wal-Mart and corporate America itself.

No doubt this issue will continue on long after the election.

Shifting through the Numbers

November 12, 2005

The November 19th civic election is all but upon us yet a silence hangs over us like the overcast above.  With 17 Council candidates running this round it can only suggest dissatisfaction of the current council’s performance.  The question not answered until the numbers are in is how much change will actually occur?

A recent chat with a local curler brought out humorously,” sweep them all” when asked on his thoughts for change on Council.

Local hangout Tim Horton’s offers a wider range of thoughts on the issue depending on the time of day one enters for their routine cup of Java and doughnut fix.  I've observed everything from the curler’s cry, to let’s mix it up a bit because we need a better blend (like Tim Horton’s coffee I’d suspect) to the worry some who lament that should those other people get elected there would go the city’s business community.

No matter who is likely to get the most votes on November 19th, it's clear the last three years have seen our community in a phase of transition.  Many agree it has been one facing downward for some time, equally there are those that now feel things have leveled off and are slowly beginning to aim upward.

Present Mayor and Council believe this is a credit to their hard work and that the future will be brighter too because of their efforts.  The candidate numbers running suggest differently and that the job done at City Hall could have been done equally if not better by them.  The public also indicated as such during the two public forums held at the Prince Rupert Performing Arts Centre November 9 and 10th.

The Mayoralty night event had incumbent Herb Pond at his usual energetic best suggesting that he and Council should be kept together to finish the fine job they've started.  (No slate here?)  Never short for something to say his worship showed why he's a favorite sought for luncheons and other gatherings.  Warm, personable, hopeful and claiming to have taken the city to 75% of the way to recovery after making hard decisions he asked for a second term.

The forum panel did an admirable job as they presented good questions to the candidates. The Mayor's answers were light on fact and lacked depth in detail compared to challenger Gloria Rendell.  Rendell came across with a broader perspective of needed strategic planning that would be accountable and measurable.  Not as flashy as Pond in visual stage presence, Rendell however did resonate to the audience the importance of social responsibility and fiscal accountability needs for a Council leading a city through transition.

Remarkably, no visible winner clearly emerged on this evening or during the all Councillors candidate session.  What is clear is that with less than one week to go there is a race on for the Mayor's seat that is possibly closer than most first thought. 

Candidates for the six possible Council positions definitely made a push up the ladder impressing the audience as possible election choices.  Over at the Podunk blog there is PK’s observations from his vantage point during the forum.  The local Daily News and CFTK television no doubt will provide their campaign coverage on Monday.

Voter turnout Saturday will be the ultimate key.  The much talked about need of change is one thing, but the numbers will reflect the actual direction of our voting citizen’s real hopes and desires.

Remember to get out and Vote on November 19^th 2005

Election 2005 Update

Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce has confirmed dates for the 2005 Civic Elections All Candidate's Public Forum.  Wednesday night's top battle card has Mayoralty incumbent Herb Pond facing off against local Credit Union Commercial Loans Officer Gloria Rendell in the main event.

Thursday night's line up card features a diverse 17 candidate list of hopefuls.  Time is limited so everyone should be on time and listening closely.  Limited time will make this events' front runners harder to separate amongst those challenging for the six available positions on election day.

Score cards will be tallied and posted by the weekend.  

Election Hopefuls Prepare For Upcoming Civic Elections

Submitted by C.Thompson

The latest news to see daylight for local citizens and those candidates running for City Council is that the City of Prince Rupert has finally made the Bill Kennedy Report available to the public.  Kennedy's report finished in early March 2005, including his recommendations that were delivered to the provincial government for review.

Rupert's Administration & Council was to receive a response within 30 days upon it's completion. The report details Kennedy's assessment of the City's finances, along with several options including his recommendations for possible financial support from the B.C. government.  The report's contents to date have received little open discussion amongst Council and at best, it's findings have been tucked quietly away from the general public's view.

The entire report a lengthy 161 pages, just maybe a bit too much for many individuals to digest.  However the summary contained in the first section provides pretty much all of what is good and what is so badly wrong in the Prince Rupert situation.

Anyone considering voting this November should not pass on this opportunity to become more informed of these facts. I would encourage everyone to ask your candidate hopefuls some thoughtful questions.

The most frequent question asked on local street corners & in cafe's alike has focused on the future direction for Prince Prince Rupert.  There has been equal chatter regarding what do you think of the incumbent Council?  The answer most often heard for both is, "it's time for a change".

The report is also available at the City's webpage or directly at Expenditure Report - Final (W.D. Kennedy Report) .

One Year Ago Veniez vows to start mill by winter 

Just when you'd thought one had heard the last of Dan Veniez, lo and behold he's back again taking front page.  Like the cat that came back the very next day Veniez materializes  promising once again to have the mill running by winter. >more

Important Update Sept. 18th 2004 

Hope fading for New Skeena as Northwest Citizens face more uncertainties

  CBC yesterday reported:

The company that used to be one of the biggest employers in northwestern B.C. is asking the B.C. Supreme Court to appoint a receiver to liquidate its assets.
F U L L   S T O R Y

Leap ahead one year and the story is.............

City inks deal with China Paper Group over mill or have they?
Prince Rupert city council gave its final approval to the tax deal for the China Paper Group, the company acquiring the Watson Island pulp mill, on Monday night

The City appears to be onboard but what's up with Sun Wave Forest Products and the B.C. government.  Still no word on the sales deal or if there is a start up date for the mill.  Local civic elections loom in the not to distant future.  Interesting in deed.