Friday, October 24, 2008

Deja pooh.......

With less than a week to go to the US election and with Nov 15 2008 looming in our local election here in Maple Ridge it is tempting to think that perhaps the next four years and three years will somehow be different from the past - fat chance.

It is refreshing though to see some new names on the candidate list. One is tempted to vote only for those names that one does not recognize or heard very little of.

This Morden chappy seems like an interesting fellow. On the hand we certain names which frankly should have been archived years ago. Each candidate wants the same, so it is more about who can deliver rather than what is to be delivered. Morden's wish list seems to reflect that of all the other candidates, a sort of man for all causes:

  • Enhance Transit and Roads (yay)
  • Economic development (yay)
  • Create local employment (yay)
  • Expand and balance our tax base (yay)
  • Address Crime and Homelessness (yay)
  • Enhance Arts and Culture (yay)
  • More Local Shopping Opportunities (good luck with this one, unless you mean more Loonie stores)
  • Respect for Environment (yay)
Did he leave anything out?

Al Hogarth's message is curious: "I am still listening." Some clever git wrote underneath Al's message:"Why didn't you hear me the first time."

Gord has had so much to say these past 3 years that he has finally relented and says in his campaign advertisement: "Time for you to have your say." 

Craig Speirs has strung a series of cliches into meaningful sentences in his state of the environment address to his loyal subjects. And Sather goes tripping over a list of hobbies that reach all but nauseating lows.

It is all great fun of course, but one does hope to see some fresh faces in council next time around.  

Hopefully in this welcome housing downturn the District of Maple Ridge will be able to focus on the simpler aspects of municipal life and less on the the frantic antics of our developer-realtor community. We have enough inventory for years to come so need to waste any further time with applications on subdivisions or ALR applications. A broke economy will keep us safe from sprawl. The important thing now is to keep the recession going for as long as possible.

Quiet times ahead. Excellent!!

No comments: