2 Comments

  1. Joe WestVan on November 2, 2014 at 5:22 am

    I’m confused as to whether you’re advocating for citizens to vote their own conscience or if you want us to vote for women simply because they’re women. You quite clearly make both cases, which seems to muddy the message.

    I’ve also noticed the uniform ethnicity of nearly all the candidates, which I’m sure must alarm you, considering your knowledge of the latest census. Didn’t factor into your speech, however. Perhaps there was something a tad odious about the thought of reducing candidates to these types of categories. Not so when it comes to sex, apparently.

    Incumbency is a funny thing; it may represent experience but it certainly doesn’t guarantee a positive experience. The current President of the US was originally elected despite the objections you’ve raised in support of the incumbents here. People the world over seemed happy about it, at least at the time.

    Perhaps take a moment to highlight the accomplishments of the candidates next time you campaign for them, instead of simply defining them by which washroom they use.

    • RF on November 2, 2014 at 6:25 am

      Thank you Joe for your comment and some very important points which you’ve raised.

      I’m advocating for citizens to vote their own conscience.

      I’m also advocating for citizens to consider voting for female candidates — not solely on their gender but in consideration of their skills, talents, and qualifications, too — because I do believe that a balance of men and women on Council will be more representative of our community.

      As to the ethnicity of candidates, I do think that we should have broader representation on Council given the changing nature of the demographics here, but that is dependent on people putting their names forward to run. Again, selecting a candidate is based on weighing a range of factors and it should never be based on the fact that they simply fit one category or another (albeit our party system at the provincial and federal levels in fact operates that way based on party affiliation).

      As I said, incumbency should never be an automatic guarantee of reelection. In this case, I feel that Mary Ann Booth and Nora Gambioli have worked diligently on behalf of this community and they merit serious consideration as candidates. Someone else may not view them as among the best candidates — that’s their choice.

      As to the accomplishments of the incumbent candidates, the information is readily available on their websites and I provided links to both.

      The other women running for Council are Joanna Baxter (endorsed by WVCGG), Christine Cassidy, Terry Platt, and Carolanne Reynolds and I hope that West Vancouver electors will review and evaluate their resumes as well as their campaign materials prior to finalizing their voting decision.

      My intent is to highlight what I see as shortcomings in the endorsement process of the WVCGG and to ask voters to look beyond the list which will be heavily promoted as the election draws nearer.

      Again, thanks for taking the time to read my post and for taking the time to write.

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