THE VOICE CHOICES

I can’t understand how you put your support behind Steven Orser.  He voted to have Board of Control demolished and he wants fulltime councillors. Each of these issues (big issues) you wanted the opposite.  Steve also continues to waste time on trivial ideas especially when election time started to roll around he really got “politicking”.

I listen to Greg Thompson and have read his material and from what I get, is that his ideas are close to Joe Fontana’s.

Help me understand.

Shaun

We chose Mr. Orser because we believed 1/ he would win and would be there to influence the new council, and 2/ he would be responsive to efforts to control spending.

We have stated previously in this publication that we were very uncomfortable with him based on his stance on Board of Control, but he made the case that it was a matter of principle for him- he had run on that platform and felt obliged to represent those who had voted for him. We disagree(d) with him but respect(ed) his sense of commitment.

And in conversation he convinced us he would support a growth-oriented, tax-moderating agenda.

Mr. Thompson is an outstanding individual and community leader and his time to serve at city hall may yet come.

With no guarantees about what the next council would look like, we tried to ensure those candidates we felt we could trust to pursue a cost-conscious path would get as much support as possible. That did not mean we did not appreciate the fine attributes of many of the other candidates, nor does it mean it isn’t possible we could be disappointed.

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I voted at 10 am this morning for Joe as the lesser of two evils. I could not bring myself to vote for your recommendation Paul Hubert.

I’m in ward 9 with Paul and all I can remember about him lately is the million dollar horseshoe he supported, city hall now possibly moving, trucking green waste to Arthur for “only $10,000″ – his quote. We will have to agree to disagree. Enjoy your day thanks for the news letter always enjoy.     Don

As with Mr. Orser, we believe(d) Mr. Hubert will be open to policies that will reflect a voter preference for tax control, even though his past record did not necessarily reflect that.

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You guys were out to lunch on picking Harold Usher. Do you really think he will work to control spending?  Dave Jackson

Please see the comment directly above.

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I think most of your council picks were good ones but Denise Brown? Never heard of her and I thought you said you were looking at candidates who could win?  Mary K.

We regret you apparently did not read Herman’s interview with Mrs. Brown. And we did look for candidates capable of winning, which she obviously was.

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ELECTION COMMENTS:

SQUEEZING THE STONE

I want to congratulate Mr. Chapman for a spot-on synopsis of your evening analysis of the 2010 election. When the rubber hits the road,  the wallet sometimes can do the talking.  I had my 2 year- old son with me last night and as I cast my ballots in ward 10 I whispered to him, “I’m doing this for me and I’m doing this for you”.   You can only squeeze the middle class so hard, and in the last ten years the middle class has taken it on the chin pretty hard.

I’m tired of a city CEO that celebrates  mediocrity and continued tax increase. Whether or not Joe  can get 10,000 jobs or 0% tax increase over the next four years isn’t completely important to me. At this point it’s more that someone is finally making an effort to show some respect to the taxpayer.  It has been proven that this can be done if you make the effort. Just ask Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis.

BTW this isn’t promising news for Springbank dam lovers,  I suspect we will get more bad news now that the election is over and it is safe to report on the city’s litigation over that matter.  Henry

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A SHOCKING VICTORY?

I keep hearing that our old mayor had a ’shocking’ election defeat. If more people picked someone else how is that shocking? I guess the only people who were shocked were supporters of her.

Brian

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WIN SOME, LOSE SOME

How is it that the Voice managed to hold off the lefties in Ward 9 and Ward 11 but not Bill Armstrong in Ward 2? I would have though Barber and Winninger were far more powerful and popular than the Light of East London. Peter P.

We have no way of telling how much influence we may have had on voters across the city. If we helped Dale Henderson and Denise Brown, we are very happy about that, not because we have any personal animosity towards Gina Barber or David Winninger – we don’t -but because we believe the city will be better served by the philosophy of Mr. Henderson and Mrs. Brown. We would be much happier yet to have seen Steve Polhill send Mr. Armstrong back to whatever it is he does for a living, but the voters in Ward 2 had other ideas. Perhaps not enough of them read the Voice, but who can say?

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YOUR APPRECIATION IS APPRECIATED

In the aftermath of the election one of the questions foremost in our minds was “how much of a difference did the Voice make in the outcome?” There is no way to know for sure, but there is no doubt we touched a lot of people. Here is just a sampling of the comments we have received.

Thanks for all of the wonderful information that made voting this time a better experience than I have had previously (and I have voted many times!). I was able to understand the issues more clearly and feel much more responsible than I have before.  Faye Males

Thanks for doing ALL you do to promote the City, good government and “honesty” in our everyday lives. Jim and Barb Prowse

Well, Jim Chapman sure had it right in discussing the election on his morning show.  The mayoral election happened exactly as he said.  Thanks for your insight, Jim. Cindy Bailey

Thank you for all of your work over the last several months in preparing the London electorate for this election.  While “change” was seemingly in the air, much work is still required.  I hope Jim and Herman give serious consideration to continuing to carry the “Voice” forward.  We need the straight goods on issues in London and the “voice” is the only source in this City. London has now got a “voice” it would be great if we could keep it.

All the best…great work!  David R. Schmidt

Well done!

A. Brown

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Thank you for making the Voice available during the recent election. It allowed me to make a much more informed choice on my ballot. I had exactly two candidates knock on my door, not nearly enough information to make an informed decision. The Voice’s candidate profiles were helpful. We need to be informed regularly, not just at election time. Carroll Grenier

On behalf of my wife and me, I would like to thank your staff for all your efforts and hard work in putting together the Voice. We found it to be very informative, and, to the point. Congratulations on a job well done. We hope that your publication will continue in some fashion in the future.

On the topic of the election, I was happy with the results for the most part. I was disappointed to read in the free press that Gina Barber names you as one of the reasons her election bid failed. As a long time, faithful listener to your program, I have not heard what can be described as negative attacks on anyone including Ms. Barber. Maybe when the facts were presented as just that, the facts, people decided for themselves that she did not represent what they want or need. This, however, is concept usually lost on those who dwell on the left side of the spectrum. As you have pointed out many times, they believe that they know what is best for us despite our opinion. Maybe she should have agreed to an interview with Herman. Keep up the great work and, again, thank you for your efforts.  Dave Westman

As we have said elsewhere in this edition, we have no ill will towards Mrs. Barber. We did genuinely believe Dale Henderson was better suited to a cost-cutting and economically-oriented agenda, and that is why he received our support. That Mrs. Barber suggested in the Free Press our efforts may have been harmful to her campaign says more about the people who read the Voice, and their concerns, than anything else.

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Great news letter, just love it.  Most interested in your list of names that you would like to see on council.  What is really missing are the 3 B’s. Good idea that we separate them, get rid of at least 1 or 2 and maybe the rest of the council could work better. AM and the 3 B’s are very forceful and hard to fight off.  Bette

Gina Barber was the only member of the “B”s to be defeated and some would argue the most anti-business one of the group. It remains our hope here at the Voice that Mr. Fontana will be able to build a sense of teamwork on council that may pull all members closer together. Councillors Baechler, Branscombe and Bryant will have to serve the neighbourhood constituencies that elected them, but they are also intelligent enough to recognize that the voters across the city voted for a new kind of leadership, and for making economic matters a higher priority.

We wish them all well and hope there will be enough common ground – ‘the future economic welfare of our community’ covers a lot of area – that they will play key roles in re-directing our efforts towards more economic development.

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I so much appreciate your commonsense, wisdom intelligent ideas and the interesting research you do. Thank you for all the work on the Voice of London. Love your band as well!  Betty Spearman

Thanks for the plug for the Incontinentals, and the other kind comments.

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A better election result than any could have expected, due in great part to your work and passion with the Voice and radio.  Thanks for your incredible contribution.  Connie

Well done by Mr. Chapman last night on Rogers.  It sounds strange to say, but I actually enjoyed watching the election results! I thought he did a nice job of giving good insights while being honest and respectful of his fellow panelists.

In the final tally I was saying to my wife that it would be interesting to see how much effect “The Voice” had on this election – and I was glad to see it (even if Jared Zaifman didn’t win in my ward)!  Thank you so much for that informative website – I believe it did make a change for the better in our city.  Honestly I’ve never had my wife sit beside me and watch the election results for any election, but I was thrilled to have her at my side to watch you and the gang at Rogers – and I know that is because of the interest you helped raise through “The Voice”.  (just for reference we are both in our mid-30s.)

My brother in Windsor was glad to see Eddie win again, and he told me that all but one labour-backed candidate for council lost – what a major shift in my home town… again, for the better! Thanks again for all your hard work! Ryan

I would like to offer to you my most sincere congratulations on the fantastic effort that you put forth for the Election. I listened to your program as often as I could and I believe that you and your program as well as the Voice of London were instrumental in getting London a change in leadership. Please keep up the great work. Best Regards Don Tulloch

Thanks for your efforts at “The Voice”. Keep up the good work!

Marcel Stanford

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Thank you very much for getting the message out to the voters that needed to be told to them. I was amazed that a female incumbent was voted out and I am sure that your voice of reason had a part in changing people’s minds and making them get out there to vote for change for the good. I was especially happy that Dale Henderson won in my ward because I truly thought that Gina Barber would have won hands down. Even with two right-leaning challengers possibly splitting the vote, Gina did not get enough support. Bravo!

Finally people are waking up to the fact that taxes are too high and that there are lots of opportunities to balance the budget but it will take leadership and fortitude to do it. While Joe Fontana would not be my first choice basically because of his Chretien/Martin/Gomery era ties, I think that he will truly try to make a change.

I think that Anne Marie does have integrity but she has shown that she just does not have the stamina to stand up for the tax payer. It is easier for her to just go along with what the “experts” and “consultants” say. I realize that Fontana may not be able to keep zero tax increases for the full four years but at least he is open to the idea of giving it a try. Ann Marie’s loss was more about her attitude of defeat with regard to taxes than anything else. I can hardly wait until the people speak next October and remove Premier Dad from his pinnacle. It truly is a good day. Diane Neve

Thank you for the article about Anne Marie and Joe. Very informative, and I think you were fair to both candidates.  Nancy Knight

My hat is off to the Voice staff for the herculean effort you guys accomplished through the Voice of London.  I am a regular listener of your radio show and reader of the Voice.  Thank you very much for your efforts as this was the first municipal election I went to the polling booths with clear decisions on whom I was going to vote for and why. I had never felt this confident in the last 42 years that I have qualified to vote municipally. Thank you Jim and Herman.

John Kasubeck

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NEVER DOUBT the INVALUABLE role you have, are and (I trust) will continue to play in the future of London.  Elizabeth Carroll

You and your team helped make a significant shift at city hall. Thank you, and I encourage you to continue to exalt those who are prudent and accountable to the public they are elected to serve. Randy

Thanks for all the great information and entertainment, you all deserve some time off. I have found the newsletters informative and fun and wish you all the best in the future.

Peter Hinch

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Well done Voice of London and thank you for the invaluable information that helped us all make informed decisions concerning our ballots. Mary

Thanks Jim to you and the gang for the time you out in over the last year to keep us informed, it was while worth the time.

David

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GORDIE MACKENZIE- NOT JUST ANOTHER PRETTY KILT!

Thanks so much for the interview with Gord MacKenzie. Enjoyed it immensely. He brought up so many good points that I too seem to agree with, especially the idea of a unified council, working on the main issues instead of their own agendas.

I do feel this next term of councillors with their added responsibilities and no board of control will lead to very serious complications for the citizens of this city  over the next four years.

Thank you, Voice of London, and thanks to you especially, Mr. Mackenzie, for your insight and desire to see a great success for the City in which we both reside.

John Kay

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I have lived in this city for over 60 yrs, and it takes someone like Gord MacKenzie to see through all the smoke and mirrors city hall has become. Kudos to him and he should be running for office, he would get my vote.

Thanks, G. Kestle

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Too bad Gordon didn’t run for Mayor !!!

Barry Brownlee

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What a wonderful commentary on our city. Now there is the experience and intelligence we need. Hopefully Gordon’s input to our city won’t end here but will continue on, possibly in other venues. Thank you, Gordon MacKenzie for this most important article. Sid Steinberg.

Mr. MacKenzie would have my vote and I would happily work on his campaign. We need more people like him to take this city out of the “small town mentality” and start it looking at the broader picture.

Brad Traylen

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Herman:

I enjoyed your article “Picking a Fight with Angel Street”. There’s just something about that name that seems a bit “over the top”.

I remember Murray Faulkner saying to me once in a radio interview about domestic violence; “Andy, it is always  the men”.

His comment came rushing back to my mind  when the Lucio/Johnson story broke.

While men still dominate the news when it comes to this issue, your article is spot on.  I like your line “All women aren’t angels and all men aren’t beasts”  even if Michael Ignatieff did his part this week to plant seeds of  suspicion in every wife’s mind about every husband’s lurking demons.

Andy