running for city council
I've decided to run for Nanaimo city council in the fall municipal election.
If there are any list members here who have experience with municipal elections I'd welcome any tips or suggestions you might have. Links to resources would help too. I have campaigning experience running for federal council and as a federal candidate, but since municipal politics are a whole other world, I think I'll need all the help I can get.
It's expected that the subjects of sustainability and various environmental issues will be a big part of the election, so I'll have a head start over the other candidates in that area.
- Cameron Wigmore's blog
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Go Cameron! And include your email....
Brian Gordon
Nominated Candidate, Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca
Green Party of Canada
Trained Presenter
An Inconvenient Truth
People - Planet - Prosperity
The New Green Economy
forgot my contact info
camsax(AT)gmail(DOT)com
250-244-1996
The youth and facebook
Hi Cameron,
If you want to connect to the young people I recommend you register yourself as a political candidate on Facebook. This allows people to get to know you and add you as a candidate they support.
Best of luck,
Joel
Letter To Editor - City council needs more ideas for environment
City council needs more ideas for environment
The Daily News
June 16, 2008
Re: 'NALT wants new council to take environmental stand' (Daily News, June 9).
It was inspiring to learn that Nanaimo and Area Land Trust has made a call for council candidates to address sustainability and environmental issues. After speaking with a number of community members, and with their encouragement and support, I have decided to run for city council.
A green development option would be to invest in creating a complete picture for Nanaimo communities, reducing the need for us to go across the city for work or shopping. Devoting lanes to busses and cyclists instead of expanding roads is an effective way to reduce congestion and encourage greener forms of transportation.
It's also less expensive and more sustainable than adding evermore lanes to our roads. I understand that our transit system is considering doubling service within the next decade, but I don't think we should have to wait that long. The cost savings are considerable for individuals using transit instead of driving, and that money can be spent in our communities rather than pouring it into our gas tanks. This is a case of "build it and they will come", and I know many people who would commute by bus if routes would run more frequently.
Efficiency and conservation are two of the most powerful tools in our efforts to run a city sustainably. We can strengthen our economy by conserving our ecology.
Over the long term these efforts can reduce water, energy and transportation development costs significantly. Experience has shown me that to achieve ecological sustainability and well-being in our community we need to work with local businesses.
As a member of city council I would be consulting the residents, community groups and business owners of Nanaimo frequently, rather than paying costly consulting firms to make decisions. I define a fiscally responsible city council as one that keeps a close eye on its budget so it doesn't have to resort to raising property taxes as a result of overspending. Other local concerns I'm aware of include drug and homelessness problems and development strategies.
Having run for a federal political party, and having served on the national council for that federal party, I know that I have the experience and insight to get things done in our city.
I recently attended a Nanaimo city council meeting and realized a strong desire to get directly involved at a local level. Knowing that groups like NALT are encouraging participation in our local political scene gives me hope that we can keep Nanaimo on a sustainable path.
Cameron Wigmore
Nanaimo
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The blog section of the GPC website is a place for GPC members to share their personal opinions and views. The views I express here are my own and are not the official position of the Green Party of Canada.
Unable To Run For Council
I'm sad to announce that I will not be running for municipal council in the fall.
In late June I suffered a herniated disc in my lower back and had to be taken by ambulance to Victoria for emergency surgery. It'll be a few more months before I'm back up to full speed, but it does seem like I'm on the path of full recovery.
What this means to my campaign is that I've lost a lot of momentum that I would have been building over the summer. Something I learned when I ran in the last federal election for the Green Party of Canada is that for a campaign to be successful it needs good planning including volunteers and fundraising. I have not been able to devote the necessary time and effort to win, and I know that while I'm in rehabilitation I'll be moving too slow to chase down Nanaimo voters on the street.
Thank you for all of your support!