election 2013 – Mack & Cheese

Episode 24: Election Recap, Air Canada, The Edmontonian

mastermaq — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 23:00:13 +0000

In our twenty-fourth episode we do a brief election recap, and also tackle a couple of issues that have been in the news lately.

Graham called it – a big win for Don Iveson. How did he get it right? We also talk about the disappointing turnout for 2013, just 34.5%. Why don’t more people vote? Did we get young people voting? Finally, we touch on what the new City Council looks like and what we can expect.

We also discuss the proposed 71-storey building known as The Edmontonian. While it is a positive sign for downtown, how realistic is the project really? What can we expect? What kind of track record does the developer have? How does it relate to the CRL?

While some seem pretty happy about Edmonton’s prospects, others appear to be non-believers. We’re talking about Air Canada and its decision to cancel the daily YEG-LHR flight. What gives? Why don’t they support Edmonton?

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Episode 23: Election Thoughts

mastermaq — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:34:26 +0000

In our twenty-third episode we discuss the 2013 municipal election! Though we focus on the race for mayor, we do touch on a few of the ward races too.

Why has the race been less interesting than past elections? What kind of experience should candidates have? With election day less than a week away, what do the big three mayoral candidates need to do to earn the undecided vote? We discuss those questions and more!

Thanks for listening!

Disclosure: Mack is actively working on Don Iveson’s campaign for mayor.

Episode 9: Mayor Mandel’s State of the City Address

mastermaq — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 04:00:19 +0000

In our ninth episode we discuss Mayor Mandel’s State of the City Address for 2013. Held at the Shaw Conference Centre on April 2, the speech was an opportunity to reflect on the past year and to talk about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The mayor was widely expected to announce his intentions regarding the fall election during the speech, but instead shocked the larger-than-usual crowd by declaring that “key issues” were “genuinely unsettled” in his mind, and that he didn’t have an answer. He went on to sharply criticize the provincial government’s recent cuts to post-secondary education, as well as the lack of action on regional coordination.

Relevant links for this episode:

Now we’re back to waiting for Mandel’s decision. What do you think he’ll do?