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David A said:
Usually incumbent mayors here in their first terms poll fairly well and that also tends to discourage more credible candidates running.

IDK if Nickel can help himself so maybe he will run yet again, but I suspect there are several stronger candidates looking at this poll and pondering whether to run now.

There is a lot of dissatisfaction both with the mayor and much of current council, so I would not be surprised if someone picks up on the opportunity and coalesces it.
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Bingo - from big issues to small things we usually don't even notice, like snow clearing, this council has effectively bungled the majority of decisions since getting in. I'm a fan of Sohi as a person, but he has been ineffective at best.
 
^
I think what this demonstrates is the ineffectiveness of the Mayor's office in Alberta and across Canada - particularly when saddled with a new and/or ineffective council or administration - more than the effectiveness of the individual.
 
The narrative of administrative failure seems to be snowballing. That is a bit odd, considering the transformative zoning bylaw that council passed. A lot of what ails this city has been building for decades, and the zoning bylaw will tackle a significant root cause. It will take decades more to see benefits hit the balance sheet in a meaningful way, but it was a huge step for Edmonton.
 
kcantor said:
^
I think what this demonstrates is the ineffectiveness of the Mayor's office in Alberta and across Canada - particularly when saddled with a new and/or ineffective council or administration - more than the effectiveness of the individual.
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The mayor needs to lead effectively. Over our history, some mayors have been better about bringing together councilors who can sometimes be like a herd of unruly cats, and channeling them in a more effective direction.

Likewise, the mayor inherits an administration, but if they find ineffective people there, they can not be timid or hesitate to make changes quickly otherwise their efforts will quickly be undermined.

An easy going nice guy approach does not fix fundamental problems.
 
In terms of his relationship with the province, Sohi has given credit where it is due (opportunities are limited) as well as speak up on behalf of city interests (several times) when issues arise around funding/provincial responsibilities etc.

In this regard, I am curious what armchair political quarterbacks (I'm one) think a mayor should be doing in terms of relations with the UCP government these last couple of years? Because right now, almost every mayor in the province has some real concerns with this government, and yet the province seems to have the sympathy of many voters in having to manage uncontrollable spending municipalities.
 
Part of the reason the province goes after some municipalities as relentlessly as it does is because it knows the municipal leaders are already deeply unpopular.

I do not at all agree with the province's approach, but it is a further sign of our municipal leaders ineptitude. The only real solution for municipal leaders is to improve their image with the public, otherwise they will just need to get used to continuing to be the whipping boy for the provinces.
 
David A said:
The mayor needs to lead effectively. Over our history, some mayors have been better about bringing together councilors who can sometimes be like a herd of unruly cats, and channeling them in a more effective direction.

Likewise, the mayor inherits an administration, but if they find ineffective people there, they can not be timid or hesitate to make changes quickly otherwise their efforts will quickly be undermined.

An easy going nice guy approach does not fix fundamental problems.
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David A said:
Part of the reason the province goes after some municipalities as relentlessly as it does is because it knows the municipal leaders are already deeply unpopular.

I do not at all agree with the province's approach, but it is a further sign of our municipal leaders ineptitude. The only real solution for municipal leaders is to improve their image with the public, otherwise they will just need to get used to continuing to be the whipping boy for the provinces.
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David A, I know we're all armchair quarterbacks here but in regard to your first reply I would be interested in knowing exactly what you think Sohi could have/should have done that wasn't done?

And in regard to your second reply I would be interested in knowing what you think he could have/should have done "to improve his image"?

I would also be interested in what you think about the Province's politicking in the municipal arena in areas such as the announcing - ad infinitum - that they have "funded 50 new police officers" each for Edmonton and Calgary knowing full well that there aren't any police officer trees where either city can go out and pluck 50. Recruitment is probably 3-6 months, training is probably 6-9 months and there's probably probation for another 6 months after that. That means for close to 2 years after the initial announcement there will be little change on the streets (or on transit) in Edmonton or Calgary for which the Province will continue to wash their hands and the two City's will suffer the consequences and take the blame. This is much like their announcement of 11 drug rehabilitation treatment centres for the province 2 years, only 2 of which are accepting patients 2 years later.
 
As I have alluded some past mayors have been successful in leading difficult councils, so if I were to advise the mayor I would suggest two things - talk to those past mayors (who are still around) about this and look at how they did it. After a few years inexperience is no longer a good excuse for anyone.

As for image, I feel people want stronger leadership, maybe that is not the current mayors style and I think that is a big part of the problem. If he is going to improve his image, he needs to figure how to project more assertively and confidently his own vision and not seem constantly overwhelmed by events and others.

The province funding 50 police officers is not a bad thing, not sure if it is realistic so hype and what is accomplished may not match what is announced, but that is typical of how they operate. However, municipal politicians. unpopularity was not created by provincial politicians, it is just currently being taken advantage by them.
 
trevorhayden said:
Trust me, the current mayor has a very strong grip on City Council.
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This council while not always in agreement, nor would I expect it to always be, is respectful of each other and the mayor helps set that tone. I think this council has acted well in that regard which is important to me. The only councillor offering some public criticism of colleagues and questioning decisions of others in public has been Cartmell on just a few occasions, and that has been very mild compared to the current Calgary council with a lot of mudslinging and at times almost disfunction. At times, it was like that with Nenshi's councils, too.

We had way more issues with junior high school behaviour with the previous council with some of the actions and childish language of people like Nickel. It's nice to not hVe that nonsense this time around.

There are clearly some divisions in this current council in terms of priorities or their takes on certain issues, but there is respect for each other I would say and they don't put each other down.

In thinking about it, I guess there was a bit of disrespect shown to the Mayor by Cartmell and Hamilton in agreeing to work on premier's task force with Sohi not even being aware or informed. That could have been handled better from my perspective. But overall, council has kept it professional and civil.
 
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