Raise the Hammer

Interesting.

In my original musings about the notion of an increased 'relationship of engagement' regarding local governance, I proposed that 'electronic town halls' would be a great variation on the time-tested, in-person theme. This is a primitive take on on the notion, but I suppose it's a start...however inherently flawed it is. (Over the years, I've taken part in phone-based teleseminars, and they're an entirely different kettle of fish, because there's an inherent level of engagement, of investment on the part of the participants. I can't imagine this approaching that.)

I'm curious as to how a candidate such as Martinus Geleynse would/will approach the idea of connecting with people using say, online video-chat technology.

The idea of emailing the DiIanni campaign office with my phone number before I can take part in this "town hall meeting" is flawed on so many levels.

a)I have a cell phone. Most people I know don't have a land-line these days.

b)Political campaigns collect and use personal info like that in a way that would make spammers jealous.

c)I'm not about to say what I think of DiIanni after giving "his boys" my phone number, as I can name at least one person I know who's been threatened by them personally (back in the '03 election).

This is a farce. Town hall meetings are conducted by impartial mediators, with folks from a range of views. Not one candidate and a group of "citizens" they select.

Comment edited by Undustrial on 2010-09-10 06:11:59

Will Bill "I Coulda Been An MP" Kelly be manning the switchboards?

Do they mind if I call from a Ward 1-3 pay phone?

Town hall meetings are conducted by impartial mediators, with folks from a range of views.

That's one definition of a 'town hall meeting'. It's not the only one.

The fact is that a 'town hall meeting' is merely the latest version of 'clan sitting around fire discussing Life, planning, teaching, debating'.

mystoneycreek said: "I'm curious as to how a candidate such as Martinus Geleynse would/will approach the idea of connecting with people using say, online video-chat technology."

To be honest, I would never consider video conferencing or "Teletown Halls" an effective means of two-way dialogue in the context of municipal politics. The value of such media is their ability to cover geographic divides, or in the case of web casting: to deliver a message to a wide variety of people in a variety of places. In municipal politics, however, (particularly in the downtown wards), it is possible to actually cover the entire ward on foot. My belief is that electronic media ultimately aims to replicate the value of face-to-face conversation. However, it will never be an adequate substitute. Simple example: I would rather talk to my family in-person than over Skype. For this reason, it is imperative for municipal candidates to shake hands, listen to people on doorsteps, maintain a campaign office, and connect with the electorate in the most immediate and intimate way possible. People aren't simply votes to capture by technology, they are individuals with visions, concerns, questions, and ideas. Anything less than striving for the best communication with them is unacceptable (election or not).

On another, simply pragmatic level, it has to be noted that quite a few people do not have access to, or literacy in the technology required for video conferencing and teleconferencing. While it may connect with a specific segment of society in a relevant way, it falls short for many others.

I was excited when I misread that as Teletoon. Thought there was going to be an evening of Looney Tunes. It’s looking more like Mr. Magoo.

I don't know about these new-fangled ways of trying to reach people. But I sure do admire that he is trying his best to do it. As for Schleshinger...he is more like a Schleppinger for his lame humor.

The fact is that a 'town hall meeting' is merely the latest version of 'clan sitting around fire discussing Life, planning, teaching, debating'.

And I'll be the first for anything that's a continuation of that kind of community discourse. Doing it online is a great idea, too. But my contention remains - what DiIanni is conducting is a campaign stunt and not a genuine public discourse.

I think Raise the Hammer misunderstood the release. I went to the website and it says that people with listed phone numbers will be invited to participate AND that for those intersted in participating they can email or phone. It DOESN'T say that you have to confirm by phone or email to get a phone call.

This Ward 1 resident will be there. I have a question or two I wouldn't mind asking Larry.

Comment edited by Tybalt on 2010-09-10 21:45:59

Well... we are less than 12 hours from the call and I still have not heard back from the campaign with a call-in number. So I guess maybe Larry and his campaign shut down on the weekends? Nice operation they're running there.

Incidentally, I did get an e-mail back from the campaign and they definitely will not give a call-in without a telephone number...

"Please provide your phone number to ensure we have it in the list of ward 1 telephone numbers able to access the TeleTown Hall."

Tuned in last night. Very interesting. This guy's gonna win.

40 days left. Time enough for something biblical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9w8_NKHBMc

I prefer this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbqWJCcYWMg

Those who pay Bell Canada a good amount every month to keep their phone numbers Private, may be amused by this. (or not.)