Raise the Hammer

I agree, but it's not just Whitehead. Councillors now make over $90,000. plus a pension. There is now little incentive for a city Councillor to move to say provincial or federal politics. In the 2014 municipal election fewer than 35% of the eligible voters in Ward 8 bothered to vote, in order to win you only need to keep a small core group happy to be re-elected. So you build a bocce court & keep some businesses on Stonechurch happy and you keep being a big fish in a small pond, instead of risking it at a higher level. Ward 7 had over 20 names on the ballot & now that Donna Skelly is in, how many do you think will run next time? If you want to study the effect of traffic calming on Aberdeen,how about a similar one on development south of the Linc? This quote from Councillor Whitehead's assistant sums up their view of traffic calming: (This was concerning a request we made to have the speed limit on the Claremont to West 5th ramp lowered to 50kph and the crosswalk to the stairs be better identified) "There was a request some years ago regarding a marked crosswalk however this was discouraged by City Planning as it could be hazardous with traffic coming off of the Claremont access onto the by-pass to West 5th Street this is still considered a major roadway and traffic is travelling like on an expressway”. My impression is that if you live north of Mohawk they are more than happy to use the streets as ,in their words, expressways to serve urban sprawl on the south portion of Ward 8. the north portion can become the new North End. BTW neither Councillor Whitehead or his assistant return our emails or phone calls. I am told there is a Southham neighbourhood group but the Chairperson is the Councillor Whitehead's Assistant & despite requests she has yet to send me a meeting schedule or minutes from the last meeting.Nice eh?