Quote:
Originally Posted by Winnipegger
Good mayors have vision and focus on city-building, but too many councilors don't care about city building and are in it just to appease vocal minority residents who care more about if their local park gets an extra garbage can as opposed to making a functional transit system, reducing homelessness, densifying existing neighborhoods, or other city-building initiatives. You need a progressive mayor and a progressive majority on council and a progressive provincial government to make real change. The moon, planets, and stars have to align in Winnipeg for real, tangible progress to take in a 4 or 8 year period unfortunately.
|
I suppose in some respects councillors are giving the crowd what it wants. Whenever I get an update mailer from my councillor, Brian Mayes, it's never about big picture stuff. It's always the most pathetically parochial things you could imagine. I got funding to pave a tennis court! New garbage cans at park X! New boards at community centre Y! Never a word from him about the big picture.
It would be like if Elon Musk focused all of his time and energy on the kinds of flowers in the planters in front of Tesla HQ, or the soup being served in the employee lunchroom. Yet here we are.
The only councillor I ever had who seemed to be interested in actual city building and improving municipal government was Jenny Gerbasi.