You can find out all you want about his positions on things at his website, so I am not going to spend time on that, instead just write about the man I met with.
Hugh is well spoken, well dressed and strongly involved with the community. He is also outgoing, but I think he is by nature an introvert that has learned how to be gregarious in public.
He knows what one should do to get elected but is running against that from an idealistic stance. He has been to the Manning Centre and taken a course on campaign management. He did not want to campaign before his papers were filed. He wants people to choose someone for council because they are the best person and have been involved with community in an ongoing way. He has some idealized images of what the campaign should be.
If I were to use one short phrase to describe Hugh, that would be an optimistic idealist. He feels uncomfortable that his community involvement could be a political benefit in a campaign. He has no team, he is not spending a bunch of money, all he is doing is letting people in his several Rolodexes know he is running and letting word of mouth work. Part of his idealism that I strongly agree with is that people should only run for office in the jurisdictions where they can vote.
I find it interesting that he is choosing to run this way with an Anti-Campaign. He is not like most people that run for council that have no idea how to campaign and end up running a campaign much the same has his.
On personal level Hugh and I have a lot in common, I am not certain, but I think we are in a very broad agreement on almost major political issues. Certainly we both have that same drive to be involved with the community and we both seem to see the world as a place that can and will get better.
Wold Hugh make a good city councilor? I am certain he would because he has a passion of the city. I think he would cause less of a confrontation with the Mayor than Barry Hobbis or Paul Brown, by this I mean who the Mayor will see as an alpha male in opposition to him.
Can he get elected? Short of divine intervention, nope. This does not mean you should not vote for him because you should vote for the person you like best and not vote for a person that is more likely to defeat someone else. There is no one that can usefully handicap who will win this by-election. I have one vote and my vote is still going to go to Sue Woods, not because there is anything wrong with Hugh, but because I am still convinced that Sue is the right person to be elected to this council.
I would really like to see Hugh run in 2011 and run with a serious major campaign to get elected. If he does, I will be offering to help him.
In the meantime Hugh and I are looking for an evening after the 18th to get together and share some bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau.
2 comments:
Odd. You suggest I find out about his positions on the issues on his website yet when I go there I can find no such thing. I think he is against the Bridge borrowing scheme but I can find no real position statements.
Sorry about that, he has changed his website since I last looked...... Here is what he said to Monday Magazine:
Hugh Kruzel
MM: What made you decide to run?
HK: Being involved in my community is fundamental to who I am. I ran [for council] in the past and run today because average citizens should be able to step up and have a role in shaping our present and future. I have a long history in service: this includes retail, recreation, hospitality and education. I realize municipalities have to be flexible and agile—how we do things has to be client centred, and running a city is running a business. The problem for citizens is that if it is run badly, the only option may not even be to leave, but to hope the next three years go quickly.
MM: What are the main issues this city is struggling with right now, and how will you address them as a council member?
HK: Homelessness, taxation, transit and regional transportation . . . If I had to pack up things into tidy categories, we would call the headings: social systems, infrastructure and interconnectedness. This last item is certainly gaining much momentum, as individually the municipalities cannot function as separate units. Unified response to policing and fire could be but one area to consider.
MM: On that note, what's one issue that nobody is talking about?
HK: I use the public library and know—as many do—that we should be taking some steps forward in movement towards and new central library. Another natural is the ongoing quest for a home for the "new" Greater Victoria Art Gallery [sic]. I love the present site, but it limits what can be shown here. I am going to add my voice to the need for a permanent downtown farmers' market. Include my desire to transform Government Street into a pedestrian mall, and then we are well on our way to a more vibrant core.
MM: When it comes to council decisions, do you think that council currently uses enough public input?
HK: Getting a good turn-out is sometimes a challenge. If it isn't a hot-button topic, how do we get more than a handful out to debate or contribute? However, the Blue Bridge proves just how important it is to put your ear to the ground. The question of transparency and the sudden arrival of this concern certainly woke up more than a small sample of the population. It is our city so we better get out to shape its texture and form.
MM: Why should people vote for you?
HK: I actually live in Victoria. When I talk to my neighbours we are talking about Victoria issues. I don't go home to shop or sleep in another community. I shop at merchants in James Bay, along Fort and buy groceries at Wellburns and the Market on Yates, not somewhere else. I walk to yoga at the YMCA (because I live downtown) and cycle to the Moss [Street] Market. I go to Metro and Intrepid Theatre, and movies at Pierre's Odeon. I get pizza at the Brickyard and am delighted Relish and other restaurants are opening. All this is to say that I believe that to be a credible candidate you must be a resident here. Why vote for me? I will make being your voice on council my top priority; not something else I do.
MM: Cycling lanes have been a contentious issue in Victoria. Do we need more or less emphasis on this subject, and how can we achieve this?
HK: We should be Canada's top cycle-friendly city. More bike focus is never a negative. I have participated in discussions about how and what can be done. When in port, my wife cycles to work each day along Esquimalt Road to the the dockyards. Our son used to bike safely to friends in Fairfield and Fernwood. My tires just needed replacement. More bike lanes, and more safe-covered parking spaces are needed. Wouldn't it be great if 25 percent of all trips in Victoria were taken by bike? I think it is achievable. If we demanded that all new offices and construction consider the needs of cyclists, this alone would be a positive step.
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