CBRM 2020 - My Mayoral Platform (Because You Don’t Have One)

I have to break it to you: Loving Cape Breton or the CBRM isn’t a platform. If only it was that easy to be a leader!

Good candidates for the CBRM mayor and council seats do need a platform: what you’ll do, how you’ll do it, why it’s the right idea in the first place. That kind of stuff.

Think about it. If you can't describe what you would try to do or influence as an elected official, then voters don't have any incentive to pick you. If you can't come up with anything, why on earth are you thinking about running in the first place? Is it just the salary?

There are people in our community that do have ideas, and—if you're one of the ones that don't have any—you should get out of the way and let them take on the role that they are prepared to do.

From following local politics and the build-up to our next election, I know there are current councillors and also some of you thinking about running that would struggle to articulate even just a few policy positions beyond the typical stuff:

  • we have to get the taxes down,
  • improve the roads, and
  • "Child poverty is bad!"

If that's what you have to offer, it just means you're able to state the problems like everyone else, but we're looking for people to bring solutions. We're looking for leaders. At least that's what we should be looking for, right? Regretfully, some CBRM voters are still very fond of familiar faces and those they know from the Legion or the pizza shop. Good folks, nice folks, but not necessarily qualified leaders in the "able to get stuff done" sense.

Fess up now. You don't have a platform, do you? You're realizing that you mostly just know the few key things people complain about most often, right?

OK then, I'll go first. I'll share my mayoral platform, not because I've decided to run for mayor, but because you don't have one. Yikes! Get ready. It's 20 pages long! If you don't like the sound of that, just wait until you're elected and you face legal agreements, and mountains of memos and emails, and agenda packages alone that are 100 pages long. Are you really equipped to read and digest all of that information? Are you educated highly enough to make sense of it?

Instead of committing to reading 20 pages, start below by skimming the table of contents. You can look for details here if any particular item catches your attention.

Maybe you'll spot something you don't like, that you know will be unpopular and wonder why I'd include it. That's a part of leadership too. You have to get comfortable with the idea of putting your ideas out there without knowing what the response will be—but expecting your fair share of criticism. Nobody said this was going to be an easy job—if you aim to do it right.

Do you aim to do it? Then tell the voters how...

Read more: My Full Mayoral Platform (20 pages)

See also: My CBRM Mayoral Candidate Ranking (February 2020)

See also: My Equalization Calculator


Mayoral Platform Summary:

  • Set Taxes at 0% on New Home Construction
  • Accept “Lobbyist in Chief” Role
  • Impose a Firm “No Property Tax Increase” Rule
  • Demand an “Equalization Playbook and Scorecard” from the Federal Government
  • Deja Vu: Council Equalization Statement at Every Meeting
  • OPTION 1: Reduce Taxes by $40 Million (Equalization Transfer) and Remove the Tax Cap—At the Same Time Only
  • OPTION 2: “Construction Vouchers”: Reduce Taxes by $40 Million (Equalization Transfer) via Home Construction Re-Investment
  • Stop Payment: Withhold $19 Million in Provincial Service Fees Until the Premier Negotiates
  • Publish the “Worst First” Road Condition List 
  • Monthly Mortgage Down Payment 50/50 Draw
  • Prohibition on Payday and High-Interest Predatory Loan Businesses in the CBRM
  • Ban all Video Lottery Terminals in Local Bars and Restaurants 
  • Monthly Political Challenges - Video Response
  • Road Damage Report - Open Database
  • Citizens Request/Feedback/Complaint - Open Database
  • 5-Year CBRM $60k+ Salary Freeze 
  • CBRM Sunshine List - Earnings Disclosure of Top Paid Employees
  • CBRM Employee Family Connections 
  • Mayor and Councillor Mandatory Disclosures 
  • Cape Breton Regional Police Hiring—Recruitment Scholarship 
  • Cape Breton Regional Police “Peacekeeping Bands” & Body Camera Pilot 
  • Cape Breton Regional Police—Steroid Testing and Prohibition 
  • CBRM Scheduling Disclosures & Overtime Reduction 
  • Mandatory Public/Media Disclosure of Legal Threats to Council 
  • Review of CBRM Executives for Performance and Assessment of Potential Municipal Government Act Violations 
  • Termination of Mayor Clarke’s “Political” Hires 
  • Termination of Port CEO Role
  • Non-Renewal of Port Marketing Contract 
  • Give an Honest Assessment of the Container Port Status and Realistic Potential 
  • Pole Signs and Mobile Signs
  • 11th-Hour Reconsideration of the New Location for the Sydney Fire Department 
  • Breakaway of Library Project 
  • Street Naming Bylaw 
  • Heavy Garbage Guarantee 
  • Rooming House / Room Rental Inspection 
  • Tiny Home/Container Home Welcoming and Planning
  • Invite Uber and Lyft On-Demand “Taxi” Services to the Municipality 
  • Student Engagement and Movie Celebration at the HAT
  • Councillor and Mayoral Term Limits
  • Rapid Approval of Permitting and Inspections for Construction and Business 
  • CBRM Citizen Digital Accounts (Updates and Issues Voting) 
  • List of Medical Clinics and Hours 
  • Monthly Mayoral Video Update 
  • CBRM International Student Committee 
  • CBRM Cape Breton Royalty-Free Promotional Video and Drone Content 
  • Council Videos to YouTube in Segments 
  • Council Documents in Searchable Format

NOTE: The views expressed above are my own and do not represent lokol (goCapeBreton.com). Read more

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Nigel Kearns Follow Me
Love this Joe! Great work!
Fay Wambolt Follow Me
This is like a Christmas wish list. Forward thinking like this is exactly what we need here in Cape Breton. Box ticking has to end and accountability needs to be placed to encourage transparency and effort.
Lynn Hussey Follow Me
You nailed it Joe! Good job!
Debbie Keating Follow Me
Joe you hit on every bone of contention on my list with present mayor and council..... but how on earth do we educate the electorate on fact vs fiction??? When we have present council who time after time demonstrate they are aware of the corruption but still opt to support it ....I’m sorry Joe but this applies to ALL present councillors. The evidence is blatantly there and until someone breaks ranks and comes forward with the truth for a change, I’m opting for a complete sweep of ALL of them!! I would love to see Earlene and Amanda finally release the goods with the documentation they have and move this municipality forward .... but sadly up to this point with the coverups I have lost faith in them as well. We need someone with integrity to drive the ship, expose the corruption, demand the audit, and finally give this municipality a chance for future prosperity. After the atrocities the past eight years, we deserve a fighting chance.
Joe Ward My Post Follow Me
MacDougall, MacMullin, and Coombes weren't perfect, but they did far better than expectations given all the push back they faced. They were pressured, targeted for reprimand in-camera until they forced it into the public view, had legal notices sent from within the CBRM after radio interviews, had suggestions they weren't ready for roles, received major shade in council debates, were overlooked for Deputy Mayor, had agenda items refused, and even when they wanted to make it right for the in-camera salary boost, the rest of Council worked against them. Their character survived quite well in such a hostile environment where they were outnumbered and still managed to become the all-star team. They didn't crumble as quickly as Gillespie with a little bit of pushback. I'd just suggest that if we're eliminating everyone, we order them all from least valuable to most valuable, and start by eliminating the ones that have very little to contribute. The best among them will perform much better when the overall quality of the team rises.
Kel donovan Follow Me
We need to be our own province!No excuses!The Province of Cape Breton!Out with the same old ideas from the same ol boys and girls club!To hell with Nova Scotua!We NEED to be on our own and run our own province,as like befor 1820.We can do this with the right people and a new attitude!
Joe Ward My Post Follow Me
Here's some of the key challenges with pursuing provincial status for Cape Breton: * It has a very, very, very small probability of success, * If it were successful, it's decades in the making (20 to 50) * If it were successful, our weak regional leadership (on average) means that the province of Cape Breton would have weak leaders. That might change in 20 to 50 years. * We will still be battling for resources as this new provincial entity. * The province would look to offload a bunch of debt onto the new entity, at minimal based on the proportion of the provincial population. The biggest problem with this pursuit is that has almost zero effect on present and near-future conditions and the strategies we need in the CBRM. That's not to say those who want it most shouldn't continue to lobby for it. But I'll present this challenge. If you were told it had ZERO probability of success, and everyone was convinced that was true, what would you do instead to take on the present challenges that we face?
Kel donovan Follow Me
Joe.That answer would depend on where the question came from.Yeh,we might have a hill or 2 to climb,but not smokey mountain as u might suggest.Hey there are great things happening on the Cape right now which the goverment has very little to do with.No we are not Halifax,but we dam well can become a great province!Look to see whos is running throughout Cape Breton this fall.Believe me they are far from poor leadership quality.As far as unloading dept,depending on the amount,per capita dept,if a great amount,then our own monies from the feds over a said amt. of time and not 20 to 50 yrs. as you may suggest would be taken care of within 5 yrs.Cheers.
Joe Ward My Post Follow Me
I don't think even the biggest advocates of this idea believe that it could be achieved in as short a timeframe as 5 years (e.g. Mark MacNeill). I'm going to challenge you though. Since you feel optimistic that we do not have weak leadership, please give me at least two names of people that intend to run this fall that you think are strong leaders and could get this done?

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