Will Victoria Support a Green Run for Mayor?

by Steve Filipovic

Running for public office is very difficult and requires support from the community. I ran provincially in 2005 getting 12% of Victoria-Hillside. I spent $3000 and had 4 volunteers.

Are you behind this idea? Yes, it is last minute; Elizabeth May has inspired me, has she inspired you?

 

As a Green Mayor I would:

1.      Lower the police budget.  We spend over half of our municipal budget on policing.   Placing that money into a housing-first strategy to help the homeless is a huge improvement to the present  "move along" strategy.  It costs roughly $55 000 annually per homeless person to keep them on the street. This is largely due to the hidden costs such as the intensive care one must receive after a cold becomes pneumonia because they are sleeping outside.  Caring for these people is the right thing to do with a healthy benefit of saving us money.  A real win win!

2.      Banning the use of the taser. It has been proven that this weapon is hugely misused and has proven itself to be lethal in many cases. The men and women of police enforcement are highly trained and very able to deal with situations on our streets with other means.  Our streets are very safe and as we are able to assist those who live on the streets with actual solutions our streets will be come much more comfortable for everyone.

3.      Housing First is the strategy that works best for everyone.  When people have a secure place to call their own they are much better able to take care of themselves. There are ways to increase our housing availability. We can encourage co-ops and help homeowners to build basement suites.  We can create rent-to-own housing to help the working poor to gain equity.

4.      Firmly stand against the privatization of our public infrastructure.  After all, it is better to own your house than to rent it. So then why would it be better to rent our Fire Halls from a private interest?  It has been largely proven that privatization doesn't save anybody any money. It does however, change who gets that money.  In a public system the dollars earned can be reinvested into more public services. In a private system shareholders take away their profits and services dwindle, along with wages and benefits.

5.      Speed up the trend to reduce emissions that contribute to Climate Change.  Invest in public transportation; make facilities such as change rooms and showers more available for people who ride bikes.  Stop subsidizing automobiles and start promoting Bikes!  Add more buses and more routes for them.  Develop street cars or trains.  We have many options to choose from.  Let's create the public will to move away from cars and trucks, and get everyone cycling or choosing a greener form of transportation.

6.      Promote local organic agriculture.


 
Green ideas are advancing all over this world. Europe is kilometers ahead of us in this endeavour. Cities in the States are ahead of us as they are picking up the slack George W. Bush has left behind.  If you are supporting Green ideas and are willing to put some money or volunteer time into this campaign then please let me know. 

 

I have caught the bug and have seen the response we are getting from people in the streets of Victoria while campaigning with Adam Saab. In municipal elections 25% of legible voters vote, this gives us a huge advantage as it makes our Green vote substantially bigger.

 

This is a huge opportunity for us Greens! Let me know if you are on board!

Running for office takes a lot of time from my family and business so I will only run if I get a good indication of your support. I have until Friday the 10th to register. 

 

Please email or phone me if you have any questions or to state your support. 

 

Thank you!
 
 

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