My Suggestions For Voting Strategically On 15 October 2022

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Duncan City Hall photo, cropped for use as web page headers

As I am out knocking on doors for the election campaign, one of the common questions I am asked is, “Who are you voting for?”

My answer is that I am voting strategically by voting for a core of 4 candidates in order that four like minded people form a majority on Duncan Council.

The three candidates I am primarily supporting are: Garry Bruce, Mike McKinlay and Mark Anderson.

Then I am picking one additional candidate who I believe will support the position of the core three candidates. That fourth candidate is Carol Newington., who I believe is the candidate most likely to side with Garry Bruce, Mike McKinlay and Mark Anderson on key issues.

Having four like minded Council members elected to Council will give us a majority on a Council comprised of the Mayor and six Councillors.

While I like Councillor Bob Brooke personally, I believe he has sided with, and voted with, Mayor Michelle Staples far too often during the last four years to rely on him to vote with us on key issues.

Councillor Tom Duncan has been on Duncan Council for about twenty years but he no longer lives in Duncan and I cannot support any candidates for Duncan Council who do not actually live in Duncan, own property in Duncan or own a business in Duncan. It makes no sense to me to have Council members voting on issues which affect Duncan residents, taxpayers and businesses with actually being a Duncan resident, taxpayer or business owner themselves.

Stacy Middlemiss does not live in Duncan (she lives in North Cowichan and is not a Duncan taxpayer) and she is also part of Mayor Staples’ inner circle, so I cannot support her.

Jenni Capps is also part of Mayor Staples inner circle, so I cannot support her either.

So I will be voting for four candidates who I believe will be “Putting Duncan Residents, Taxpayers & Businesses First”. Those four candidates are: Garry Bruce, Mike McKinlay, Mark Anderson and Carol Newington. 

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One Of My Recommended Books. False Alarm, by Dr. Bjorn Lomborg

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A question I have been asked by many voters is, “What is your position on climate change?”

Bjorn Lomborg, False Alarm. Book cover.
Bjorn Lomborg, False Alarm. Book cover.

In answer to that question, I agree with the arguments raised by Dr. Bjorn Lomborg in his 2021 book, False Alarm: How The Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts The Poor And Fails To Fix The Planet. in which he argues that climate change is happening but current policies for dealing with it are economically unviable and unsustainable.

I recognize that this view is not shared by a local political action organization called One Cowichan, which is very active on climate issues and has been very successful in getting its candidates elected to City of Duncan Council, Municipality of North Cowichan Council and as CVRD Directors. Candidates supported by One Cowichan included Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples and Duncan Council members Stacy Middlemiss and Jenni Capps.

Here are some videos showing Dr. Bjorn Lomborg discussing his views:

At the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, August 2022

 

At the Centre For Independent Studies, Australia, 2021

At the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, 2020

 

With Dr. Jordan Peterson, 2022 (edited)


With Dr. Jordan Peterson, 2022 (Full Interview)

With Dr. Jordan Peterson, and Ralph Schoellhammer, 2022 (Full Interview)


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Mark Anderson – Candidate For Duncan Council – My Comments On Protecting Low Density Residential Neighbourhoods

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Mark Anderson – Candidate For City of Duncan Council.

Here are some of my comments on protecting and maintaining Duncan’s low density residential neighbourhoods.

Some members of the current City of Duncan Council have referred to Duncan’s low density residential neighbourhoods as “a dead model.” I believe Duncan’s low density residential neighbourhoods should be maintained in their present form.

Here is a video with some of my comments on that subject:

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Duncan Mayor And Council Candidates – Which Candidates Live In Duncan And Which Ones Do Not?

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Mark Anderson, candidate for Duncan Council (photo: Lexi Bainas, Cowichan Valley Citizen)
Mark Anderson, candidate for Duncan Council (photo: Lexi Bainas, Cowichan Valley Citizen)

Mark Anderson – Candidate For Duncan Council

As a candidate for City of Duncan Council, one of the first questions, often the very first question, I am typically asked by Duncan voters is, “Do you live in Duncan?”

That is a very legitimate question and it is one I would ask any prospective candidate for Mayor of Duncan or for City of Duncan Council.

I live in Duncan, I pay taxes in Duncan and I own a business that operates in Duncan.

I think it is very important that Duncan residents, taxpayers and businesses be represented on Duncan Council by people who are actually residents of Duncan, who own a business in Duncan and/or who pay municipal taxes in Duncan.

All the current candidates for Duncan Council are Duncan residents, taxpayers or business owners with two exceptions: Tom Duncan and Stacy Middlemiss.

City of Duncan Councillor Tom Duncan (photo: City of Duncan)
City of Duncan Councillor Tom Duncan (photo: City of Duncan)

Tom Duncan is a long serving incumbent member of Duncan Council.

At the last municipal election in 2018, he was a resident of Duncan. According to official filings for this election, he is now a resident of Cobble Hill.

As far as I am aware, he is not a Duncan municipal taxpayer or a Duncan business owner.

 

 

Gordon Heppell, candidate for Duncan City Council (photo: Gordon Heppell)
Stacy Middlemiss, candidate for Duncan City Council (photo: Stacy Middlemiss,)

Stacy Middlemiss is an incumbent member of Duncan Council, having been elected to Council in the municipal election of October 2018.

She is a resident of North Cowichan and was a resident of North Cowichan when elected to Council in 2018.

As far as I am aware, she is not a Duncan municipal taxpayer or business owner.

 

City of Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples (photo: City of Duncan)
City of Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples (photo: City of Duncan)

Mayor Michelle Staples has been re-elected by acclamation since no other candidate ran against her in this election.

She is a resident of North Cowichan.

As far as I am aware, she is not a Duncan municipal taxpayer or business owner.

 

 

 

Since our incumbent Mayor is a resident of North Cowichan and, as far as I am aware, is not a Duncan municipal taxpayer or business owner, I think it is particularly important in this election that Duncan voters elect members of Council who are actually Duncan residents, municipal taxpayers or business owners.

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Some Comments On Building Housing In Downtown Duncan

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Mark Anderson, candidate for Duncan Council (photo: Lexi Bainas, Cowichan Valley Citizen)

Here is a video with some of my comments about building housing in downtown Duncan.

I believe the City of Duncan made a mistake in granting an Option To Purchase a city owner lot on Kenneth Street to a local non-profit organization which proposes to build a three storey “public art gallery” bordering Kenneth Street, Ingram Street and City Hall Square.

Note that this non-profit organization wants taxpayers to fund its purchase of this city owner lot. The option runs for three years and would allow the non-profit organization to purchase this lot at the APPRAISED VALUE, not the MARKET VALUE, at the time of purchase.

Here are links to some local media coverage of this issue:

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Supporting Downtown Duncan Business – Full Bug Records – Campaign Video

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Mark Anderson, candidate for Duncan Council (photo: Lexi Bainas, Cowichan Valley Citizen)

I think the City of Duncan Council needs to do a far better job of supporting downtown Duncan businesses and Duncan businesses in general.

Here is a video about that which I shot today at Full Bug Records, 171 Jubilee Street, in downtown Duncan:

(Thanks to Matt at Full Bug Records for letting me do a campaign video in his store.)

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Mark Anderson – Candidate For Duncan Council

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Mark Anderson, candidate for Duncan Council (photo: Lexi Bainas, Cowichan Valley Citizen)

My name is Mark Anderson and I am running as a candidate for City of Duncan Council in the upcoming municipal election to be held on 15 October 2022. Here are the candidates for Duncan Council.

I believe the residents, taxpayers and businesses in Duncan have not been well served by Duncan Council since the last election in 2018. The current Mayor and many members of the current Council, with some notable exceptions, do not place Duncan’s residents, taxpayers and businesses at the top of their priority list.

I believe that needs to change. If elected, my top priority will be “Putting Duncan’s Residents, Taxpayers And Businesses First.”  

I have been a City of Duncan resident and taxpayer since 2007. I also operate a successful business serving Duncan and the Cowichan Valley, Greater Victoria and Nanaimo.

So I totally understand the leading issues that are most important to Duncan’s residents, taxpayers and businesses.

Mark Anderson with one of the cars owned by his business, West Coast Driver Training (photo: Cowichan Valley Citizen)
Mark Anderson with one of the cars owned by his business, West Coast Driver Training (photo: Cowichan Valley Citizen)

In my view those issues are taxes; public infrastructure; maintaining safe and attractive neighbourhoods and a safe and attractive downtown core; public safety; maintaining the livability and small town character of Duncan; and creating and maintaining policies to promote and encourage local business.

I want to ensure that Duncan is, and remains, a prosperous small town that is an attractive place to live and visit.

The ways of accomplishing this are not a mystery or a closely guarded secret. The 18th century Scottish economist Adam Smith laid down the basic common features of successful nations and cities in his classic book, The Wealth Of Nations, first published in 1776 and still considered one of the most influential books ever written.

According to Adam Smith, successful nations and cities shared some common key characteristics.  The governments of successful nations and cities were:

  • serious about keeping their public finances in order. The governments of successful nations and cities are, in Adam Smith’s phrase, “not profligate” with public finances. Ensuring that the City of Duncan keeps municipal taxes at reasonable levels and ensuring those tax dollars are used efficiently are essential;
  • diligent in building and maintaining public infrastructure.  As Adam Smith emphasized, societies function far better with good infrastructure than with poor infrastructure or without infrastructure;
  • serious about maintaining public safety and the rule of law, without which society descends into anarchy while crime and public disorder become intolerable. Crime and public safety are very important issues for Duncan residents, taxpayers and businesses;
  • diligent in creating a climate in which business could prosper.  In Adam Smith’s classic phrase, successful businesses create a prosperous society through the actions of “the invisible hand“;
  • providing quality public education. (I will add comments on the District 79 School Board candidates in due time)

These things are as true and as important today as they were when Adam Smith first wrote about them in 1776.

If elected to the City of Duncan Council I will constantly keep Adam Smith’s admonitions in mind.

  • I will ensure that Duncan’s finances are kept in order and that the City of Duncan is “not profligate” with your tax dollars. Duncan’s municipal taxes must NOT be an onerous burden on its residential or business taxpayers;
  • I will be diligent in building and maintaining the public infrastructure that the City of Duncan is required to provide, and in keeping the cost of that infrastructure within the means of Duncan’s taxpayers;
  • I will be very serious about maintaining public safety and the rule of law. Crime, disorder and a lack of public safety do not lead to successful cities or desirable places to live; quite the opposite.
  • I will emphasize the creation and maintenance of a political climate and policies under which Duncan businesses can prosper. Successful businesses are a fundamental component of any successful city.

Here is a video with some of my comments about supporting business in downtown Duncan:

Here is a video with some of my comments about building housing in downtown Duncan:

Here is another video with my comments about housing policy in Duncan:

 

 

Here is a video with my comments on protecting and preserving single family residential neighbourhoods in Duncan:

Mark Anderson, 4 September 2018 (photo: Lexi Bainas, Cowichan Valley Citizen)
Mark Anderson, candidate for City of Duncan Council (photo: Lexi Bainas, Cowichan Valley Citizen)

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Duncan Council Rejects Centennial Park Land Swap Proposal By Duncan Housing Society

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There were two important items on the Agenda of the 13 December 2021 meeting of Duncan Council.

One was the matter of the application for a Temporary Use Permit to allow temporary cabins on the lot BC Housing has purchased at 610 Trunk Road. Duncan Council approved this Temporary Use Permit.

The second significant item on the 13 December 2021 Agenda

Here is the Agenda Item:

“5.2. Duncan Manor – Consideration of Land Swap

– Call for Statement of Conflict – Council

– Staff Report

– Applicant Presentation – Duncan Housing Society

– Public Comments (maximum 3 minutes per person)

Staff Recommendation:

That Council direct staff to finalize the land exchange agreement with the Duncan Housing Society for Council consideration, substantially as described in the December 13, 2021 report of the Chief Administrative Officer.”

Here is a photo of the land which the Duncan Housing Society proposed to obtain through a land swap with the City of Duncan in order that the Duncan Housing Society could erect a six storey building on what is now parkland in Centennial Park.

The land in Centennial Park that Duncan Manor (building on right) proposed to exchange with the City of Duncan so Duncan Manor could build a six storey building on this site. (photo: Duncan Taxpayers)
The land in Centennial Park that Duncan Manor (building on right) proposed to exchange with the City of Duncan so Duncan Manor could build a six storey building on this site. (photo: Duncan Taxpayers)

Here is the video of the 13 December 2021 meeting of Duncan Council. Discussion of Agenda Item 5.2 and public input starts at 2:52:38 of the video and concludes at 4:15:23. The Duncan Council vote on this matter starts at 4:15:23.

I note that Councillor Tom Duncan was the only member of Council who expressed support for the proposed land swap in Centennial Park. I also note that he did not vote when the matter came to a vote by Council.

All members of Duncan Council who voted cast their vote against this proposed land swap. In my view this was the correct course of action.

Here is a map showing the location of Duncan Manor and Centennial Park: