Fitness - Physical & Fiscal Health for Nanaimo

Exercise has been an ongoing part of my daily life. In order to maintain my level of physical health and mental fitness, a work out plan has always been on my personal agenda. When I keep in shape, my body remains lean; my energy level is high, and my self worth soars.

Fiscal fitness to a city is just as important as physical fitness to a body.

The city must run like a well oiled machine; lean – without layers of fat slowing its progress. Strong muscles to move the city forward. And a positive outlook to put Nanaimo’s bright face forward to the world, attracting economic growth and encouraging visitors from the global community to our wonderful city. Add energy to encourage boisterous growth, and we have the perfect recipe for a healthy, thriving community.

Most importantly, for good health, all parts of the body must be healthy. Like a physical body, the whole city is involved in its overall fiscal health. All of our communities from Harewood to North Nanaimo are an integral part of our fiscal body.

The centre of the body, City Hall, must be the healthiest of all.

Clear flowing arteries in a body vitalize the heart, an efficient City Hall can stimulate the functioning of its limbs – our neighbourhood communities.

We need to look after all parts of our body; all of our citizens deserve a healthy productive lifestyle. Our seniors deserve a safe community, with access to health care, seniors facilities and the amenities they need.

Our families deserve a safe community with access to schools and activities such as community centres and sporting facilities.

Our homeless community needs amenities too. Health care, consultation, access to jobs and safe housing are integral to their health and well-being.

I can see a new refreshing energy beginning in the downtown core. Our newly appointed Best Street, Commercial, is an attraction to build on and expand our downtown core. The Convention Centre is a world class structure. With the energy and vitality of a new revitalised City Council, we can tackle the challenges ahead of us and build on the talents of our experienced councillors and with an injection of positive energy from our youth, build an exciting and exuberant city we can all enjoy, fiscally and physically.

#2-NAB Plan Changes Proposed- Better Right than Rushed-Walter Shokal

From: Jim Routledge <jim@jimroutledge.com>

Date: November 13, 2011 5:56:31 AM PST

To: Maurice Mauch <Maurice.Mauch@nanaimo.ca>

Cc: 'Cliff Thompson' <cliff@windleycontracting.com>, Douglas Holmes <Douglas.Holmes@nanaimo.ca>

Subject: Better Right than Rushed

Good morning Maurice - I hope your blackberry is on silent ring as this is early.  I felt obliged to let you know ASAP that after looking at the NAB (New Annex Building) plans I can see other efficient & functional opportunities in the layout as it is.  In other words I can see more changes I want to make.

As a frequent visitor to the old facility I have had occasions to visit most areas of the building, most departments.  The NAB layout is good, I would like to offer input.  I hope its reasonable to consider layout changes at this time.  In my experience plans can always be changed.  I know costs include time spent planning and this could delay completion.  Once again I am reminded of the wise words given to me by my mentor in the Commercial Flooring business, Walter Shokal - "Better Right than Rushed".  Walter, rest his soul, and his sons have done work in most every significant building in this city, I consider it only appropriate for him to have influence on this newest addition.

First Floor is fine, its 2nd & 3rd that are basically backwards.  Start by flipping them front to back and then some juggling to suit incorporating the Mayor/CA offices

Starting at the top - the 3rd floor.  I'd like to see IT and Planning at the front of the building.  Planning is where I see the Mayor/CA  This is where the creative juices start flowing, exposure to reality is huge - it guides & inspires plans and vision moving forward - a huge important element.  Engineering and Accounting function better with less distraction.   I simply could not do any accounting with even the slightest option for my brain to escape to- it is truly the hardest mental exercise I've encountered.  Engineering for much the same reason excel with focus and concentration.

2nd floor - Development Services is where our customers come.  This is where we have the opportunity to inspire and excite the prospective builders and developers of our future.  Having the Service Counter flipped so that visitors would stand at the counter looking towards the harbour, looking to the harbour of The Harbour City, would give the best backdrop I could imagine to the plans they bring.  It would also put our staff facing & focused on the customer and their needs.  This is really the heart of the change I propose.  Our staff need to focus on their work, our customers can face their dreams.

I do hope that this can be considered at least a remote possibility at this time.  I am fighting hard in the race to be Mayor and even if I do fall short, perhaps our successful Mayor may want to consider these thoughts in light of his own management philosophy and experience.

I offer them at this time with no expectations.

For what it is worth as an experienced bidder of flooring for jobs like this - I would whine severely when asked to re-do my estimate but deep down I knew that the overall quantity simply could not change.  It was at worst a good opportunity to double check my work.

Does it help you to know what I am thinking?

Regards

 

Jim Routledge  250 616 2151

Candidate for Mayor of Nanaimo 2011

jim@jimroutledge.com

www.jimroutledge.com

www.jimsworld2012.blogspot.com

Twitter: @JimRoutledge

FaceBook:  Jim Routledge for Mayor

6021 Hammmond Bay Rd.,

Nanaimo, BC, Canada V9T 5M4

Occupy Nanaimo - Leadership Opportunity knocks

Good timing at the Krall space yesterday.

I know I have been lucky to have had nobody press me on what I would do with Occupy Nanaimo if I was Mayor.  So I began bouncing the question around more vigorously today among my "team".  Rufus enjoys bouncing things yet it just seemed to tire him out too.  The women in my life got me moving with a clear - "have you talked to them".  I arrived about 5:00pm just as people were congregating for supper and a general assembly meeting.  I had several good chats with both people I had met before (Matt & Kara) at a recent SECA (South End Community Association) meeting, and a new face that I had bantered with online Sarah Schmidt.   The Matt moment was perhaps the deepest water I had ventured into on the "why are you doing this" ocean.  And it is an ocean of a subject - broad, stormy and compelling.

This is my take:
1) its about the world financial crisis and the greed & manipulation of bond traders
2) its about the probability of the same sort of thing happening again
3) its about doing something to prevent 2)

Getting back to Matt again for a moment, he is young, well groomed and mannered.  He repeatedly dealt with interruptions in our conversation in a way that made me want to hire him as a front line complaint service worker.  I believed him when he said he had never protested about anything before, that he is still not sure what brought him to the plaza on day 1, but here on day 21+(the sign has not been updated for a few days) here he was still pleasant, committed and willing.  How can I not respect that?  He was up on the news too, informing me that today's Gallop poll put national support for the Occupy Movement at 53% - about what my gut said too.  It is a good idea, barely.

I am watching what is developing in Vancouver & Victoria, its heading down ugly street and comments in our paper have the bandwagons circling.  I met recently with Manager of Coast Bastion- his guests are taking home stories of shabby Nanaimo.  So what is the next step?

I asked among the group and had a variety of answers and hopeful looks.  I am wearing a suit, with a poppy thank you.  I am heading to a campaign Open House, pumped up again to meet people interested enough to move on a dark evening to see me.  My spidey sense is telling me something familiar, like the day, Oct 12, when I was in Norm McNabb's office and I realized I had to run for Mayor because no one was stepping up with commitment and conviction on the Supportive  Housing issue.

Here we go again - yeesh, this just gets better every day. If I was leader of this city, I would come out and say what I would do.  Isn't that what leadership is?  To at least put up an opinion and let others challenge it, hoist it higher or just look at it and draw strength from the fact that if something better does not materialize, then there is a plan.  Wondering creates so much of the stress and grief in my life. The good or bad decisions allow me to move; it is "indecision" that truly paralyzes me.

 So here is what I would do:

1) Propose a City of Nanaimo Council resolution to request the US government to suspend the business licenses of the US Bond Rating Companies, all of them - Moody's, Standard & Poors, Fitch, Egan-Jones, Rapid.  List them all and basically call for all of them to be suspended and replaced with a government department that does the job.

2) Invite the Occupy Nanaimo leaders to address City Council - as many speakers as want to speak.

3) Have Council vote on sending the Resolution.

Then if they want to stay in the Krall space, I truly can say I have done the best I can do.

What more can anyone ask of a leader?

JimR Mayoral ToDo List

Things I will do as Mayor starting Nov 21 - not necessarily in order

1)Call Chief Doug White III
2)Initiate Change Order Request (COR) to incorporate Mayor's Office & City Administrator office in New Staff Building
3)Call Justin BC Building Corp re Nanaimo Supportive Housing, request Bowen Rd process restart
4) Retract RTE Bylaw 7143 Apologize to Susan Cudahy & EDC, promise to stay out of her kitchen
5) Connect with VIU, PBS, Service Canada, Port Authority, BC Parks,
6) Council Elect set up strategy meeting to discuss & plan goal setting for coming 3 yrs & beyond. Sunday Nov 20 Council Elect Open House my house.
7) Improve availability timing of agenda's & minutes.   Real time posting of drafts and revisions?
8) Include Nanaimo city employees in Corporate Recreation Pass program
9) Extend Aquatic centre hours on specific long weekends where demand warrants & Earlier opening (6:00am) on regular weekends.
New Years Day 7:30am - 5:00pm
Good Friday    7:30am - 5:00pm
Easter Monday  7:30am - 5:00pm
Victoria Day     7:30am - 5:00pm
Canada Day:  No change
BC Day:        No Change
Labour Day    7:30am - 5:00pm
Thanksgiving Day  7:30am - 5:00pm
Remembrance Day   7:30am - 5:00pm
10) BTS - Bylaw Tracking System, online status of all "work in progress" bylaws
11)

RTE Bylaw 7143 - Ruttan's ruination

EDC Snubbed

Either the EDC is being snubbed or Ruttan wants desperately to throw good money after bad. Either way Bylaw 7143 – the Revitalization Tax Exemption Bylaw shows bad timing and a clear lack of leadership by Mayor Ruttan

This is not a good way to welcome our newest civic leader, the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation's CEO, Susan Cudahy.  If I were she, I'd be wondering if Nanaimo has any manners at all.

A city like Nanaimo has few real Economic Development tools to work with. One was grabbed from Susan Cudahy last Monday night, further complicating her job by giving away 10 years of tax revenue on all new hotel/motel developments over $2 Million

I doubt Susan has had time since assuming her position Oct 14, to even meet most of the people in her new world, let alone get to know them or set up any systems, structure and procedures. I wonder if she has even had a board meeting let alone set a game plan, strategy or goals. Sure, she has the Economic Development Strategy Report. This is about as useful as having a recipe but no kitchen, pantry, utensils, garbage can or workbench to even begin to work with. Then before she can even start, City Hall pulls parts out of the stove.

John Ruttan did a good thing setting up the EDC. I am really wondering now if it was dumb luck. Does he even know what it’s for? The EDC was to be the Economic Development “decision making machine.” The Mayor & Council would no longer have to squirm under the pressure of making decisions like this that they are ill equipped to make. Eliminating 10 years of tax revenue from New Developments could amount to a lot of money. Is it smart? Who picks up the tab – the taxpayer? Is it part of a plan? Or is it an act of desperation by a mayor grasping at straws to save a bad idea.

Please let me be clear here – giving away 10 years of taxes may well be the best idea since sliced bread. I'm simply wondering why we are we not letting the expensive baker we hired make that call. Let her decide if we need it, if it makes sense, if it is consistent with or integral to our Goals and Strategies moving forward. After doing nothing for two years waiting for the EDC to lead the way, why do we give the new CEO a “Hilliard Graves hip-check” as she is coming out of the gate for her first shift on the ice.

A sign on CNN founder Ted Turner's desk reads - Lead, Follow or Get the Hell out of the Way. Mayor Ruttan has jumped right in the way on this one either by design or neglect. He either wanted this tax reduction bylaw or neglected to stop it. If it wasn't his idea, then he certainly should have stopped it.

As far as the actual RTE is concerned I really feel that Volker Grady, the manager of the Coast Bastion Hotel has the right idea – people come to stay in his rooms not because they are empty but because they have a reason to; they have something that interests them and draws them here. I learned that at any given time there are 12 “interested parties” monitoring what is going in in Nanaimo to see if there is a reason to build a hotel. If the demand is there, one will get built regardless of whether there is a “SALE” on the tax and land.

I think this is yet another example of the inappropriate use of a tool by Nanaimo council. The EDC has been severely snubbed and is owed an apology. I’d support Susan if she were to be brave and say to staff, council and the Mayor, “Please put the RTE bylaw down and step away before you hurt yourself”

Kelowna connections - more Supportive Housing success

Good thing I have a Westy - a 91' Westphalia Syncro Camper Van.  The "syncro"means 4 wheel drive and freedom to get off the grid.  The trip to Kelowna, after the Chamber speech, was on the grid but it was so nice to have a couple hours sleep on the ferry from Duke Point in a "real" bed and then a few more at around Hope.  I got up early Friday and arrived in Kelowna as the work day was starting.  The Westy doubled as a dressing room, coffee shop and office with internet & power connections.  It saved me hours thru a day's meetings with several key Kelowna Supportive Housing staff and operators.

I had an appointment with a Kelowna planner - a lady somewhat like John Horn with huge responsibility and heart of gold to match.  The 20 minutes she gave me was precious.  I learned that there was a guy who introduced another guy who lead to a spreadsheet program being written to help evaluate supportive housing sites.  She explained the six month process yet was reluctant to share the actual spreadsheet which immediately told me I didn't need it.  She gave me the name of the guy.  That name was Norm Letnick, he was on Kelowna city council and went on to become the MLA for this area.  I went to the Kelowna Mayors office where Jan the assistant to both the Mayor and the City Manager (their offices are side by each) gave me Mr Letnick's phone number.

I left a big long message explaining why I wanted "the guy's" contact info.  I got a call back from Katja who gave me Norm's email addy.  I sent a similar message via email and late last night got the info I was looking form from Norm.

Before I share that tidbit, I want to relate the rest of the afternoon.  I went to 3 Supportive Housing sites that all looked nice, new & "normal"
1) Willow Bridge/CMHC

2) Tutt St Building / NOW Canada Society

3) Cardington Apartments operated by John Howard Society
This last one was where I met Shelley Cook the Executive Director.  She gave me the tour and shared some history - this is where I found a grain of salt.  Her perspective on the site selection tool I referred to earlier is that it was no magic pill, there were people that questioned the validity of it too. Arghhh, just when I thought I had one.  I realized that the instinct I had earlier was right.  I dont need the tool, I need the process.  The real value may be realized by spending the time, focus and reaping side effects of developing the tool.  Maybe its just in making connections........

So - I think I have a pretty good perspective now - Kelowna with 120,000 people to Nanaimo's 90,000 is like Maya to Julia - These are Pats grandkids that we are visiting in Kelowna.  Maya is 5, Julia is 3.  Maya has been thru some important things that Julia can include in her thinking, in the choices she makes moving forward thru life.  Thats about it, nothing more - just some valuable information to include.

So back to Norm Letnick's site selection analysis connection.  It is Richard Appleby at Okanagan College 250 762 5445.  I called - its the main switchboard and they are closed for the weekend -   Yippee, that means I am done for the weekend and can enjoy some family connections....... Gawd this is fun.

Game On - All Candidates Mtg#1 - Post Mortem

Good - I made a big mistake early.  I wont be wondering when now.   I can only hope thats the worst of it .

I felt fine with the introduction speech I did and the "Low Barrier" question was right in my hitting zone.  It was at Intermission that I got the body blow.  A neatly dressed senior gentleman came up to the stage and called me over.  I got no name, no handshake - I received a terse piece of his mind, absolutely deservedly so.  I had failed to wear a poppy.  The gentleman was gone in a heartbeat, there was no explaining to him or to many others that I knew would have noticed.  This is one of those things that I might not win many votes for but could lose tons by neglecting, by disrespecting.  I immediately got a poppy and made a decision to change my final speech to acknowledge this brave gentleman and the war effort & sacrifice so worthy of a share of the passion this night.

I spoke of my dad fighting in Italy, having been given a battlefield promotion when his group leader had a breakdown, about my dad having been wounded and sent home.  It was too little, too late but I needed to do something.  I made a mess of finishing the speech with conviction & purpose.  I'm sure it sounded like an excuse for being late.

I do want to share some of me here, now.  I have been miserable to live with and work for because I am so anal about cleaning up mess.  I made a mess last night and I simply could not go on with out at least trying to make it right.  I just prefer to keep going forward, to stay on track - even if that means slowing to a crawl while I pick up pieces of my mess.  Its just the way I am i guess, always have been, why put off doing what needs to be done, just get at it, make it better - deal with it.

I am trying to step up my game as a person and as a leader.  This sort of attention to detail is my responsibility.  I went too far & too fast yesterday.  I can be patient and keep up the quality of my work.  If I plan to become a journeyman politician, its the only way.

Look for something more from me on Remembrance Day Nov 11.  I was planning to do it anyways but this makes it for more people than just Mum.