New Name, New Look, Half the Gang - New Current Events Show on CFRU

It was a sad development for the end of the year, the announcement that Gang of Four would be no more. It was a reverse Christmas present, something that was being taken away not just from me, but from the hundreds of people that like the show, and like getting a different perspective on politics and current affairs. Change is inevitable, and change is never one thing, which is why while The Gang of Four is no more, Open Sources Guelph now lives.

My Picks for the BTBB Awards 2015

It's that time of year again. Christmas! And the Beyond the Ballot Box Awards. Fitting for the final episode of the Gang of Four, we salute the real heroes: the politicians and news stories we talk about weekly. If you were listening to the radio, you will have heard my picks already, but in case my justifications weren't clear, I decided to write them out in long form below. It was a very busy year in politics, and there were a lot of darts and laurels (mostly darts) to go around, but after considering all the factors and contenders, here are my choices for Best Politician, Worst and Dumpster Fire of the Year. 

Farewell to the Gang of Four

Sadly, tomorrow brings to a close a three year odyssey called "The Gang of Four," the little radio show that could. Honestly, looking back on the last three years working with the gang, it's a wonder not that it's coming to an end after three years, it's a wonder that it kept going week after week for this long. This a show, after all, that none of us get paid to do, and a lot of work goes into each and every show as we all seek to provide balanced and intelligent insight into the various issues of the day. But now the time has come to say goodbye. Sort of.

Upcoming "Beyond the Ballot Box" Specials for the Holidays

As per usual with the end of the year, the Gang of Four and Beyond the Ballot Box will be doing some special episodes for the last few weeks of 2013. 

Gang of Four Features End of Year Specials

So it's the end of the world year 2012, and to mark the occasion (and because we appreciate a break at the holidays) The Gang of Four on "Beyond the Ballot Box" on CFRU 93.3 fm are doing a pair of holiday specials over the next two Mondays.

We'll Do It Live!

Do you like listening to the Gang of Four on your radio every Monday morning, but have always wondered what it would be like to be inside the recording booth with us? No, you probably haven't, but that's okay because you're going to get your chance anyway.

"Ballot Box" Olympic Follow Up

Maybe you listened to this morning's "Beyond the Ballot Box" on CFRU, and maybe you were saving it for later, but either way, I wanted to add a couple of end notes to our - rather vicious - Olympics discussion. 

The Laidlaw Conundrum

Whenever Maggie Laidlaw says something off the cuff, it's a guaranteed lightening rod.

The topic was up for discussion again yesterday on "Beyond the Ballot Box" on CFRU. I was doing a "Media at the Mic" segment, talking local issues with the Guelph Mercury Scott Tracey when the latest Laidlaw lob came up. In discussing the city's new, stricter idling by-laws last week, Ward 4 councillor Cam Guthrie said that he was concerned that the restrictions were "just another tool ... for residents to be tattle-tailing on their neighbours." To which his Ward 3 colleague responded "I will look forward to starting to make some phone calls."

Occupy Guelph Ends Without Fanfare

A little less than a week after transferring their flag from St. George's Square to Royal City Park, Occupy Guelph is over. As reported in the Guelph Mercury this morning, it appears that all the protesters have vanished from the park along with their encampment. Like good campers they packed up their trash, and left no trace behind that they were ever there, which I can only imagine is not the impression they wanted to leave when the Occupy Protests started in Guelph last month.

When talking about the Occupy Movement on the Beyond the Ballot Box radio show on CFRU 93.3, there was consensus that if the movement was going to go to the next level, beyond mere occupying, it would have to organize properly, come up with a concise and pointed message, and realize that settling in civic space wasn't the endgame, but merely the beginning. I suppose that time has come sooner rather than later than organizors might have planned, but it seems that a few are already ahead of the curve.

I draw your attention to an event happening at 10 Carden Street this Friday. It's called "Beyond Occupy - What's Next?" and it's being hosted by James Gordon and Kevin Sutton. The point of the meeting, if you can't infer it from the name of the event, is to discuss the next step in the Occupy Movement "An invitation to share a meaningful dialogue about the 'Occupy Movement' - both local and global. How can we nurture this new catalyst for change?" If you want to be part of the conversation, be at the 10 Carden Street space at 7 pm on Friday.

Finally, to add a bit of four-colour commentary, legendary graphic novelist Frank Miller had some harsh words about the root protest and protesters at Occupy Wall Street. As a comic book fan, Miller's opinion obviously peaked my interest, but in a weird twist of fate, it seems that Miller's sympathies lie with the type of corrupt, criminal fat cats that make up the villains in his well-known book, and movie of the same name, Sin City. Here's what Miller had to say:

The “Occupy” movement, whether displaying itself on Wall Street or in the streets of Oakland (which has, with unspeakable cowardice, embraced it) is anything but an exercise of our blessed First Amendment. “Occupy” is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness. These clowns can do nothing but harm America.

[...]

Wake up, pond scum. America is at war against a ruthless enemy.

Maybe, between bouts of self-pity and all the other tasty tidbits of narcissism you’ve been served up in your sheltered, comfy little worlds, you’ve heard terms like al-Qaeda and Islamicism. And this enemy of mine — not of yours, apparently - must be getting a dark chuckle, if not an outright horselaugh - out of your vain, childish, self-destructive spectacle

[...]

In the name of decency, go home to your parents, you losers. Go back to your mommas’ basements and play with your Lords Of Warcraft.

Invite to a Civics Lesson

Now that all these election stuff is out of the way for a little while, it's time to get down to the business of governing and active engagement. Don't know how? Well there's a workshop coming up that might show you the way. All details are contained below:

Guelph Civics 101 - Engaging Your City Hall

The Guelph Civic League, in partnership with the Central Student Association at the University of Guelph and CFRU 93.3 FM's Beyond the Ballot Box, has organized a unique event focused on understanding and engaging your city hall.

The event unfolds on Tuesday, October 18th, 7-9 pm at the new City Hall in downtown Guelph. The focus will be on a panel discussion.

Representing City of Guelph staff will be Barbara Powell, General Manager, Community Engagement and Social Service Liaison.

Councillor Leanne Piper will represent the perspective of Guelph City Council.

Judy Martin, of Sierra Club and Guelph Urban Forest Friends, will give her perspective on how citizens and citizen groups can engage City Hall.

Tim Mau from the University of Guelph's Political Science Department will be moderating (bios for the panellists and moderator can be found below).

A short tour of the Guelph City Hall council chambers will follow the meeting.

Don't miss this opportunity to better understand how your local government works, and how you can influence decisions at City Hall in Guelph.

Panellist Bios

Barb Powell is the General Manager of Community Engagement for the City of Guelph. She has 16+ years of experience in local government working directly with residents, service providers and academics. Barb is a resident of Guelph and joined the City of Guelph in 2009. During this past year her work has focused on Community Engagement - connecting and building partnerships with citizens, service providers, volunteers and other levels of government. Barb has a keen interest in working with residents in new and different ways to create a vibrant, inclusive community in Guelph.

Leanne Piper's introduction to "politics" came at the grassroots level, where she participated in neighbourhood associations, school councils, and local community organizations and was a founding board member of the Guelph Civic League. First elected to office as a school board trustee in 2003, and then to City Council in 2006, Leanne is a strong advocate for participatory democracy and a strong public voice at City Hall.

Judy Martin is the Guelph Regional Representative of Sierra Club Canada. Over the past 25 years she has served on Sierra Club boards and committees as a volunteer and as paid staff. She has an extensive background in environmental policy analysis and advocacy, which includes 12 years as the legislative director for the Minnesota Sierra Club. She was formerly the Secretary-Treasurer of the Guelph Civic League, serves on her neighbourhood association board, the board of Pollination Guelph, and the steering committee for Guelph Urban Forest Friends.

Moderator Bio

Tim Mau is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph, where he teaches courses on Business-Government Relations, Local Government and Public Management and Administration for the B.Comm. in Public Management and graduate level courses for the Guelph-McMaster Collaborative M.A. in Public Policy and Administration. He also teaches a course on the Politics of Organizations for the collaborative M.A. (Leadership) program. Tim has twice been named as one of the University of Guelph's Popular Professors by the annual Maclean's Guide to Canadian Universities. Dr. Mau completed his D.Phil. at St Antony's College, Oxford University, where he was a Commonwealth and SSHRC scholar, an MA in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Guelph (joint program with McMaster University) and a BA from the University of Guelph.

More Radio Days

If you should happen to be up early on holiday Monday - or if you're like some of my friends, 7 am is usually when you go to bed - then I invite you to tune in to CFRU 93.3 to listen to "Beyond the Ballot Box." Why? Because I'll be a guest talking about municipal issues along with the Guelph Mercury's Scott Tracey. We will be talking about recent staff moves at City Hall, issues of development and how the new council is faring after six months on the job. 

If you just can't wake up that early on a holiday though, the show might be re-airing next Friday afternoon as well, or you can just listen to it on the CFRU archives at the station's website. That's where you can now listen to my last appearance on "Beyond the Ballot Box."

Additionally, pick up the Waterloo Region Record this weekend, that is if you're interested in what I'm reading right now. I was recently asked to contribute to the "What They're Reading" feature in the weekend Record. 

Well, that's about as self-promotional as I'll get for now. Have a good Victoria Day long weekend folks.

Listen to Me More on the Radio

Do you like getting my opinions on Guelph Politico, but hate the tiresome eye-strain of having to read them online? Then good news everyone, because starting this Monday at 8 am, I will be a semi-regular panelist on the new "Beyond the Ballot Box" radio show on CFRU. On Monday, I will be joining Jan Hall, and the other members of the Federal Election show gang, along with the Guelph Mercury's Greg Layson, to talk about the aftermath of last week's election, both on a local level and nationally. Tune in to CFRU at 93.3 on your FM dial at 8 am Monday, or listen online at CFRU's website.