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06/09/2010 06:31
Municipal Election Officials Strike Out Again
Dear Don:
With the election coming up, I wanted to see where I'd be voting. You can imagine my dismay when I had a look at the electoral map located here.
Take a look at the location of those voting stations on the city map. In most cases, people are going to have to cross their district to get to their polling stations, which are on the boundaries of the districts. People living in Sturgeon and Forest Lawn are going to have to go all the way to Servus Place to cast their votes!
Who came up with these ridiculous locations? That's something I'd like to know, as I'm sure a lot of angry voters will when they find they have to drive as far as they do to cast their ballots.
Just thought your readers would like to know, Don.
All the best,
Jared Milne
St. Albert
The fools in charge of our municipal election must be one brick short of a load, Jared.
When the city education planners decided on the locations of schools over thirty years back, they did so with the ease of residents to get to those schools in mind.
When the province holds an election, they recognized the wisdom of the education planners and used those schools for polling locations. And when the Feds hold an election, they saw the wisdom of the locations and used them also. Both the province and the federal government still use those same schools.
Fast forward to St. Albert three years ago when they held the last municipal election. The mental midgets in charge of our local elections swam against the stream and adopted these ridiculous new polling locations, that are to say at the very least, asinine.
Instead of being within walking distance of most voters, these jerks now force residents to get in their cars and drive halfway across the city to vote. Our election planners can be called nothing short of idiots, or can they? Either that or the power structure in this city purposely wants it to be so difficult to vote that only their supporters will bother and the madness and spending will continue.
When 49% of us voted against $ervu$ Place and they built it anyway, I vowed I would never set foot in the place and I won’t. Guess where they send me to vote? Yep, the big white tax sucking elephant that is known as $ervu$ Place. So, my only option is to use the advance poll at city hall to keep my vow.
Come to think of it, wouldn’t that be a fine way to protest this stupidity? If thousands of us were to show up at the advance poll to vote, it would send a message. Especially if it forced them to enlarge the poll and bring in extra staff to handle the crowds.
Come to think of it, city hall is closer by half to our Forest Lawn home than driving out to that white elephant anyway. My bet is that city hall is closer for most folks than their new polling location. Take for example those folks living along Grandin Road at Grosvenor Boulevard having to drive all the way out to the Kinsmen banquet hall on Riel when they live a couple of blocks south from city hall.
And they wonder why voter turnout is so poor when they do all in their power to discourage voter turnout? Spare me.
Anyone going with me to those advance polls?
Playing Tomorrow Night At LB’s Pub
Lynne Chwyl,
Dwayne Cannan,
Kevin Carmichael
and Andy Nikiforuk
Lynne - Currently rehearse's with her band “Bluesface”. She began singing (publicly) in 2002 and sang country for six years, performing for big crowds at Big Valley and the Ponoka Stampede from 2003 to 2007. Lynne was a semi-finalist on the CMT reality show “Karaoke Star” (national TV) in 2008 and did the karaoke country circuit for six years until just two years ago when she turned on to the blues, volunteering at the Beaumont Blues Festival – where she met Mark Ammar. Since then, she has shelved the “canned” country music world to pursue the art of performing the blues with live musicians and hasn’t looked back. Lynne states "I think there are some real good times on the horizon. I am hooked".
Dwayne - Dwayne's songwriting, voice, guitar and harmonica playing have kept him a full time player for over 32 years. Dwayne's first album SPARE CHANGE was released in 1980 from which the instrumental ONE FORTY EIGHT was licensed by record company THE NUMERO GROUP of Chicago. The tune was included in the 2008 Numero released compilation CD/Album GUITAR SOLI, and has received radio play world wide. He released the CD ALL THESE YEARS in 2006, and is currently recording 15 originals at Homestead recorders.
Andy - Has been playing piano since his father made him sit down to learn at eight years old. His first song was "Crocodile Tears" a sad harmonic minor progression and that's when he started playing the blues. Andy went to Grade 9 Royal Conservatory but always wanted to play with bands. In the late 90's he started hanging out at Brandy's Blues bar and started to learn from great local players like Tom Roschov, Jim Guiboche, Marshall Lawrence, Gary Zimmerman, Brian Petsch, and more. Played with Recollection Blues Band recently and cut a CD also appearing at the first Beaumount Blues Festival. Currently Andy is hanging out with the Cameron Brothers who opened for Big Brother and the Holding Company at a SIRENS gig at the Granite Curling Club in July. Andy has had opportunities to sit in with a few of the pros after the Blues Festival, in the last last couple of years: Watermelon Slim, Bobby Jones and Finis Tasby (Mannish Boys), Sean Carney, and Sista Monica's band.
Kevin - Former member of China White Kevin's bass guitar skills got honed opening for such acts as Dr. Hook, Chilliwack, and Doucette just to name a few. A few of the local bands Kevin was a part of were Brooklyn, Zotoz, and a stint with drummer Kelly Stodola in a band called Bugs Money and a band called Road Dogs. Currently Kevin visits a lot of the open jams and is putting together an act with Bill Jackson.
Ammar’s Moosehead Tuesday Open Stage
Every Tuesday night from 9 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Hosted by Mark Ammar
Moosehead Beer Specials
