Run This Town

THE FINAL COUNT

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:53:00 +0000

Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for, where we know who has won our little challenge.

IN FIRST PLACE:
The best of the best, the bearded man himself... Mr. JOHN LAST, with an astronomical 377 votes.

IN SECOND PLACE:
A man not unworthy of praise, whose red hair in certain lights can and does resemble a fiery angel of death... Mr. NATHAN WILSON, with a respectable 227 votes.

AND IN THIRD PLACE:
Bringing up the rear, showing that it's not all about Calvin Klein underpants and clothes too tight for a pre-teen girl... Mr. KEVIN LAVALLEY, with a not-altogether-unimpressive 215 votes.

There were also some other dudes, one of whom will be mayor.

And that's all for us! The results of the night were ultimately not what we expected... certainly the City of Kingston has stood up and loudly proclaimed, "THE POLLING STATION IS JUST A LITTLE TOO FAR OF A DRIVE AWAY!" or perhaps, "I HAVE TO CARRY TWO PIECES OF PAPER TO THE POLLING STATION? SURELY EVEN HERCULES HIMSELF WOULD THINK TWICE ABOUT THAT ONE!"

Yes, in fact, despite our best efforts and the predicition of some people who know this sort of thing, voter turnout was DOWN in this election. And despite our best efforts to shake things up, things pretty much turned out like everyone expected them to.

Disappointed? A little annoyed? Good! Make your councillor and mayor's life very difficult over the next four years... just cause their name isn't on a ballot doesn't mean you've lost your right to complain, advocate, and gently nudge in a public forum.

And congrats to "Marky" Mark Gerretsen, Rob "for the Job" Matheson, and Barrie "Business in the front" Chalmers, who all at least made one good point this election. We think. We have to go back through our records just to be sure, but we're pretty confident on that one.

Now, I'm going to go nurse this wicked "victory-over", as I call it, with some much needed fluids and movies from my childhood. Thanks to the Queen's Journal for dedicatedly following us around the city and CHUM Radio for keeping us company, and once again, congratulations to the winner in all of this... me.

Cheers,

John Last

Kevin Lavalley: A Man of New Ideas

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:52:00 +0000

Hey, everybody.

A little belated, perhaps, but everyone who has waited for the pretty one's actual platform can rest easy. After all, you only had to wait until two days before the election to hear it.

Sorry about that, by the way. Not that I meant to leave it this long, but life (and midterms) often get in the way of good political discourse. That's how it goes.

For the uninitiated, my name is Kevin Lavalley. I'm currently a student at Queen's, and I'm running as part of the RunThisTown crew to get youth involvement up this and any year for municipal politics. I myself am a longtime student of the municipal game, having volunteered for years as a cameraman at TV Cogeco, and as well I currently study Political Science at Queen's. I say this not only because it's the only relevant political experience I have, but because it helps to show my passion for the subject, a passion I intend to bring to City Hall.

There are many issues I wish to cover with this platform. The main point I wish to convey, however, is not simply what issues I find important, but the perspective and innovation I bring to these matters. I believe in exploring alternative solutions to every issue, because I know that simply walking the beaten path has not necessarily helped Kingston grow as a city. It certainly hasn't put Kingston on the map, that's for sure.

But rhetoric can only get a candidate so far. So here's some examples. One of the main issues in Kingston at present is the creation of a third crossing to the other side of the Lasalle Causeway. The only real solution that's been considered up to this point has been a bridge, which has been initially estimated at over 200 million in expenses. To put it bluntly, we can't afford that. Every candidate (myself included) will tell you that we need provincial or federal assistance to do so. The reason everybody's been pushing a bridge is to facilitate expansion of business and housing on the other side of the causeway. The problem is, the main reason we need a third crossing is STRICTLY TO ALLEVIATE TRAFFIC. So I push for alternatives. One such idea is actually rather inexpensive, and would create work for Kingstonians as well. Instead of a big 'ole expensive bridge, it would be much easier to build a ferry system for that side of the causeway. My initial estimates place the cost of a single ferry at about 1-5 million, plus the establishment of two ports which would likely be another 15-20 million. The building of the ferry could be completed by BGM Metalcraft (a Kingston company), and maintenance and running of the ferry system would make jobs for - drumroll please - Kingstonians. My figures may be off, but total building costs for such a system (without labour and maintenance afterwards, mind you) would be sitting pretty at MAXIMUM 50 million. Saving about 150 million.

Another alternative I have is for Kingston's tourism industry. It's one of Kingston's big draws, for sure, but it's kind of slowed in the past few years. Some would say this is due to advertising, but as John and Nathan and I will tell you, ads for Kingston pop up in the weirdest places. Like Germany. One of the ways we can deal with our sagging tourism industry is by finally expanding our decrepit little AIRPORT. While some might argue otherwise, it's surprisingly difficult for people to come to Kingston. From an international perspective, you'd need to first fly to Toronto or Ottawa and then drive 3 hours to get here. If you're a techno-loving tight-pants German dude, you'd probably just decide to stay in Toronto or Ottawa. Having a bigger airport makes us a more national or international community, which in turn makes us a draw for tourists. Conversely, we have a massive community of people with either large vacation budgets or winter homes abroad. Honestly, wouldn't you go to Cuba more often if it wasn't such a big deal to travel? Naturally, there's a question of size. Apparently, it matters. Having an international-size airport isn't worthwhile: we're not an international-size community. But if we had one about the size of the airport in Syracuse, we could both facilitate the needs of our community and make us more accessible. BAM!

Number three: the Aberdeen situation. A lot of time and money has been put into policing the student village, trying to make sure that young people are kept in line. Frankly, and I'm discussing this from a psychological perspective, this hasn't entirely worked because it's not how young minds work. We're not here to burn cars. We just want to enjoy ourselves. Up to now we've simply been giving young people two options when it comes to homecoming: stay home or, in all likelihood, get arrested for misdemeanour. Powerful message, to be sure, but given an inherent lack of anything to do in the downtown after 6 EXCEPT go to a bar, it's not much of a choice at all. This year proved that students (and I do stress that the wide majority do not come from Queen's, St. Lawrence or even Kingston) do know how to keep it in check. So, next year, instead of the usual bag-n-tag, I would propose holding a sanctioned event at homecoming, such as a concert. Something outdoors, with a big name that kids won't be able to refuse. What this will do is give the partygoers something more worthwhile than the usual homecoming procedures, and depending on the venue and act could draw regular, non-student tourists to the city. Hell, we might even make some money. This idea has come up a few times with other candidates since I first proposed it at the AMS debate, and with any luck the next mayor may decide to actually do it.

Those are my more original ideas, aside from other (very important) issues such as:

- Improving Public Transit and providing for bicycle paths in the city

- Increasing enforcement of housing codes so that students and low-income households aren't forced to live in sub-par quality homes

- Providing for our Arts community and expanding our vibrant culture in Kingston

- LOVES LONG WALKS ON THE BEACH.

These are all issues that I'm interested in and are passionate about. What I want you to take away from this is that, believe it or not, there are always different methods to dealing with solutions. The ones I've suggested may not be the best solutions, but the fact that they aren't discussed is a cause for concern. The only way we move forward is by forging new paths. I, for one, have the strength to do so.

Thanks for reading. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me by e-mail at the address listed on the site.

Vote smart. Vote sensible. Vote sexy.

Vote for Kevin Lavalley.

Ungodly Hours

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Hey folks,

Today we did a tour of our local radio stations, beginning with an interview on FM96. You may have seen it on our YouTube page and Facebook, but for good measure we're posting it here as well.

So here it is, part 1 and 2! And stay tuned for some future audio files from our trip to K-Rock to record our 30-second-soon-to-be-the-most-annoying-part-of-your-day spots to be played repetitively for your enjoyment!

Cheers,

John Last

FM96 Interview - Part 1 of 2

Download the audio file here.

FM96 Interview - Part 2 of 2

Download the audio file here.

Long Overdue CFRC Interview

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:44:00 +0000

Here are some audio excerpts from our CFRC Interview that took place earlier this month. Unfortunately the full file was a little too large to upload in its entirety. You can, however, find the CFRC Archive file here. Our roundtable interview starts at 14:37 in the file.

To satiate your lust for our voices on the radio, you can listen to two choice excerpts below.

Our discussion was hosted and moderated by Jamie Masse of CFRC Radio's Critical Thinking.

Barrie Chalmers, John Last, and Rob Matheson on Citizen Engagement

Download the audio file here.

John Last, Rob Matheson, Nathan Wilson, and Kevin Lavalley on Affordable Housing and Youth Engagement

Download the audio file here.

Mr. Angry

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:23:00 +0000

It's amazing what a couple angry emails can do.

TV Cogeco has, in light of our opposition to the proposed format, welcomed the three of us onto the debates that are to air tomorrow night. Now we will be answering questions and producing our platforms alongside our fellow candidates.

If you're interested in attending the taping, it begins at 7 PM at the TV Cogeco studios at 170 Colbourne Street. If you're not interested, you should be. But that's why we have television. So tune in to Channel 13 to watch the proverbial sparks fizzle.

I also want to address a sentiment I've heard expressed before, that we are taking time from the "real" candidates who will inevitably be the major competitors in this election to voice their platforms.

I understand. You want to hear what the guy who's definitely going to be mayor is going to do when he gets there. You're not interested in what this city could be, or what it should care about, just what it will be.

And that's fair. But that doesn't mean that I have to be interested in that. What I'm interested in is hearing the answers these "real" candidates haven't scripted. I'm interested in forcing them to actually think about whether or not they agree with what we're saying, and I'm interested in forcing them to address issues they'd rather ignore.

And furthermore, this isn't just about them. It's about me too. I'm going to use this as an opportunity to show that young people can think about this stuff, and can provide serious solutions to the problems this city faces. I want to show what a difference in perspective can bring, and I want you to hear my ideas and think about whether or not you agree with them.

And if you do, don't mark a vote for one of these other guys just because you think they're going to win. Vote with the issues and solutions you legitimately care about, otherwise this whole process just becomes a ridiculous charade.

And with that, I hope to see you tomorrow night!

-John Last

Hey! Listen!

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 22:17:00 +0000

You know what I love mostest in the whole wide world?

It's when we get invited to mayoral candidate events, and the three of us get to choose who is allowed to speak. You know, because the three of us aren't serious about what needs to happen in Kingston, and we aren't real candidates. Yup.

If there's one thing that bothers me about the behaviour of, well, just about every news/media institution, gala event organizer or fellow politician, it's that they think we're not important when it comes to the election. Sure, we've got a great cause, but who cares?

Yeah, we're young. Yeah, we're funny. Yeah, when I take a shower it tends to take place over the course of three days. But you know what? We're on even ground with the so-called "real" candidates for mayor. Our ideas stand for themselves, and we're just as intelligent and driven (if not more in some cases) than even career politicians.

Most of all, we do this selflessly. If one of us gets elected, that'd be swell. But the fact of the matter is that we're the only people on that stage who aren't trying to sell you something. Shouldn't that mean more?

I leave you with this thought: the people you vote for can do a lot to change things if they're so inclined. But they also gain much for themselves by doing so. Look hard, and make sure that who you think is best for the job wants what's best for everybody, not just those who vote for them.

Oh, and look forward to the TV Cogeco Debate this Tuesday at 7-ish on Channel 13. Which, if you hadn't guessed, only one of us is allowed to speak at. It's funny, because I was under the impression it was illegal for the media to give more attention to some candidates than others. Hmm.

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:37:00 +0000

Hello everyone.

Yes it's your favorite mayoral candidate Nathan Wilson with todays update.

Sadly our camera has been stolen by our campaign manager. This was an accident and mostly our fault as we forgot it in his car but regardless we must wait until he gets the camera back to us before we can post the video that we filmed on it. Apologise once again.

With the campaign coming to its last week or so we've been very busy. We attended the arts council all-candidates debate, the poverty challenge and the AMS debate as well as some other interview and what not. We also hope you've got to see our campaign videos on TV cogeco in their "Behind the Ballot" Segments.

We hope to get you new videos soon and thanks for your support. Remember to come out and vote on October 25th!

Cheers!

Nathan

Advertising

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 16:22:00 +0000

So the other day, I go into my favourite of poutine places, Smoke's Poutinerie, and one of the staff members there tells me I need to get signs. Badly. Because people know about us, but they don't know who we are. Or where our website is. Or really anything about us.

Let me tell you why we have yet to get any outdoor advertising, and why our original plans of a grassroots campaign were dashed in the face of municipal legislation.

There's an election by-law regarding everything. Literally everything a candidate can do, there's some sort of by-law dictating how they can do it. One of these annoying by-laws regards election signs.

Now, this doesn't just mean those annoying plastic of foam signs on little metal frames that pollute the city every election. This covers all outdoor advertising for candidates.

Ever wonder why those stupid little signs are so popular, despite their obviously negative environmental and visual impact? Well, it's because it's pretty much illegal to do anything else.

If you want to print of 500 posters for Run This Town, and stick them up all over town, you better have either a tonne of money for fines come the end of the election or 500 pieces of private property willing to accomodate your sign. Because it's illegal to post any sign within 3 feet of a major roadway. Or affix them to utility poles. Or pretty much place them anywhere within a mile of our densely populated urban core.

My issue with it is partly just that they ruined the party. We wanted to poster the entire town, without discrimination, and maybe steal an idea from Smoke's and sticker our faces to every available surface. But not only would that be illegal in a number of ways, we would also have to take them all down 7 days before the election.

Have you ever tried removing one of those Smoke's stickers? Those things hold on like a slow loris to it's tickling partner.

But there's another issue I have with it... these election bylaws essentially eliminate election advertising in densely populated areas, where buildings are close to the streets, where there is a lack of public space outside parks, and where the only thing to advertise on might very well be a utility pole.

In a sense, it breeds a sense of suburbanism, where the suburbs are the only place with the right to be informed about their choices, and where the urban core quickly becomes a place of irrelevance.

But even if you'd rather have a downtown free of advertising then polluted with a bunch of pictures of Marky Mark's face (or for that matter, our faces), you have to realize the effect these by-laws have on grassroots organizations and advertising.

We don't have money. We can't afford outdoor signs. And even when I'm considering ponying the dough, we don't have time between the hours of 10 and 3:30 to contact the print shops, since we don't have an army of volunteers.

So next time you see a huddled mass of plastic election signs, don't get riled up because the advertising is offensively boring, or because the signs are environmentally degrading, or even because all those politicians seem to have the same shit-eating grin on their faces.

Get riled up because they leave out the little guy.

John Last

Active Living Survey

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:31:00 +0000

Hey all,

I know all of you are jonesing for some platform, in the best kind of way. And while we're going to satisfy your need with some good ol' fashioned policies in the coming weeks, I wanted to post my responses to the active living survey circulating amongst the candidates in this election. Hope this gives you an idea of some of the things I'd like to see happen in Kingston!

Active Transportation - Survey of Municipal Candidates

In November, 2009, City Council endorsed the “Active Living Charter of the City of Kingston” (http://www.cityofkingston.ca/pdf/transportation/ActiveLivingCharter.pdf). The Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT) is an association of community members and representatives from various organizations whose mandate is to promote the goals of the Charter, particularly as they apply to active transportation (http://www.kcat.ca/home.html). The Charter defines active transportation as “any form of self-propelled travel such as walking or cycling, that helps get you to your destination - either on its own or combined with public transit.”

KCAT is conducting a survey of all candidates for municipal office in the 2010 election in order to gauge each candidate’s interest in and commitment to promoting active transportation. As a candidate for City Council, we ask you to complete the survey. School Board candidates need only answer question #3 but may answer other questions as they relate to School Board issues. Please keep your responses brief and return your survey by October 14, 2010 to Anne MacPhail at amacphail@kflapublichealth.ca or 221 Portsmouth Av., Kingston, ON K7M 1V5.

Your answers will be graded and published. Detailed responses will be kept as a measure of accountability for elected candidates.

Should you have any questions concerning the survey, please contact Roger Healey at rhealey@cogeco.ca.

Thank you in advance for your interest and cooperation.

Please answer the following questions in the space provided:

1. In what ways do you think Kingston could be made more “pedestrian-friendly”?

It is incredibly important that every road is made with easy pedestrian access. But pedestrian-friendliness is more than that… everyone’s walked along Gardener’s Road and realized that it’s not a friend of pedestrians in any way. In planning new developments, the city should encourage businesses to be close to streets and sidewalks, not big box stores separated by parking wastelands. Parks, community centres, and other areas for lounging and congregating need to be located close to businesses and close to major traffic routes. Kingston right now is too sprawled, and sprawl is the enemy of the poor and vulnerable slow-moving pedestrian. Let’s encourage new developments to be concentrated and improve public transit links so people can walk, shop, and relax in the same block… without crossing a kilometre’s worth of parking.

2. In what ways do you think Kingston could be made more “bicycle-friendly”?

Bike paths! Everyone knows biking in Kingston is a bit of a terrifying experience. We need bike paths not just on the side of busy roads, where the extra six inches of space reduce what was a suicidal experience into one that’s just nerve-wracking. We need bike paths taking routes as an alternative to major roads… routes that are quicker, with fewer lights, through our parks and suburban areas. Let’s make bikes the express vehicles in Kingston! Give them the advantage with their own routes, paths, access, and signage. And it also wouldn’t hurt to do some attitude readjustment with the commuters of Kingston to pull out and give our cyclists a little bit of room now and then.

3. What suggestions might you have for promoting increased use of active transportation among elementary and high school students in Kingston?

Support the installation of bike racks and bike parking near major amenities, and improve our biking infrastructure. When I was in high school, I would have loved to bike to school every day… but the commuters in my neighbourhood made me fear for my life. In certain non-dense areas, a liberal approach to riding on the sidewalk may encourage those afraid of contending with traffic to take their first steps in becoming a regular rider.

4. What would you consider to be some of the more important benefits that improved active transportation would bring the citizens of Kingston and to the City in general?

Aside from improving general health, getting regular physical activity, reducing carbon consumption, saving our environment, increasing access to transportation, and generally being a better person? Well, the world is beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve never enjoyed it more than when coasting on the seat of a bicycle.

5. Do you walk, cycle, or take the bus to work on a regular basis? If so, please tell us how often, how far, and by what means you make your commute.

As a young person with no car, and not even any regular access to a car, I think I can probably boast as being the candidate who is most dependant on their own two legs for getting around. I walk EVERYWHERE. I have little to no alternative… and when it’s too far to walk, I take public transit. I’m in the process of procuring my next bicycle, after my last was (regrettably) stolen. Any ideas on where to score a cheap bike?

6. If a "3rd crossing" were built, would you endorse the inclusion of a cycling lane in the bridge design?
Absolutely. I don’t see any sense in building a bridge, or planning for one, that does not include this. Listen, it’s time we get serious about this. Are we just pretending to care about bike lanes and bike access, or are we just playing politics? This bridge is the chance to put rhetoric to the test and take action.

7. What suggestions do you have for improving bus transit in Kingston?

This question is important to me, since, having commuted to and from work by public transit for almost a year, I realized the serious problems we have with our infrastructure. Kingston’s public transit master plan doesn’t account for moving centers of population, and doesn’t mention anything about the inclusion of regular express routes. I think it’s vitally important to bring in express routes between our transit hubs. We need bus lanes to improve speed of service, and we need to increase the number of buses on the road so we can bring a bus to a stop every 15 minutes, especially during major commuting hours. I also think our lack of a late-night service makes buses not really an option when heading downtown… lets bring in bus service in and out of the urban core at a regular rate (less than once an hour) from 10 PM to 2 AM. Let’s create shuttles between SLC, Queens, RMC, and downtown. Let’s work on creating an efficient flow from Kingston’s extremities to its core… then let’s get to work on providing service to the suburbs.

8. If elected, would you support proposals for: (Please answer yes or no to each and indicate the priority – i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd… - that you would give to the ones you would support.)

a. more bicycle infrastructure (e.g. bicycle lanes, parking racks) - Yes, 1st
b. more street benches – Yes, 7th
c. more bus shelters – Yes, 4th
d. more public water fountains – Yes, 5th
e. improved snow / ice clearance from sidewalks - Yes, 2nd
f. more public washrooms – Yes, 3rd
g. free Transit during Christmas season – Yes, 6th
h. incentives for City employees to use active transportation – No. I believe if we’re providing incentives to city employees, we should be providing them to all citizens. And at that point, why don’t we just lower or freeze fares?
i. other…

9. Is there any aspect or component of the Active Living Charter not already discussed in the questions above that you would, if elected, be committed to pursuing?

You’ve covered it pretty well!

John Last

Burn After Reading

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:32:00 +0000

Good afternoon.

We here at Run This Town have recently received some very interesting and handy information. Our favourite operative (let's call her "DeepKeyboard") has pointed us in the direction of the official Kingston Master Transit Plan. According to "DeepKeyboard", this highly sensitive document is the city's outline for plans to adjust Kingston's transit system and usage by 2026.

It also has official plans for items like the 3rd crossing, and statistics for current usage rates as well as our official resources in terms of transit.

However, this information should not be privileged. Like the Russians did with the KGB archives, we will spread this info as far as we possibly can. It's important that everyone, not simply mayoral or council candidates, take a good look at what is outlined here. We're all about involved citizenship here at Run This Town. Do us proud.

Anyway, here's the link. Feel free to comment or contact us if there's anything you find interesting.

http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/transportation/ktmp/

Mad props, "DeepKeyboard".

Redesign

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:41:00 +0000

Hey folks!

I know what you're thinking. What happened to John? Yeah, that's my bad.

Well, I haven't just been looking in a mirror and stroking my beard thoughtfully for the past week. Nor have I been spending all my time meticulously shampooing and conditioning each individual hair to maximize strength and shininess. I certainly haven't been experimenting with shaving RunThisTown.ca into my facial hair, and failing miserably.

But now, with the enourmous power of incredibly unreliable wireless internet, I will soon be undertaking the enourmous task of redesigning our website for the final days of the campaign.

What will our redesign include? For one, we'll be putting an events calendar on our home page, so you can know what we're up to and when. We'll also be rearranging the Meet the Candidates section to make room for platforms, to be posted in the near future.

So before my computer overheats and dies again, I'll say auf weidersein, but stay tuned for those updates in the future!

Big Plans

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 22:38:00 +0000

Bonjour, tout le monde,

Given that our most recent video did not come with a traditional "news" section, we've prepared a list of things for you guys to look forward to.

Over the course of this week, we'll be trying to get in contact with Rick Mercer, of "22 Minutes" and "The Rick Mercer Report" fame. As you might expect we'd like to take our message to an audience outside of Kingston, and given that October 25th marks election day for every constituency in Ontario we feel now is a great time to do it.

Indeed, municipal elections in Ontario are all held at the same time, so now is the only opportunity youth will have to get involved in their local elections for another 4 years. As well as being big fans of Mr. Mercer (John even interviewed him in Grade 11), we respect the focus on local issues that the Mercer Report brings to the table. No guarantees, mind you, but if we get a hold of the Rick Mercer camp you'll hear from us first.

This week, we'll be taking our campaigns to the heart of the student village in Sydenham Ward, as well as offering our own coverage of the proceedings at Aberdeen over the weekend.

And finally, I'm using whatever semblance of free time I have to learn to play saxophone. This raises some questions. Will there be a mayoral candidate jazz band? Will they be any good? And can you book them for weddings?

These issues and more this week on Run This Town.

Ode to a Manly Man: Rob Matheson

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 03:37:00 +0000

Hey everybody,

Check out our latest vid, featuring our golf game with all the mayoral candidates.

Had you there, didn't I? Alas, not everybody was able to make it. Oh well, more fun for us, I guess. As shown in the video, we came (looking fab, by the way), we saw, we shot small coloured balls into tiny holes over the course of an hour. And it was good. In honour of our most recent aquaintance, Mr. Rob Matheson, I have written a short poem.

Robbie, Robbie, could be mayor,
Robbie, Robbie, has no hair,
But he's a cool dude.

Kevin Lavalley

As well as the documentary of this momentous event, we are also releasing a full-length interview with our bestest friend in Politics. Should be up presently.

Finally, as of this morning all candidates (not just us cheeky young-types) participated in a televised all-candidates meeting presented by TVCogeco and the Kingston Chamber of Commerce. My sources tell me it will be on the small-ish screen this coming Tuesday, at 2:00 p.m.. Otherwise it will be online, and we'll post the link as it becomes available.

Ch-ch-check it out. Stay tuned, my young friends, from here it only gets better.

Congrats! The internet is no longer broken.

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:35:00 +0000

Little update for everybody.

Episode 6 is finally up and running, for those who were unable to view it previously. As well, we have a short 7th episode for you, partly to apologize for the lack of a full video and partly to prepare you for all that we're doing this week.

As we state in the show, we'll be giving you two videos for the price of one this week. We'll have both of these episodes out soon, one in a few days and one by next Thursday. And, just in case you get bored, you have my regular musings to look forward to as well.

Don't go spreading it around, though. We don't give out these kind of deals for just anyone, you know.

Enjoy your week, and you'll hear more from Run This Town soon.

The End of an Era: Kevin the Hermit

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:52:00 +0000

Hey, y'all.

For those of you still wondering when the pretty one was going to start offering any actual content to the Run This Town site, you are now in luck.

Living off the grid has been an interesting experience, to say the least. For one it allowed me to sit back and relax while John and Nathan ran around screaming, like banshees, trying to deal with the minutiae of maintaining a rather impressive blog.

Now the time has come for me to run around, screaming like a banshee. Needless to say, I'm excited. Just as you see a change in me, however, you will also see a change in the site. This is Run This Town 2.0, and as you'll see in the coming month and a half, we as candidates are no longer setting aside our differences simply for the good of the series.

This is a competition. We are all gunning for Kingston's top job, and that means that come October 25th one of us will have more votes than the others.

1st, 2nd, 3rd. Who will it be? Stay tuned, because you're about to find out.

This site just got REAL.

Spam Poetry

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 03:56:00 +0000

A bit of spam poetry to get you through the work day, if yours is as long as mine.

Entitled:
I misplac*ed my d'og. Help me! This is hi~s pic-ture.

Lieutenant gernois had loved this
Slowly through into each other.
American who attacked by wild jungle
Once more often he asked into the bridge.

I think my spammers are getting more poetic on me.

Cheers,

John

So...

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:48:00 +0000

In the land of the interweb...

In the time of...right now...

An evil menace called YouTube sought to destroy our young hero, Nathan Wilson, in his quest to upload this week's video, with cruel, powerful words like "2.2 gigabytes" and "upload too large".

And while we wait to see if Java will ride in and rescue us and our little enterprise, we must foreshadow the almost inevitable lateness of this week's video.

Again.

Apologies folks!

The Whig uses the interweb?

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Hey all,

Two new (slightly belated) news mentions for you.

The first is the Whig rating each candidates website, as compared to ours. Thanks Whig! You've made me go all red. Check it out here on the ironically difficult Quebecor Media website, Canoe.ca.

The second is an article written by Jennifer Roberts of the Kingston This Week, also on Canoe.ca. You can check it out here.

Quick update: This week we're hitting the streets again to speak to some local business owners about issues affecting business in the City of Kingston. If you're a local business owner and have something you need to say, hit us up via our JOIN THE MOVEMENT section. If you're willing to do an on-camera interview, all the more reason to contact us.

Oops...

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:25:00 +0000

Evil YouTube robots stopped our upload, so we'll be bringing you tonight's video tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned, and apologies!

-The Gang

Episode 3

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:34:00 +0000

Today we will be uploading the third episode of our web series, and I have to say it looks like our best yet.

In this weeks episode, we suit up, discuss being Downes and Out, and pass things off to the leader of the Autobots as he takes it to the streets.

A couple corrections to the video:

- Municipal recycling is indeed not available to downtown businesses. Contracting recycling to private companies can cost each business as much as $5000 per year. This is, however, an approximate number.

- We have received responses from three councillors since the completion of the video re: interviews, although still only one is willing to present something on camera.

Enjoy this week's video, and we'll try and make sure that this time the YouTube robots don't steal our freedom. After all... freedom is the right of all sentient beings.

Re: Emily Asks

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0000

On our last post, But we've always done it this way..., we received this message in the comments section:

Emily Asks: Dear Runthistown, I've been inspired by your campaign so far but right now am feeling a little lost. I realise by voting that I can influence city council but I'm not sure how to voice those concerns. Should i wait for a candidate who magically mirrors my views or should I just hope for the best. I'm interested in more community gardens, better buses, and how about a uncluttered parking system.

I'm just confused about how,where,and to whom I should voice these concerns.

RUNTHISTOWN HELP!!!!!!!!!

Emily-

First of all, good question! People can't just be told to vote. They have to have something to vote for.

It sounds like you've got that first bit sorted. But there's still the other problem -- I'm sure you've voted before, and you've probably noticed by this point that your one vote doesn't necessarily mean more community gardens, better buses, and a decipherable parking system.

That's what I like to think of as passive democracy. If all you do is pick a candidate and cast your vote, you'll have to wait for that perfect dream candidate (we all have one... mine is William Shatner*) before you'll see your issues actually addressed.

That's why this year, I'm trying active democracy. Instead of waiting for the issues I care about to come up in pleasant conversation, I'm going to bang on the door of every candidate in Kingston until they start listening to what I (hopefully, at this point, representing the collected youth of Kingston) have to say about, say, public transit, for example.

That way, instead of constantly feeling undervalued and ignored by candidates more interested in debating about whether or not they were really a better captain than Picard, I'm forcing the issues I care about to the foreground, and making candidates answer with their opinions and solutions.

(I like this also because it forces candidates off their talking points and onto uncomfortable ground, where they're more likely to reveal their true colours.)

You don't have to be a candidate to practice active democracy, either. The easiest way I can think of to put it into practice would be to organize a group of people (or join an existing organization) that advocates for those issues. Then, if they blow you off to talk about attending annual sci-fi conferences, they won't just be losing your vote. They'll be losing a bloc of votes. And that's scary.

You can also just generally get in their face a bit -- in a realistic and respectful manner, of course (please don't actually get in candidates' faces: some may have halitosis). By that I mean show up at the debates, the all candidates meetings, the photo ops, the speaking tours. Show up and get a question in.

The important thing is to draw attention to your hot-button issue and to the number of people who are concerned about it. If this number is large enough, us candidates will start to quiver at the thought of not answering back with some sort of constructive solution.

That's just my suggestion. It is a tricky thing, though, and so if you have serious issues or concerns that you want to voice, send them my way, and I'll do my best to give them the attention from the media and the candidates that they deserve.

The only other thing I might add is that for issues such as public transit or parking, there are a body of civil servants who manage those respective areas and have a strong dislike for additional paperwork. File a complaint -- get your friends and family to file complaints -- and if public outrage inconveniences them enough, they're bound to at least evaluate the problem. Try also to provide some constructive solutions... meet them halfway, and they'll probably be a little more welcoming!

Anywho, give 'er a try, and, like I said, should you have an issue that you really want to see addressed this election, mention it to one of us, and we'll be sure to raise some hell over it.

Cheers!

John Last

P.S: Don't forget, if your issue is topical to a particular district of Kingston, voice it with your candidates for councillor as well! Since they're drawing from a smaller voter base, your votes matter even more.

*This is the second thing I have in common with William Shatner.

Episode 2

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:06:00 +0000

Welcome back,

The second video is here and looking better than ever! (For those of you keeping track this is also the first official Nathan post.)

You probably noticed this weeks episode is out a little earlier than the 10pm thursday deadline we set for ourselves and that's because with better cameras and better computers we had a much more pleasant editing experience. As a result, we are excited to say that this video comes with a standard of quality that we feel you the viewer truely deserves.

At "RunThisTown" we are fully committed to improving the quality of our videos as best we can. With that in mind we are always in need of more volunteers, especially as things start to pick up in the coming months. So, if after reading this post or watching this weeks video you feel the urge to lend us a hand you can head over to the Join the Movement section of the website and get in contact.

If volunteering isn't your thing that's okay too. Sit back, relax and enjoy this weeks video. Just please remember why we are doing all this and get out to vote on October 25th.

Cheers!

Nathan

But we've always done it this way...

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:21:00 +0000

The other day I had a meeting with the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce. As the self-proclaimed "voice of business", it is their job to voice the various concerns that their members, being the business owners of Kingston, have with the city.

I went in expecting to have a couple stuffy old businessmen lecture my ear off, either about responsibility and civic duty or about economic models and the "bottom line".

Instead, I was introduced to two rather non-stuffy businessmen, Bob Scott and Bill Stewart. As the general manager and communications coordinator for the Chamber, they had the swanky office. With the big table.

At one point in our discussion, Bob pointed to a poster he had, propped on a shelf, reading "But we've always done it that way", crossed with a red slash.

This, in a nutshell, is what the Chamber of Commerce is about.

In our hour-and-a-half long discussion, they told me how they wanted to increase voter turnout, engage youth, and revitalize the downtown area in doing so.

But what astounded me most of all was not that they agreed with many of our ambitions and goals for the election, but mainly that none of it was bullshit.

Although it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. After all, this is their profession. They know better than I do that downtown Kingston is suffering, and that community development in the City of Kingston, particularly in the younger and poorer neighbourhoods that surround downtown, is stagnant.

And astoundingly, they think, as we do, that the solution to this problem isn't just giving everyone taxi chits and sending them to the West End. It's engaging the youth of Kingston in municipal affairs, so that they can advocate on their own behalf and demand a change of attitude in city council.

The fact of the matter is that the Kingston City Council knows young people in this city don't vote. And that's a very dangerous situation. Because what it means is that they don't have to listen to you.

In 50% of Kingston's municipal districts, candidates are running unopposed. 50%. 6 in 12. And that includes the key youth neighbourhoods of Williamsville and Sydenham.

(If you are confused by the preceeding statement, please, for the love of God, check out this and find out which district you live in.)

In keeping with the general theme of this election, we can do better than that.

So how, you ask, does this relate to fixing our downtown? How does this relate to having a club strip larger than 4 bars? An urban centre that doesn't have "For Lease" signs in every window? A shopping street that isn't actually just one street?

You see, the voters in this town, for the most part, don't mind communting in from Reddendale or some such place once a month to do some shopping at the quaint downtown boutiques.

But Downtown Kingston isn't a novelty. For the students and youth of this city, it's the heart of Kingston, the place where stuff happens. Exciting stuff.

But it won't be that way for long if it continues the way it has been. Even with the enourmous success of the Princess Street Promenade, tourism in Kingston is down almost 20% this year. That's MASSIVE.

And the Chamber knows this. It's their problem too. Poor Bob and Bill are going to have their members knocking down their doors if things get any worse for business downtown. Incidentally, we've managed to create in this city an environment where it is completely unrealistic to open a business downtown. Mom and pop's are moving to the West End, where the youth of this city can't enjoy their lower prices and friendly atmosphere.

And so we need the youth of this city to vote, to show up and hold their councillors accountable (and to run against them if necessary) so that they can't pass off downtown as a place where only the rich can afford to live and play. We need to show them that only a few blocks west or north of their multi-million dollar homes in Sydenham Ward, there are some of the poorest residents of Kingston, living in the exact same district.

And we would like to use our downtown too, please.

The Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce will be filming interview-style debates for streaming online and broadcast in a partnership with Cogeco. In these interviews, which will be conducted towards the end of September on St. Lawrence Campus, they hope to take questions from the young people of Kingston and challenge candidates' visions for the future of development in Kingston.

If you are young, enjoy a downtown that actually has a few shops, and/or would like to be able to buy groceries somewhere in your neighbourhood, please come out and rattle the candidates a little bit.

It your turn to make them (and, I suppose, us) quiver in their boots a little bit. So stay tuned for more information on that one, and don't forget to check out the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce website, www.kingstonchamber.on.ca.

Episode 1

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:02:00 +0000

Citizens of Kingston!

Episode 1 is upon us!

Yes, today marks the series premier of Run This Town, which will be airing here on RunThisTown.ca every Thursday. We'll endeavour to have new episodes up each week no later than 10 PM each and every Thursday between now and the election.

As may be expected with a first episode, the end result is a little choppier, a little shakier, a little granier, and a little more blustery than we would have liked. Nonetheless, after a 5-day long process involving two computers, two cameras, four portable devices, and six different programs, we have produced a video that we aren't ashamed to show to the wide world of the interweb.

Needless to say, future episodes produced without the involvement of a Sony camera and a computer that overheats and dies every 30 minutes will have that extra little bit of professionalism. In the end, we hope that like most series, our progression to the election will be a continual process of learning and improvement, even if that involves screaming at a monitor for 45 minutes a day.

This segues nicely into my second point: if anyone out there wants to learn with us, and become part of that interesting screaming match between man and machine, please send us your information using the Join the Movement section. We are in need of volunteers to help us film, edit, script, and produce, and in need of equipment with which to do so. In order to deliver the best quality episodes through the series of tubes that is the internet, we need more than just four guys and a busted laptop.

So if you want to join in on the fun, send us a message. And if you just want to sit back and enjoy the ride, relax and take a look at our first episode - just make sure you get out to vote October 25th.

And that's all for now, so until next time, auf wiedersehen!

John

Change of Plans

info@runthistown.ca (Run This Town.ca) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:08:00 +0000

It is with regret that I am writing this to inform everyone that I will not be running for Mayor in the upcoming 2010 Kingston municipal election. Instead I will be returning to Carleton University in the fall to continue my studies. However that does not mean I am no longer involved with the show. From this point forward I will be taking on the position of Campaign Manager for the guys, keeping track of the piles of paperwork for the election, filming and taking part in the show and organizing meetings and interviews. With that said if you have any questions about what we're doing here at Run This Town about the show, to set up an interview or just a general comment inquiry send me an e-mail or give me a call.

Sincerely,
Jamie Emerton