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Tag: Dave Quest
Stephen Mandel's time as Alberta Party leader ends as a footnote in Alberta's history
3 Comments on Stephen Mandel's time as Alberta Party leader ends as a footnote in Alberta's history
The Alberta Party will soon be seeking applications for a new leader.
The party announced through a press release today that on June 30, 2019 Stephen Mandel will step down as leader 15-months after he was elected into the role. The former three-term Edmonton mayor and Progressive Conservative cabinet minister ran for the leadership in 2018 after MLA Greg Clark was ousted in a successful bid by former PC Party members to take over the Alberta Party.
Premier Jim Prentice and Health Minister Stephen Mandel in 2014.
This was Mandel's second attempt at a political comeback.
He surprised many political watchers when he was appointed to Jim Prentice's cabinet without a seat in the Legislature in 2014, just over a year after he retired as mayor.
The first comeback was short-lived.
Mandel won a by-election in Edmonton-Whitemud in late 2014 but was unseated by popular New Democratic Party candidate Bob Turner in the spring 2015 Orange Wave that swept the province.
Following Jason Kenney's win in the 2017 PC Party leadership race, a number of moderate conservative partisans left the party over differences with the new leader's style, history of social conservative activism and drive to merge the party with the Wildrose Party.
Prominent Progressive Conservatives like Mandel, Katherine O'Neill, Dave Quest, Sue Timanson, and Stephen Khan hoped to turn the Alberta Party into a home for former PC supporters disenchanted by what became the United Conservative Party.
Policy direction under Mandel shifted further to the economic-right but the party steadfastly refused to describe itself as conservative, sticking instead to the ambiguous "centrist" label. In a province where many eligible voters self-identify as conservatives, it remains puzzling why a political party run by conservatives and presenting a moderate conservative program would actively distance itself from the description.
The Alberta Party under Mandel increased the party's vote from 2.2% in 2015 to 9.1% in 2019, but failed to win any seats in the Legislative Assembly. Unlike 2015, when the party focused all of its resources to successfully elect Greg Clark in Calgary-Elbow, in 2019 the Alberta Party spread thin its resources by running a province-wide campaign and a full-slate of candidates.
Mandel was able to attract a slate with credible candidates, including former PC MLA Dave Quest, former Liberal MLA Mo Elsalhy, former St. Paul mayor Glenn Andersen, former St. Albert city councillor Neil Korotash, anti-violence advocate Manwar Khan, actor Dakota House and well-known former radio host Angela Kokott.
Lorne Dach
But the Alberta Party campaign stumbled out of the starting gate early in the campaign, with Mandel and a handful of candidates and chief financial officers being banned from running in the election by Election Alberta after missing their financial disclosure deadlines. The bans were lifted after court challenges by Mandel and the other candidates but it damaged the party's chances of being seen as a serious contender in an election dominated by the UCP and NDP.
The party earned significant media coverage but struggled to gain traction and hit a ceiling of 12 percent in polling during the campaign. Mandel's significant of name recognition in Edmonton was not able to help the Alberta Party break the dominance of Rachel Notley's NDP in the provincial capital city. The NDP won 19 of 20 seats in Edmonton.
Mandel finished third behind NDP MLA Lorne Dach and UCP challenger Laurie Mozeson in Edmonton-McClung, which includes parts of the area he represented on city council before his time as mayor. The party's two incumbent MLAs, Clark and Calgary-South East MLA Rick Fraser, were both defeated in their bids for re-election. The party's third MLA, former NDPer Karen McPherson, declined to run for re-election.
The press release announcing Mandel's departure states that he is pursuing his role as Chancellor of Concordia University of Edmonton, a role he was installed into on November 30, 2017, just over one month before he launched his campaign to win the Alberta Party leadership.
From the very beginning, Mandel's second attempt at a political comeback was a strange endeavour. And despite Mandel's nine-years as a popular big city mayor with a significant list of accomplishments, his final appearance on the political scene will largely be a footnote in Alberta's history (unless, of course, this was not his final comeback…).
Alberta Party finances…
The Alberta Party's financial disclosures from the 2019 election have not yet been released, but the 2018 annual financial disclosures paint a picture of a party in financial disarray. The Alberta Party raised $525,430 in 2018 while running a $137,964 deficit.
In a May 25, 2019 email sent to members explaining the financial situation, the party explained that it had cycled through three CFOs in 2018 and that larger than expected expenses related to the creation of the party's proprietary Customer Relationship Management database and "too large of an AGM" put the party in a deficit position.
The email told members that "[t]he Party is not broke but will be operating on a tight budget for the foreseeable future."
Tags 2017 Alberta Progressive Conservative Leadership Race, Alberta Election 2019, Alberta NDP, Alberta Party, Angela Kokott, Bob Turner, Calgary-Elbow, Calgary-South East, Concordia University of Edmonton, Dakota House, Dave Quest, Edmonton-McClung, Edmonton-Whitemud, Glenn Anderson, Greg Clark, Jason Kenney, Jim Prentice, Karen McPherson, Katherine O'Neill, Laurie Mozeson, Lorne Dach, Manwar Khan, Mo Elsalhy, Neil Korotash, Rachel Notley, Rick Fraser, Stephen Khan, Stephen Mandel, Sue Timanson, United Conservative Party, Wildrose Party
Calgary-Fish Creek bozo-eruption raises questions about "rigorous" UCP candidate screening process
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Jason Kenney and RIchard Gotfried
Photo: UCP leader Jason Kenney and Calgary-Fish Creek MLA Richard Gotfried (source: Twitter)
MLA Richard Gotfried fended off a nomination challenge on September 7, 2018 against opponent Cindy Ross, becoming the United Conservative Party candidate in Calgary-Fish Creek. It was a contentious nomination race, with accusations of negative campaigning being tossed between the two camps and a third candidate dropping out before the vote was held.
But a series of screenshots of anti-Islamic and conspiracy theory promoting social media posts allegedly made by Ross released the day before the vote raises some serious questions about the vetting process used by the UCP to approve candidates seeking nominations.
Back in June 2017, party leader Jason Kenney promised "a rigorous screening process for prospective candidates to red light those who have advocated truly hateful views or who have serious reputational problems."
A series of bozo-eruptions, ranging from anti-Islamic comments, opposition to same-sex marriage, denial of climate change, and questioning the science of vaccinations, raises some serious questions about just how "rigorous" the UCP screening process actually is.
Rutherford secures UCP nomination in Leduc-Beaumont
Brad Rutherford defeated former Wildrose Party candidate Sharon Smith and Scott Wickland to secure the UCP nomination in Leduc-Beaumont. Rutherford previously ran for a federal Conservative nomination in Edmonton-West ahead of the 2015 election and was the president of the local UCP association. He previously served with the Edmonton Police Service.
Banff-Kananaskis – Michael Zubkow is seeking the UCP nomination.
Calgary-Acadia – Lana Bentley is seeking the Alberta Party nomination.
Calgary-East –Gar Gar is the nominated Alberta Party candidate. Gar is the past president of the SAIT Students' Association and ran for Calgary City Council in Ward 10 in the 2017 municipal elections.
Jamie Lall is seeking the UCP nomination in this east Calgary district. Lall's name will be familiar to attentive readers of this website. In 2012, he unsuccessfully sought the Progressive Conservative nomination in Calgary-McCall and was later appointed as the PC candidate in Calgary-Buffalo, where he finished second to Liberal MLA Kent Hehr. He re-emerged in 2015 as a nomination candidate in Chestermere-Rockyview before he was disqualified by text-message in one of the more bizarre PC Party nomination scandals of that election cycle. He instead resigned from his position as president of the Calgary-McCall PC association and ran as an Independent candidate in that Chestermere-Rockyview, earning 5.3 percent of the vote. He then sought the PC Party nomination to run in the 2016 Calgary-Greenway by-election, but was unsuccessful in that bid. Lall was then banned from running for office for a 5-year period after failing to file his 2015 campaign financial statements on time with Elections Alberta, but a judge overturned that ban in 2017.
Calgary-Mountian View – Mark Hlady is seeking the UCP nomination. Hlady was the Progressive Conservative MLA for this district from 1993 to 2004, when he was defeated by Liberal David Swann. Hlady surprised many political watchers when he defeated Jim Prentice's former Chief of Staff Jean-Sebastien Rioux to secure the PC Party nomination in 2015, setting up a rematch against Swann. But Hlady placed third with 23 percent of the vote behind Swann and New Democrat Marc Chikinda.
Edmonton-Mill Woods – Baljit Singh is seeking the UCP nomination.
Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo: UCP MLA Tany Yao has been acclaimed as his party's candidate in this district. Yao was first elected in 2015 and currently serves as the Official Opposition Health Critic.
Strathcona-Sherwood Park – Dave Quest has been acclaimed as the Alberta Party candidate in this district east of Edmonton. Quest served as the Progressive Conservative MLA for this district from 2008 to 2015, when he was unseated by New Democrat Estefania Cortes-Vargas.
Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright – Eileen Taylor and Darrel Howell are the latest candidates to enter the UCP nomination contest in this new rural district in east central Alberta. Eileen Taylor is a former teacher and he wife of retiring Battle River-Wainwright UCP MLA Wes Taylor (Mr. Taylor announced in May 2018 that he would not seek re-election because he is focusing on recovering from having undergone open heart surgery). The Taylor's ran a real estate company before Mr. Taylor was elected in 2015. Howell is an engineer and was appointed as Chair of the Board of Governors of Lakelake College in 2014. He is a former president and chairman of Tartan Canada Corporation.
West Yellowhead – Kirstie Gomuwka is seeking the Alberta Party nomination. Gomuwka is a director of the Edson Friendship Centre and was a candidate for trustee with the Grande Yellowhead Public School District in October 2017. She is married to Town of Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara, who also served as press secretary to former West Yellowhead PC MLA Robin Campbell until his defeat to New Democrat Eric Rosendahl in the 2015 election.
NDP Convention moved to October
The New Democratic Party will now hold their convention on October 26, 27 and 28 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Edmonton. As noted in a previous article, the NDP had initially scheduled their convention for September 28, 29 and 30, 2018 in Red Deer. The NDP convention will now take place the weekend immediately before the Legislative Assembly is expected to reconvene for the fall sitting, on October 29, 2018.
Tags Alberta Election 2019, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta Party, Alberta PC Party, Baljit Singh, Banff-Kananaskis, Battle River-Wainwright, Bozo-Eruptions, Brad Rutherford, Calgary-Buffalo, Calgary-East, Calgary-Fish Creek, Calgary-McCall, Calgary-Mountain View, Chestermere-Rockyview, Cindy Ross, Darrel Howell, Dave Quest, David Swann, Edmonton-Mill Woods, Eileen Taylor, Eric Rosendahl, Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, Gar Gar, Grande Yellowhead Public School District, Islamophobia, Jamie Lall, Jean-Sebastien Rioux, Kevin Zahara, Kirstie Gomuwka, Lakelake College, Lana Bentley, Leduc-Beaumont, Marc Chikinda, Mark Hlady, Michael Zubkow, Richard Gotfried, Robin Campbell, Scott Wickland, Sharon Smith, Strathcona-Sherwood Park, Tany Yao, United Conservative Party, Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright, Wes Taylor, West Yellowhead
Alberta Politics Daveberta Podcast
Episode 19: Quashing Pipelines and Political Dreams
1 Comment on Episode 19: Quashing Pipelines and Political Dreams
http://media.blubrry.com/daveberta/p/daveberta.ca/wp-content/uploads/podcast/daveberta-pod-19.mp3
In this episode of the Daveberta Podcast, Dave Cournoyer and Ryan Hastman discuss the latest news in Alberta politics, including Premier Rachel Notley's response to the quashing of approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline, how rumours of an early federal election could impact Alberta's 2019 election, and Ryan's favourite topic, the Alberta Party.
We discussed some of the latest candidate nomination news , including the Calgary-Fish Creek UCP Islamophobia controversy and upcoming contests in Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul, Edmonton-Glenora, Calgary-Elbow, and Edmonton-McClung. We also respond some of the great questions you sent us, including about the Calgary 2026 Olympic bid and thoughts on Notley's pipeline speech at Calgary Pride.
The Daveberta Podcast is a member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB Financial.
You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you find podcasts online. We'd love to hear what you think of this episode, so feel free to leave a review where you download, comment on the blog, Facebook or Twitter or send us an email at podcast@daveberta.ca.
Also, it would be a big help if you could leave a review where you download this podcast and share this episode with a friend.
We are always thankful to our hard working producer, Adam Rozenhart, who helps make each episode of the Daveberta Podcast sound so great.
Recommended reading/watching
To Restore Civil Society, Start with the Library, by Eric Klinenberg (New York Times, September 8, 2018)
Early federal election rumours build, by Robin Sears (Toronto Star, September 9, 2018)
So you want to be a candidate in Jason Kenney's UCP? video by Edmonton-Castle Downs NDP MLA Nicole Goehring (Twitter)
The Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion isn't dead. But delays will be costly, by Trevor Tombe (Macleans, August 30, 2018)
Rachel Notley's televised response to the quashing of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion (Facebook, August 30, 2018)
Tags Adam Rozenhart, Alberta Election 2019, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta NDP, Alberta Party, Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul, Calgary Olympics 2026, Calgary Pride, Calgary-Beddington, Calgary-Elbow, Calgary-Fish Creek, Calgary-South East, Canada Election 2019, Chris Davis, Cindy Ross, Climate Change, Craig Copeland, Dave Cournoyer, Dave Quest, Daveberta Podcast, David Hanson, Doug Schweitzer, Edmonton-Castle Downs, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-McClung, Edmonton-Strathcona, Eric Klinenberg, Greg Clark, Janice Harrington, Jason Kenney, Joe Ceci, Justin Trudeau, Karen McPherson, Kinder Morgan Trans-Mountain Pipeline, Laurie Mozeson, Linda Duncan, New York Times, Nicole Geohring, Oil Pipelines, Public Libraries, Rachel Notley, Richard Gotfried, Rick Fraser, Robin Sears, Ryan Hastman, Sarah Hoffman, Shannon Phillips, Stephen Mandel, Strathcona-Sherwood Park, Toronto Star, United Conservative Party
Three candidates drop out of Peace River UCP race, showdown in Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock, and a Sweet nomination in Edmonton-Manning
6 Comments on Three candidates drop out of Peace River UCP race, showdown in Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock, and a Sweet nomination in Edmonton-Manning
Lisa Wardley
The number of candidates in the United Conservative Party nomination contest in the sprawling northwest district of Peace River has dropped from five to two.
Lisa Wardley, deputy reeve of Mackenzie County, and Dan Williams, who worked as a political staffer for Jason Kenney, are the two remaining candidates in the contest after three other candidates, Kelly Bunn, Donald Lee, and Shelly Shannon, dropped out over the past few weeks.
Bunn announced his withdrawal in a Facebook post citing disillusionment with Kenney's "Grassroots Guarantee" and what he describes as a top heavy approach to candidate nominations. Lee withdrew citing a lack of support. And Shannon announced her departure from the contest by endorsing Williams.
In a post on Facebook, Wardley criticized the locations of the voting stations chosen by the UCP nomination committee for the July 31 and August 1, 2018 vote as "not representative of the largest Riding in the Province."
Wardley wrote that the voting stations "do not lend to fairness, accessibility or the importance and value of all of our communities and citizens. Does not take into account the working communities that we host (with the early day hours in High Level), the lack of public transportation to and from communities, the addition of three new communities to the riding… or really anything else that is specific to this region other than hitting the three largest urban centers."
Disclaimer: The polling stations and times have been decided by the Local Nominating Committee for the Constituency…
Posted by Lisa Wardley, Mackenzie County Councilor & Northern Advocate on Wednesday, July 11, 2018
When contacted by this writer, Wardley said she was shocked when she learned that the nomination committee chose only three voting stations in the largest urban centres of the large rural district – Peace River, High Level and La Crete.
The new Peace River district. UCP voting stations circled in blue. (Click to enlarge)
"All our communities and members are important and distance, accessibility to polling stations, travel time, workforce demographics, fairness are just some of the criteria that needed to be added to the mix when deciding," Wardley wrote, saying that she would like to see voting stations in more communities and the voting period extended by one day.
For readers not familiar with this district, it would take more than 5 hours to drive from the northern most community of Indian Cabins to the southern more community of Reno.
UCP members in this district will vote to choose their candidate on July 31, 2018 in Peace River from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and August 1, 2018 in High Level from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and La Crete from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The Peace River district is currently represented by New Democratic Party MLA Debbie Jabbour. Jabbour was first elected in 2015, earning 39 percent of the vote. She currently serves as Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees in the Legislative Assembly.
Showdown in Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock
Incumbent UCP MLA Glenn van Dijken will face a challenge from farmer Monty Bauer in a nomination meeting on July 14 in the new district of Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock. van Dijken was first elected as a Wildrose Party candidate in 2015 in the Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock district. His opponent is being supported by former area Member of Parliament Brian Storseth. Bauer ran against Jeff Johnson for the Progressive Conservative nomination in Athabasca-Redwater in 2007.
A Sweet nomination in Edmonton-Manning
MLA Heather Sweet is expected to be nominated as the NDP candidate in this northeast Edmonton district on July 14, 2018. Sweet was first elected in 2015, earning 71 percent of the vote in a district that had swung between the PCs and Liberals in previous elections. She currently serves as Deputy Chair of Committees in the Legislative Assembly.
Citizenship judge appointed by Kenney seeks UCP nomination
Laurie Mozeson is seeking the UCP nomination in the southwest district of Edmonton-McClung. Mozeson is a long-time prosecutor with the federal and provincial governments and was appointed as a citizenship judge in 2012 by then federal immigration minister Jason Kenney.
A November 2012 report by the Hill Times noted Mozeson's daughter, Marlee, had worked in Kenney's office as an intern and special assistant, and later worked as assistant to Chungsen Leung, Kenney's parliamentary secretary for multiculturalism. Her son, Jonah, had previously worked as communications director for Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose.
Her daughter-in-law, Jamie Mozeson, is now the director of operations at the UCP caucus and ran for the federal Conservative nomination in the Sturgeon River-Parkland district in 2016.
Gill resigns as deputy whip over ballot-snatching allegations
Current Calgary-Greenway MLA Prab Gill has resigned as UCP caucus deputy whip following allegations of ballot-snatching at the founding meeting of the Calgary-North UCP association. Gill has announced he is seeking the UCP nomination in the Calgary-North East district.
Here are some of the other latest updates to the list of candidates running for party nominations ahead of the 2019 Alberta provincial general election:
Calgary-Beddington – Daniel Kostak has announced his withdrawal from the UCP nomination contest and he has endorsed Randy Kerr.
Calgary-Bow – Eldon Siemens is seeking the UCP nomination.
Calgary-Currie – Terry Devries is seeking the UCP nomination. Devries was the Wildorse Party candidate in this district in the 2015 election, where he placed third with 20 percent of the vote behind New Democrat Brian Malkinson and PC MLA Christine Cusanelli.
Calgary-Falconridge – Devinder Toor is seeking the UCP nomination. Toor was the Wildrose Party candidate in the 2016 by-election and 2015 general election in Calgary-Greenway.
Calgary-Foothills: UCP members in this district will vote to choose their candidate on July 14, 2018. Former Calgary-Hawkwood PC MLA Jason Luan and federal Conservative political staffer Connor Staus are seeking the nomination.
Calgary-McCall – Jangbahadur Sidhu is seeking the UCP nomination.
Calgary-North – Tanis Fiss, Manpreet Sidhu and Muhammed Yassen are seeking the UCP nomination.
Calgary-Peigan – Andrew Griffin has withdrawn from the UCP nomination contest. Griffin has previously worked as a constituency assistant for Kenney.
Calgary-Varsity – Beth Barberree has been nominated as the Alberta Party candidate. Barberree was the Alberta Party candidate in Calgary-Hawkwood in the 2015 election. Grace Lane is seeking the UCP nomination.
Edmonton-Decore – Ali Haymour has been nominated as the Alberta Party candidate. Haymour ran for Edmonton City Council in 2017 and was the NDP candidate in Edmonton-Castle Downs in 2008 and Edmonton-Decroe in 2012.
Edmonton-Rutherford – Arnold D'Souza is seeking the Alberta Party nomination.
Edmonton-Strathcona – Jovita Mendita is seeking the UCP nomination. Mendita is a real estate agent with the Melnychuk Group. This district has been represented by Premier Rachel Notley since 2008.
Leduc-Beaumont – Scott Wickland is seeking the UCP nomination.
Lesser Slave Lake – Brenda Derkoch is seeking the UCP nomination.
Red Deer-South – Ryan McDougall has been nominated as the Alberta Party candidate.
St Albert – Rodney Laliberte is seeking the UCP nomination. Laine Matoga was withdrawn his name from the UCP nomination contest.t
Sherwood Park – Sue Timanson has been nominated as the Alberta Party candidate. Timanson ran for the PC nomination in Sherwood Park in 2012 and 2015, and she is a former regional director of the PC Party.
Strathcona-Sherwood Park – Robb Connelly will challenge former PC MLA Dave Quest for the Alberta Party nomination in this district east of Edmonton.
Tags Alberta Election 2019, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta NDP, Alberta Party, Ali Haymour, Andrew Griffin, Arnold D'Souza, Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock, Beth Barberree, Brenda Derkoch, Brian Malkinson, Calgary-Beddington, Calgary-Bow, Calgary-Currie, Calgary-Falconridge, Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-Greenway, Calgary-McCall, Calgary-North, Calgary-North East, Calgary-Peigan, Calgary-Varsity, Christine Cusanelli, Chungsen Leung, Connor Staus, Daniel Kostek, Daniel Williams, Dave Quest, Debbie Jabbour, Devinder Toor, Donald Lee, Edmonton-Castle Downs, Edmonton-Decore, Edmonton-Manning, Edmonton-McClung, Edmonton-Rutherford, Edmonton-Strathcona, Eldon Siemens, Glenn van Dijken, Grassroots Guarantee, Heather Sweet, Jamie Mozeson, Jangbahadur Sidhu, Jason Kenney, Jason Luan, Jeff Johnson, Jovita Mendita, Kelly Bunn, Laine Matoga, Laurie Mozeson, Leduc-Beaumont, Lesser Slave Lake, Lisa Wardley, Manpreet Sidhu, Monty Bauer, Muhammed Yassen, Peace River, Prab Gill, Rachel Notley, Randy Kerr, Red Deer-South, Robb Connelly, Rodney Laliberte, Rona Ambrose, Ryan McDougall, Scott Wickland, Shelly Shannon, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Strathcona-Sherwood Park, Sue Timanson, Tanis Fiss, Terry Devries, United Conservative Party
UCP MLAs rush to help Angela Pitt in nomination fight against Sportsnet commentator Roger Millions
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Photo: Angela Pitt and Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean during the 2015 election.
It looks like Angela Pitt is in trouble.
The first-term MLA from Airdrie is facing a stiff challenge for the United Conservative Party nomination in the newly redrawn Airdrie-East district.
Roger Millions
As first reported on this blog on May 31, 2018, Sportsnet Calgary Flames commentator Roger Millions is challenging Pitt for the nomination. Millions could have run for the UCP nomination in the other Airdrie district – Airdrie-Cochrane – where no incumbent MLA is running, but he is instead challenging Pitt in Airdrie-East.
Having a high-profile nomination challenger like Millions unseat an incumbent in a nomination contest, especially as she is one of two women MLAs in the UCP caucus, would be embarrassing for the UCP.
Pitt's caucus colleagues are rallying with support. Thirteen UCP MLAs (Nathan Cooper, Tany Yao, Jason Nixon, Mike Ellis, Todd Loewen, Rick Strankman, David Hanson, Scott Cyr, Glenn van Dijken, Prab Gill, Dave Schneider, Mark Smith and Wayne Drysdale) and Calgary Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie have publicly endorsed Pitt's nomination bid through videos on her Facebook page.
It is unusual for an incumbent to garner so many endorsements in a nomination contest from other MLAs unless that incumbent is in danger of being defeated. It is also not clear if the endorsements will have an impact on the outcome of the nomination contest.
I am told that Pitt is fairly popular among her UCP MLA colleagues, but that she might not have laid the ground work needed in Airidrie to fend off a nomination challenge from someone as high-profile as Millions.
Pitt was acclaimed as the Wildrose Party candidate in 2015 and had already been acclaimed to run as a Wildrose Party candidate for the 2019 election before the UCP was formed.
Controversy arose earlier this month when a member of the local UCP board of directors resigned after disagreeing with the local association's decision to donate the $16,000 remaining in the bank account of the defunct local Wildrose Party association to the Alberta Fund political action committee.
The Alberta Fund PAC was created to support Brian Jean's candidacy in the 2017 UCP leadership race and is run by former Wildrose Party president David Yager. Pitt endorsed Jean in the leadership race.
The UCP nomination vote in Airdrie-East will be held on June 20, 2018 from 11:00am to 8:00pm at the Town and Country Centre in Airdrie.
NDP nominate Phillips and Sabir
Shannon Phillips takes a selfie in front of a crowded nomination meeting in Lethbridge-West.
Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips has been officially nominated as the New Democratic Party candidate in Lethbridge-West. Phillips was first elected in 2015, earning 59 percent of the vote and unseating Progressive Conservative MLA Greg Weadick. Community and Social Services Minister Irfan Sabir was expected to be nomination as the NDP candidate in Calgary-McCall at a meeting on June 12, 2018.
Former PC MLA runs for Alberta Party nomination
Dave Quest is running for the Alberta Party nomination in Strathcona-Sherwood Park. Quest represented the district from 2008 to 2015 as a PC MLA. He served as Associate Minister for Seniors from 2013 to 2014. He briefly planned to run for municipal office in Strathcona County ahead of the 2017 elections but withdrew before the nomination deadline.
Here are some of the latest updates to the list of candidates running for party nominations ahead of Alberta's 2019 provincial election:
Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock – Monty Bauer, a grain farmer from Thorhild, is challenging MLA Glenn van Dijken for the UCP nomination. Bauer has been endorsed by former Westlock-St. Paul Conservative MP Brian Storseth.
Brooks-Medicine Hat – Conservative activist S. Todd Beasley is seeking the UCP nomination. Beasley was an organizer for the anti-NDP Alberta Wide Rallies held in 2016 and is the organizer behind the 'Stop the Shock' group, which opposes the closure of dirty coal-fired power plants in Alberta.
Calgary-Edgemont: Prasad Panda was nominated as the UCP candidate in this district. Panda was first elected as the Wildrose Party candidate in the 2015 by-election in Calgary-Foothills.
Calgary-North East – Tariq Khan is seeking the UCP nomination. Khan is a real estate agent and general secretary of the Pakistan Canada Association Calgary.
Calgary-Shaw Brad Leishman is seeking the UCP nomination. Leishman was the Wildrose Party candidate in this district in the 2015 election.
Cypress-Medicine Hat – Drew Barnes has been acclaimed in the UCP nomination in this district covering the southeast corner of Alberta. Barnes was first elected as a Wildrose MLA in 2012 and was re-elected in 2015.
Edmonton-Meadows – Sant Sharma is seeking the UCP nomination.
Edmonton-Glenora – Carla Stolte has been acclaimed as the Alberta Party candidate. She is the former president of the Westmount Community League.
Edmonton-Manning – Manwar Khan is seeking the Alberta Party nomination.
Edmonton-South – Pramod Kumar is seeking the Alberta Party nomination. Atul Ranade is seeking the UCP nomination. Ranade was a declared candidate for Mayor of Edmonton in 2017 but did not enter the race on nomination day.
Edmonton-Whitemud – Payman Parseyan has withdrawn from UCP nomination contest in Edmonton-South and is now seeking the UCP nomination in the neighbouring Edmonton-Whitemud district.
Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland – Dale Johnson is seeking the UCP nomination.
Red Deer-North – Adriana LaGrange has announced plans to seek the UCP nomination. LaGrange has served as a trustee on Red Deer's Regional Catholic School Board since 2007 and is a past president of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association and former vice-president of the Canadian Catholic School Trustees' Association. She resigned from her role with the ACSTA in June 2018.
West Yellowhead – Maryann Chichak announced on her Facebook page that she has withdrawn from the UCP concest. Chichak has served as Mayor of the Town of Whitecourt since 2013 and was the Wildrose Party candidate in Whitecourt-Ste. Anne in the 2012 election.
https://www.facebook.com/MaryannchichakUCPnominee/posts/494002437721610
Tags Adriana LaGrange, Airdrie, Airdrie-Cochrane, Airdrie-East, Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association, Alberta Election 2019, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta Fund Political Action Committee, Alberta NDP, Alberta Party, Angela Pitt, Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock, Atul Ranade, Brad Leishman, Brian Jean, Brian Storseth, Brooks-Medicine Hat, Calagry-Edgemont, Calgary-McCall, Calgary-North West, Calgary-Shaw, Canadian Catholic School Trustees' Association, Carla Stolte, Dale Johnson, Dave Quest, Dave Schneider, David Hanson, David Yager, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-Manning, Edmonton-Meadows, Edmonton-South, Edmonton-Whitemud, Glenn van Dijken, Greg Weadick, Irfan Sabir, Jason Nixon, Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland, Lethbridge-West, Manwar Khan, Mark Smith, Maryann Chichak, Mike Ellis, Monty Bauer, Nathan Cooper, Payman Parseyan, Prab Gill, Pramod Kumar, Prasad Panda, Red Deer-North, Rick Strankman, Roger Millions, S. Todd Beasley, Sant Sharma, Scott Cyr, Shannon Phillips, Sherwood Park-Strathcona, Stephanie Kusie, Tany Yao, Tariq Khan, Todd Loewen, United Conservative Party, Wayne Drysdale, West Yellowhead, Wildrose Party
Former PC MLAs running for municipal office in 2017
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Photo: Former PC MLAs Jacquie Fenske, Don Scott, Linda Johnson and Ron Casey
Alberta's 2015 provincial election resulted in the election of 75 new MLAs in the 87 seat Legislative Assembly. More than two years after that historic election, a group of former Progressive Conservative MLAs have put forward their names to stand in the October 16, 2017 municipal elections. Here is a quick look at some of the former PC MLAs jumping into municipal politics:
Jacquie Fenske is running for Mayor of Strathcona County. Fenske served as the PC MLA for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville from 2012 until 2015 and previous to that as a Strathcona County councillor. Fenske was unseated by New Democrat Jessica Littlewood in the 2015 election.
Former Fort McMurray-Conklin PC MLA Don Scott is running to become the next mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Scott served on council from 2010 to 2012 and as MLA from 2012 until he was unseated by Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean in 2015. He served as Associate Minister of Accountability, Transparency and Transformation from 2012 to 2014 and Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education from 2014 until 2015.
Linda Johnson announced she is running for Calgary City Council in Ward 11. Johnson was the PC MLA for Calgary-Glenmore from 2012 until 2015, when she was defeated by 6 votes by New Democrat Anam Kazim. Current Ward 11 councillor Brian Pincott, who is not seeking re-election this year, is considering a run for the NDP in Calgary-Mountain View in the next provincial election.
Former Banff-Cochrane PC MLA Ron Casey is running for Mayor of Canmore, an office he held from 1998 to 2001 and 2004 until entering provincial politics in 2012. Casey will challenge John Borrowman, who was elected mayor in the by-election following the 2012 provincial election. Casey was unseated in the 2015 election by New Democrat Cameron Westhead.
Former PC MLA David Xiao is running for city council in Ward 5. Xiao was the MLA for Edmonton-McClung from 2008 to 2012 and served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Employment and Immigration. 'Edmonton-McClung MLA David Xiao's claimed travel expenses of nearly $35,000 last year, more than any of his Edmonton colleagues,' the CBC reported on Jan. 22, 2013. In 2014, he was disqualified from running for the federal Conservative nomination in the Edmonton-West riding. He was defeated in the 2015 election by New Democrat Lorne Dach.
Former PC MLA Art Johnston is running for Calgary City Council in Ward 13. Johnston was MLA for Calgary-Hays from 2004 to 2012. Johnston has the distinction of being the only MLA to endorse Alison Redford in the first round of voting in the 2011 PC leadership race and he served as parliamentary assistant to premier Redford from 2011 until 2012. He lost two bids to win his party's nominations in advance of the 2012 election – to Rick Fraser in Calgary-South East and Ric McIver in Calgary-Hays.
Dave Quest had initially announced plans to run for Strathcona County council but has since withdrawn his name from the race. He served as the PC MLA for Strathcona-Sherwood Park from 2004 to 2015 until he was unseated by New Democrat Estefania Cortes-Vargas.
If I have missed any former MLAs running in this year's municipal election, please let me know and I will mention them in future updates. Thanks!
Former PC MLA now organizing for the Alberta Party
Blake Pedersen
Speaking of former PC MLAs… Blake Pedersen is listed as the contact person for upcoming annual general meetings for Alberta Party associations in the Medicine Hat and Cypress-Medicine Hat constituencies.
Pedersen was elected in 2012 as the Wildrose Party MLA for Medicine Hat and crossed the floor to the PCs in 2014. During his time as MLA he served as the Official Opposition critic for Culture and Innovation and Advanced Education.
He was unseated by New Democrat Bob Wanner in the 2015 election.
Tags 2017 Municipal Elections, Alberta Party, Alberta PC Party, Anam Kazim, Art Johnston, Blake Pedersen, Bob Wanner, Brian Jean, Brian Pincott, Cameron Westhead, Dave Quest, David Xiao, Don Scott, Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Former Alberta MLA, Jacquie Fenske, Jessica Littlewood, John Borrowman, Linda Johnson, Lorne Dach, Ric McIver, Rick Fraser, Ron Casey, Wildrose Party
Former Tory MLAs jumping into municipal politics
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As the October 16, 2017 municipal elections approach, we are starting to see a number of candidates from the 2015 provincial and federal elections putting their names forward to run for municipal office. At least three former Progressive Conservative MLAs who were defeated in the 2015 election have put their names forward to run:
Linda Johnson announced she is running for Calgary City Council in Ward 11. Johnson was the Progressive Conservative MLA for Calgary-Glenmore from 2012 until 2015, when she was defeated by 6 votes by New Democrat Anam Kazim. Current Ward 11 councillor Brian Pincott, who is not seeking re-election this year, is considering a run for the NDP in Calgary-Mountain View in the next provincial election.
Former Fort McMurray-Conklin PC MLA Don Scott is running to become the next mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Scott served on council from 2010 to 2012 and as MLA from 2012 until he was unseated by Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean in 2015. He served as Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education from 2014 until 2015.
Former PC MLA Dave Quest will be a municipal election candidate in the Strathcona County, though it is unclear whether he will run for a council spot or for mayor. He represented Strathcona-Sherwood Park from 2008 until 2015, when he was unseated by New Democrat Estefania Cortes-Vargas. He is married to Ward 8 councillor Fiona Beland-Quest. UPDATE: Beland-Quest has announced that she will not seek re-election. Rex Adam, husband of former Sherwood Park PC MLA Cathy Olesen, announced he will run in Ward 8.
A few other recent provincial and federal candidates are running as well:
Jim Black is running for city council in Medicine Hat. He was an Alberta Party candidate in the 2015 provincial election.
Rod Frank is running for mayor of Strathcona County. He earned 20 percent of the vote as the 2015 federal Liberal candidate in the Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan riding.
Tags 2017 Municipal Elections, Anam Kazim, Brian Jean, Brian Pincott, Calgary-Mountain View, Cathy Olesen, Dave Quest, Don Scott, Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Fiona Beland-Quest, Fort McMurray-Conklin, Jim Black, Linda Johnson, Rex Adam, Rod Frank, Strathcona-Sherwood Park
Anti-Redford revolt fails to materialize at PC MLA meeting
2 Comments on Anti-Redford revolt fails to materialize at PC MLA meeting
Old white men: Progressive Conservative MLAs leave their Thursday morning caucus meeting at Government House.
A rumoured revolt within Alberta's Progressive Conservative caucus failed to materialize yesterday as government MLAs gathered at Government House to discuss Premier Alison Redford's future.
Cancelling all public appearances and media events for the day, including the premier's trip to Regina to participate in the New West Partnership meeting, PC MLAs cloistered themselves in the stately mansion for more than four hours.
The media were positioned outside of Government House, waiting for news of the rumoured MLA revolt.
Despite rumours that up to 20 PC MLAs were considering leaving to sit as Independents if Ms. Redford did not pay back the $45,000 she expensed for a trip to South Africa, only Calgary-Foothills MLA Len Webber announced his departure yesterday.
At a morning press conference in Calgary, Mr. Webber laid down harsh criticism against Ms. Redford, describing her as an abusive bully and claiming she is killing the PC Party. Mr. Webber's departure from the PC caucus is a blow, but not a complete surprise. He is currently seeking a federal Conservative nomination, meaning that he was already planning on leaving provincial politics.
With a gloom look on her face, Ms. Redford briskly left the building around 11:30am and was quickly whisked away in her black Suburban SUV.
Premier Alison Redford quickly departs Government House.
Not long after the premier's departure, Tory MLAs slowly poured out of Government House. Most MLAs were tight-lipped and refused to comment about what transpired at their meeting. It appeared that Ms. Redford remained leader of the PC caucus.
Were rumours of an MLA revolt against the premier exaggerated or is it yet to come? Was Ms. Redford able to appease the critics in her caucus by pledging to pay the $45,000 she expensed for a trip to South Africa? Has the PC caucus put the premier on probation?
Deputy Premier Dave Hancock scrums with the media after the PC caucus meeting.
A party loyalist to the core, deputy premier Dave Hancock held a media scrum announcing that his party's MLAs were united and focused on "building Alberta." Meanwhile, the normally combative Labour minister Thomas Lukaszuk was curiously coy, saying only that the caucus had "a very productive conversation."
Alberta's long-governing PCs have a history of ruthlessly deposing leaders who threaten their re-election prospects. But while Ms. Redford's popularity is low and her premiership has become scandal-plagued, PC MLAs must recognize the reality facing their own party.
PC MLAs Moe Amery and Jacquie Fenske leave Government House.
With less than two years until the next election, the PC Party can ill-afford the financial costs of a hastily called leadership race, which would increase party expenses while diluting their already strapped donor base.
But this is not likely the end of the challenges facing Ms. Redford's premiership. This upcoming weekend, senior PC Party officials will gather to discuss the future of their party, and their leader will surely be a topic of discussion. For the time-being, Ms. Redford appears to have survived the wrath of her caucus, but can she appease party activists with no appetite for defeat?
Tags Alberta PC Caucus, Alison Redford, Calgary-Foothills, Coup D'Etat, Dave Hancock, Dave Quest, Frank Oberle, Fred Horne, Jacquie Fenske, Ken Hughes, Len Webber, Moe Amery, Neil Brown, PC leadership crisis, Thomas Lukaszuk
Redford Tories big international travellers in January 2014
10 Comments on Redford Tories big international travellers in January 2014
Since November 2011, Alberta's cabinet ministers and government MLAs have travelled to 24 countries on official government business. By the end of January 2014, it will be 26.
Alberta's Progressive Conservative MLAs are kicking off another year of international travel as Premier Alison Redford, cabinet ministers and backbenchers check their luggage and rack up the air mile points with flights touching down at all points across the globe.
Departing on January 9, Ms. Redford will circle the globe on a sixteen day trip that will see her visit New Dehli, Mumbai and Bangalore, India and then to Davos, Switzerland to promote Alberta's oil. She will be joined at the beginning of her trip by Intergovernmental Affairs minister Cal Dallas, Human Services minister Manmeet Bhullar and Edmonton-Ellerslie MLA Naresh Bhardwaj at the Petrotech 2014 conference.
Mr. Bhullar and Mr. Bhardwaj will join Ms. Redford for her trip to India (Update: No public itinerary has been released for Mr. Bhullar and Mr. Bhardwaj's trip to India, so it is unclear how long they will be travelling through that country), but Mr. Dallas will split off the from the premier with a visit to Singapore. In May 2012, the Alberta government announced plans to open new trade offices in India and Singapore, as well as in Brazil and the United States.
Labour minister Thomas Lukaszuk will visit Harbin, Shanghai and Hangzhou, China from January 3 to 10, where he will sign memorandums of understanding with Chinese government science departments and attend the opening ceremony of the Harbin Ice Festival. It is unclear whether he will learn about the People's Republic approach to workplace safety and workers rights to fit with his new role as Labour minister.
This will be the fourth visit to Harbin by an Alberta cabinet minister since 2012.
Agriculture minister Verlyn Olson leaves for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma today to attend the Minister at the Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit. Mr. Olson will be accompanied by Stony Plain MLA Ken Lemke. They are scheduled to return to Alberta on January 6.
Strathcona-Sherwood Park MLA Dave Quest and Edmonton-Gold Bar MLA David Dorward are heading to sunny San Antonio, Texas to attend a Ports-to-Plains Alliance meeting from January 5 to 8.
Fourth-term PC backbencher Alana DeLong is headed on two trips this month. The Calgary-Bow MLA will attend Pacific North West Economic Region legislative visits in Olympia, Washington and Boise, Idaho from January 13 to 16 and in Juneau, Alaska from January 21 to 23.
The estimated cost for these international trips, including travel, accommodation and meals for politicians and staff in January 2014 is estimated at $218,160.
Map: MLA travel from November 2011 to December 2013
View Alberta Cabinet Minister and MLA Travel November 2011-December 2013 in a larger map
Since my last update in September 2013, government cabinet ministers and MLAs made trips to Istanbul, San Antonio, Washington DC, Shanghai, Harbin, Seoul, Daegu, Beijing, Tokyo, Chicago, Warsaw and London. Since November 2011, Alberta's cabinet ministers and MLAs have travelled to 24 countries on official government business. By the end of January 2014, it will be 26.
Tags Alana DeLong, Alison Redford, Cal Dallas, China, Dave Quest, David Dorward, Harbin Ice Festival, India, Ken Lemke, Manmeet Bhullar, MLA International Travel, Naresh Bhardwaj, Petrotech 2014, Thomas Lukaszuk, Verlyn Olson
The new (and old) faces of municipal elections in Alberta
2 Comments on The new (and old) faces of municipal elections in Alberta
Tomorrow is election day and in counties, municipal districts, villages, towns, and cities across the province, Albertans will cast their votes for mayors, reeves, councillors, aldermen, and school trustees.
In Calgary, uber-popular mayor Naheed Nenshi is expected to crush his opponents, including former Progressive Conservative MLA Jon Lord and a cast of challengers from the political fringe. This election also marks a change of title for Calgary city council members, from "Alderman" to "Councillor."
With voters in Alberta's second, third, and fourth largest cities – Edmonton, Red Deer, and Lethbridge – selecting new mayors, there could be a shift in how municipalities interact with the provincial government. With the ongoing war of words between Mayor Nenshi and Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths, a cast of new mayors could create a new dynamic in municipal-provincial relations in Alberta.
Don Iveson
In Edmonton, I am supporting for Don Iveson for Mayor. But don't take my word for it. Check out Don Iveson's ideas for our city and be sure to take a look at what the other candidates are offering. With 6 city councillors not seeking re-election and at least one incumbent in a vulnerable position, there will be some new faces on Edmonton City Council.
While there will be many new faces on municipal councils after the votes are counted, there could be some familiar characters returning to the fray. Observers of provincial politics in Alberta will recognize some of these candidates.
Fallen Tory titan Ray Danyluk is challenging incumbent Steve Upham to become the next Reeve of the County of St. Paul. Since the former cabinet minister was unseated by Wildroser Shayne Saskiw in the 2012 election, he has become the unofficial government representative in northeast Alberta, hosting traveling cabinet ministers at events and town hall meetings.
Ray Danyluk
In Fort McMurray, former PC-turned-Wildrose MLA Guy Boutilier is running for a councillor position on Wood Buffalo's municipal council, a place where he served as mayor before entering provincial politics in 1997. In Edmonton, former MLA Edmonton-Mill Woods Liberal MLA Weslyn Mather and former Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview MLA Ray Martin could be elected as trustees on Edmonton's Public School Board.
In St. Albert, where anonymous smear groups run rampant, former Alberta Liberal Party leader Bob Russell is aiming for a political comeback. While he was never elected to the Assembly, Mr. Russell served as Liberal Party leader from 1971 to 1974. He later served as an alderman in St. Albert from 1989 to 1992 and 1995 to 2001.
In the Village of Wabamum, former Stony Plain Tory MLA Fred Lindsay is running as part of a 3-candidate slate. Running for re-election to Wabamum village council, but not on Mr. Lindsay's slate, is Bill Purdy, who served as the PC MLA for Stony Plain from 1971 to 1986.
Familial relations also cross municipal-provincial lines. Judy Hehr, mother of Calgary-Buffalo Liberal MLA Kent Hehr is running for a spot on the Calgary Board of Education. Strathcona-Sherwood Park PC MLA Dave Quest's wife, Fiona Beland-Quest, is running to become a councillor in Strathcona County. Lethbridge mayoral candidate Bridget Mearns is the daughter of Lethbridge-East's Liberal-turned-PC MLA Bridget Pastoor. And in Edmonton, Ward 8 councillor Ben Henderson is running for re-election. Mr. Henderson is married to Edmonton-Centre Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman.
In the City of Airdrie, Jane Anderson, the mother of Airdrie Wildrose MLA Rob Anderson is running for a spot on city council as part of the Airdrie United slate. Mr. Anderson's brother, Nathan Anderson, is running for re-election as mayor of the town of Crossfield.
The appearance of municipal slates in Airdrie and Red Deer could signal the return of partisan style politics in municipal government (slates were common in Alberta's larger cities until the 1970s and 1980s).
Tags Ben Henderson, Bill Purdy, Bob Russell, Bridget Mearns, Bridget Pastoor, Dave Quest, Don Iveson, Doug Griffiths, Fiona Beland-Quest, Fred Lindsay, Guy Boutilier, Jane Anderson, Jon Lord, Judy Hehr, Kent Hehr, Laurie Blakeman, Naheed Nenshi, Nathan Anderson, Ray Danyluk, Ray Martin, Rob Anderson, Shayne Saskiw, Steve Upham, Weslyn Mather
Where in the world are Tory cabinet ministers?
4 Comments on Where in the world are Tory cabinet ministers?
Brussels, Bucharest, and Juneau are three international destinations where Tory MLAs were scheduled to visit during Government of Alberta sponsored trips today.
Environment and Sustainable Resources Minister Diana McQueen and Intergovernmental and International Relations Minister Cal Dallas have embarked on a pan-European tour, meeting with business and government leaders in a handful of continental counties. Backbench Tory MLA Richard Starke, from Vermilion-Lloydminster, is on government business in Juneau, Alaska.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Fred Horne is scheduled to depart for a trip that will take him to Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.
On October 1, 2012, I published a Google Map, tracking the travel of Alberta's Tory cabinet minister and MLAs on government business. Here is an updated map, which includes all published scheduled government of Alberta travel by cabinet ministers and MLAs from November 2011 to February 2013.
View Alberta Cabinet Minister and MLA Travel November 2011-February 2013 in a larger map
Trips added since November 2012 include Middle-Eastern travel by Minister Dallas, trips to the United States by Calgary-Bow MLA Alana DeLong, Calgary-Foothills MLA Len Webber, and Strathcona-Sherwood Park MLA Dave Quest, a trip to Chicago by Premier Alison Redford and the four trips mentioned at the beginning of this post.
As I wrote in October, I understand the value of sending cabinet ministers on these trips to promote our province abroad and I generally believe it is in our best interest, but there reaches a certain point when return on investment needs to be demonstrated.
Tags Alana DeLong, Alison Redford, Cal Dallas, Dave Quest, Diana McQueen, Fred Horne, Len Webber, Richard Starke
predicting alberta's election results.
12 Comments on predicting alberta's election results.
We have received more than 100 entries for the joint Daveberta and CalgaryGrit Great Alberta Election pool and have entered these predictions into a state of the art spreadsheet to discover some interesting predictions for tomorrow's vote.
Alberta election pool seat count prediction: Averages (from CalgaryGrit.ca)
The average of the seat count predictions would see Danielle Smith's Wildrose Party form a minority government with 42 of the 87 seats in the Assembly. The Progressive Conservatives would hold on to 37 (down from 72 in the 2008 election), the NDP would become the third largest party in the Assembly with 4 MLAs, and the Liberals would drop from 9 to 3 MLAs.
The average seat count prediction shows the Alberta Party electing one MLA, but the averages response to the question predicting that party's best results in a constituency is 22%.
Who will be re-elected?
Most entrants predict that PC MLA Ted Morton will be defeated in Chestermere-Rockyview and that Premier Alison Redford will be re-elected in Calgary-Elbow. The entires were split on predicting whether Liberal Party leader Raj Sherman would be re-elected in Edmonton-Meadowlark.
MLA Hunsperger and Leech?
The entries also showed a signifiant split in predicting whether controversial Wildrose Party candidates Allan Hunsperger and Ron Leech would be elected tomorrow.
Edmonton-Glenora
More than 50% of entries predict that PC MLA Heather Klimchuk will be re-elected in hotly contested Edmonton-Glenora campaign. Predicting her opponents chances of winning, 21% chose NDP candidate Ray Martin, 17% chose Alberta Party candidate Sue Huff, 8% chose former Liberal MLA Bruce Miller, and 3% chose Wildrose candidate Don Koziak.
Highest Tory votes
Battle River-Wainwright (represented by PC MLA Doug Griffiths), Edmonton-Whitemud (represented by PC MLA Dave Hancock), Edmonton-South West, Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills (represented by PC MLA Ray Danyluk), Spruce Grove-St. Albert (represented by PC MLA Doug Horner), and Strathcona-Sherwood Park (represented by PC MLA Dave Quest) were the constituencies predicted to have the highest PC vote on election day.
The pool is still open for new participants until the polls open at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.
Tags Alison Redford, Allan Hunsperger, Bruce Miller, Danielle Smith, Dave Quest, Don Koziak, Doug Griffiths, Doug Horner, Heather Klimchuk, Raj Sherman, Ray Danyluk, Ray Martin, Ron Leech, Sue Huff, Ted Morton
alberta candidate nomination update – august 2011 (part 2).
3 Comments on alberta candidate nomination update – august 2011 (part 2).
Former Green Party leader chosen as Wildrose candidate in Rocky Mountain House-Sundre
I have updated the list of declared and nominated candidates standing for the next provincial election. Here are some of the updates:
Rocky Mountain House-Sundre: According to Wildrose provincial director Krista Waters, landowners rights advocate and former leader of the Alberta Green Party leader Joe Anglin won the Wildrose nomination on August 13. Mr. Anglin defeated Rocky Mountain House town councillor Sheila Mizera and former constituency association president Ed Wicks. Mr. Anglin earned 22% of the vote as his former party's candidate in Lacombe-Ponoka in the 2008 provincial election. He was elected to Rimbey Town Council in October 2010.
Cypress-Medicine Hat: Scott Raible, a teacher at Eagle Butte High School, was acclaimed at an NDP joint-nomination meeting last night in Medicine Hat. According to his biography on the school website, he is currently teaching Grade 10, 11 and 12 English Language Arts and in 2002 he founded the radio station CJLT 99.5 FM (currently Power 93.7 FM) and was awarded "Best New Business of the Year" by the Medicine Hat Chamber of Commerce.
Edmonton-McClung: Peter Janisz will face Carrie Kohan for this west Edmonton constituency's Wildrose nomination. He is the owner of Peter's Paving Stones.
Grande Prairie-Smoky: Todd Loewen is seeking the Wildrose nomination. Mr. Loewen was his party's candidate in the 2008 provincial election, earning 13% of the vote, and until recently was the Northern Director for the Wildrose Alliance. He is a Director of the Alberta Professional Outfitters Association.
Little Bow: Psychologist Bev Muendel-Atherstone was acclaimed as the NDP candidate a nomination meeting earlier this week in the southern Alberta constituency. Ms. Muendel-Atherstone is the President of the Lethbridge Federal NDP Riding Association and Co-Chair of the Alberta NDP Women's Caucus. She is listed as the Secretary of the Lethbridge East Rotary Club.
Dennis Perrier
Medicine Hat: Dennis Perrier defeated Manuel Martinez at the NDP's joint-nomination meeting last night in Medicine Hat. Mr. Perrier was the federal NDP candidate in the 2011 federal election and placed second with 13% of the vote, behind Conservative LaVar Payne (who earned 71% of the vote). Mr. Martinez was his party's candidate in the 2008 provincial election in the Cypress-Medicine Hat constituency, where he earned 3.9% of the vote to PC MLA Len Mitzel's 63%.
St. Albert: Management consultant Tim Osborne and local firefighter Victor Fernandez are seeking the Alberta Party nomination in this Capital Region constituency. Before starting his own business, Mr. Osborne worked for the United Way of the Capital Region. Mr. Fernandez is a founder of the charity Canadian Aid for Fire Services Abroad.
Sherwood Park-Strathcona: Strathcona County Councillor Jason Gariepy was defeated by Paul Nemetchek in a contested nomination for the Wildrose. Mr. Nemetchek ran for the PC nomination against current MLA Dave Quest in 2008. He was a founding board member for the Strathcona Wildrose and previously worked as a campaign manager for former Conservative Member of Parliament Ken Epp.
Tags Bev Muendel-Atherstone, Carrie Kohan, Dave Quest, Dennis Perrier, Ed Wicks, Jason Gariepy, Joe Anglin, Ken Epp, Krista Waters, LaVar Payne, Len Mitzel, Manuel Martinez, Paul Nemetchek, Peter Janisz, Scott Raible, Sheila Mizera, Tim Osborne, Todd Loewen, Victor Fernandez
alberta candidate nomination updates – august 2011.
13 Comments on alberta candidate nomination updates – august 2011.
I have updated the list of declared and nominated candidates hoping to stand in the next provincial election:
Shannon Phillips
Lethbridge-West: Shannon Phillips is seeking the NDP nomination in this constituency. Ms. Phillips is a researcher and policy analyst for the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and previously worked at the Alberta Legislative Assembly as the very talented Communications Director for the Alberta NDP Caucus. She has the endorsements of activists Naomi Klein, Melanee Thomas, AFL President Gil McGowan, and former Edmonton-Calder NDP MLA David Eggen.
While Lethbridge's two constituencies have traditionally been a close fought battleground between the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals (voters in Lethbridge-East have elected Liberal MLAs since 1993, including former party leader Ken Nicol and current MLA Bridget Pastoor), the area has seen substantial growth for the NDP. In the May 2011 federal election, NDP candidate Mark Sandilands earned an unheard-of strong 27% of the vote, mostly concentrated within Lethbridge city limits. When the votes from the federal election are overlaid on the Lethbridge-West provincial boundaries, the NDP earned around 38% of the vote in the provincial constituency.
The constituency is currently represented by first-term MLA and Advanced Education & Technology Minister Greg Weadick.
Kent Hehr and this blog's author.
Calgary-Buffalo: First-term MLA Kent Hehr has been acclaimed as the Liberal Party candidate. Mr. Hehr was elected in 2008 with 48% of the vote. The Wildrose have acclaimed former QR77 radio host Mike Blanchard as their candidate. Mr. Blanchard had originally sought his party's nomination in the new constituency of Calgary-Nose Hill-Mackay, but was defeated by Roy Alexander.
Drayton Vally-Devon: Town of Drayton Valley Councillor Dean Shular has been acclaimed as the Wildrose candidate in his constituency. Mr. Shular was first elected to Town Council in 2007.
Drumheller-Stettler: A fifth candidate has joined the Wildrose nomination contest in this east central Alberta constituency. Drumheller Jeweler and Freemason Doug Wade in Drumheller-Stettler. As reported on this blog in July, Dave France, Rick Strankman, Chris Warwick, and Patrick Turnbull are also seeking the Wildrose nomination.
Edmonton-Meadowlark: Local Wildrose activist Rick Newcombe was acclaimed as the Wildrose candidate in this west Edmonton constituency. Mr. Newcombe had originally sought his party's nomination in Edmonton-Whitemud, but stepped aside in favour of Ian Crawford. The area is currently represented by former Tory MLA Raj Sherman, who is currently a candidate for the Liberal Party leadership.
Rocky Mountain House-Sundre: He denied it on June 9, but on July 10 landowners rights advocate and Rimbey Town Councillor Joe Anglin submitted his papers to become a candidate for the Wildrose nomination in this constituency. The former Alberta Green Party leader is facing Rocky Mountain House Town Councillor Sheila Mizera and past-president of the local Wildorse Association Ed Wicks.
St. Albert: Tim Osborne is seeking the Alberta Party nomination in St. Albert. Mr. Osborne worked for the United Way of the Alberta Capital Region for seven years and recently started a new business, Civitas Consulting.
Sherwood Park: In his first step to become Canada's Next Great Prime Minister Garnett Genuis has been acclaimed as the Wildrose candidate in Sherwood Park.
Sherwood Park-Strathcona: Two candidates have put their names forward for the Wildrose nomination in this constituency. Strathcona County Councillor Jason Gariepy and Paul Nemetchek. Councillor Gariepy made headlines last years when he was sanctioned after sending an email critical of a press release quoting local MLAs Iris Evans and Dave Quest. Mr. Nemetchek was campaign manager for former Reform Party MP Ken Epp.
West Yellowhead: Alberta Party leader Glenn Taylor has been officially nominated as his party's candidate in the sprawling west Alberta constituency of West Yellowhead.
Mr. Taylor was first elected as the Mayor of the Town of Hinton in 2004 and ran as a candidate for the NDP in this constituency in 1997. I am told that Mr. Taylor will be leaving his position as Mayor this fall to focus full-time on the party's leadership.
Calgary: The NDP are expected to hold a round of joint-nomination meetings for candidates in Calgary later this month.
Tags Bridget Pastoor, Chris Warwick, Dave France, Dave Quest, David Eggen, Doug Wade, Ed Wicks, Garnet Genuis, Gil McGowan, Glenn Taylor, Greg Weadick, Ian Crawford, Iris Evans, Jason Gariepy, Joe Anglin, Ken Epp, Ken Nicol, Kent Hehr, Mark Sandilands, Melanee Thomas, Mike Blanchard, Naomi Klein, Patrick Turnbull, Paul Nemetchek, Raj Sherman, Rick Newcombe, Rick Strankman, Shannon Phillips, Sheila Mizera, Tim Osborne


text:
Q: How to get the current instance module in Ruby That title doesn't really explain everything so here goes.  I have two Rails engines that share some functionality (ie. user model and authentication).  I have a base User class and then two other User classes that inherit from this base class for each app like so:
class User; end
class App1::User < ::User; end
class App2::User < ::User; end

My authentication has a method similar to the following
def user_from_session
  User.find_by_id(session[:user_id])
end

which is included in my application_controller.  My problem here is that when a user is fetched... it always uses the base User class.  What I really want is to be able to fetch a User that is the same type as the app calling that method.
For instance, if a user is on SomeController:
class App1::SomeController < ApplicationController; end

I want the method in the application_controller to pull out the App1 so that it instantiates an App1::User rather than just a User
Is this possible?
I'm NOT looking for a solution that involves two user_from_session methods, one for each application.  I am aware of how to implement that.  I'm more interested in know if this type of thing is possible in Ruby.

A: Though I'd caution you to find a better, less hacky way to do this, here's how you might do it:
def user_from_session
  # App1::Whatever::FooController -> App1::Whatever
  module_name = self.class.name.split('::')[0..-2].join('::')
  # App1::Whatever -> App1::Whatever::User
  user_class = "#{module_name}::User".constantize
  # App1::Whatever::User.find_by_id(...)
  user_class.find_by_id(session[:user_id])
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Morphing air vehicles constitute an emerging class of aircraft capable of substantial changes in geometry during flight enabling improved performance characteristics and smaller fleets of versatile vehicles. The proposed effort will develop advanced control technologies for morphing aircraft that can: (1) precisely manipulate the morphing planform adhering to physical limitations and actuator constraints, (2) guarantee vehicle stability across all possible planforms and transitions under unsteady aerodynamics, (3) exploit the performance capabilities of different configurations enabled through morphing. The proposed approach consists of three control loops: (1) adaptive flight control comprised of parameter identification and receding horizon optimal control, (2) wing-shape control featuring model-based control augmented with piecewise linear programming to address actuator limitations, (3) integrated command generation that leverages path-planning techniques to generate reference commands for the previous loops subject to constraints. The effort will culminate in real-time implementation of the advanced control algorithms; hardware-in-the-loop demonstrations which encompass morphing while maneuvering and morphing to maneuver are performed using the NextGen Aeronautics N-MAS article. These tests will serve as a risk-reduction step for Phase III flight tests of a DARPA/USAF Morphing Aircraft Structures (MAS) aircraft using the SBIR-developed control methods.


Having gone by the name of Lady Evangeline (her personal favorite of all of them), Countess Sigula was born in Hungary more than four hundred and fifty years ago.
And she remembers: "I have two vampire valentines. Trufort, the one who sired me. And Louis, dear Louis, whom I embraced into vampire life.
"You wonder how I met Trufort and Louis. You are curious. I think it's curiosity which educates us, so I don't mind. But which question to answer first?
"Yes, Trufort. . ." She speaks softly.
"It was during the occasion of a birthday feast for the Emperor's eldest son. Midsummer. A lovely afternoon turned into an evening which promised to be fine, even with the appearance of a few clouds floating in. They didn't bring that humidity which precedes rain. Evening faded like the colors of soft ribbons into night. The clouds played tag with the moon and stars. A crescent moon, the kind Louis calls a scythe moon. The air was full of the scent of roses.
"The Emperor's eldest son wished to marry me, and he danced and danced and danced with me that day. He was a jealous man, almost infuriated even when I danced with my own brother. After being with my brother for a while, and drinking some wine and talking, Prince Janos sent a serf over to invite me to join him at the royal table. It was a command, of course, and I did not wish to obey. I could see, even in torchlight and all the way across the yard, that he had a stormy look on his face, and as if to answer, it poured rain all of a sudden. I used the crash of thunder, the screams of surprise and the crowd running for cover, to dash in any direction away from that table. . .
". . .to find myself, breathless, in a pavilion with flowering vines overgrowing the roof. As soon as I stopped inside my shelter, safe from the torrential rain (I was soaked), I sensed a presence. At first glance, nothing more than shadows seemed to be there. Then, lightning flashed. I saw his eyes and the thunder seemed to come from my heart, not the wild storm. . . then the rest of the man materialized around his beautiful stare. Of course I'd seen him before, during the party (who'd miss Trufort?) but had not actually spoken to him.
"And he spoke with his eyes, his kisses, his warm embrace. My whole soul sighed and trembled and I fall in love with him."
She smiles tenderly. "I can't say everything was as smooth as a rose petal. There were some thorns. You know, it seems to me that being embraced into darkness, much like suddenly being rich, brings out whatever was in your soul to begin with, enhancing it whether it's 'good' or 'bad'. I would shudder if Prince Janos had become a vampire. Now there was a jealous man. Oh, he could be charming. Until he thought someone else wanted his property, which he presumed included me. And Trufort did court me. Perhaps the Prince thought he should own me, but no one had yet formally spoken of betrothment and I hadn't been intimate with him -- thankfully. I know now that some of his 'ladies' died at his hand.
"Some people can't take no for an answer, like Prince Janos. I did not have any intention of marrying him. Even less so after I met Trufort. But my father disagreed with me once we received an official proposal. It was nothing more than selling me, but women had fewer choices back then. Until then, Trufort had visited openly. After, he started coming to me in the night. My dear brother actually agreed with me, looking at the personal side and not the political, monetary side.
"To make this long story short, my brother was assassinated one night and they said it was robbery. But Trufort told me that was wrong, and I believed what I had already felt in my heart: the Prince was responsible. He didn't have to kill my brother, who couldn't stop the marriage anyway. Trufort said that if I trusted him, I could be freed from this, have my revenge, and share life eternally with him. That's when I found out he was a vampire. He told me I would appear to be ill, growing weaker and weaker, until I died. So it happened like that, starting rather dramatically when I fainted right after my brother's burial. I did not leave my bed until I 'died'.
"You wonder if it hurt? Not really. Not after he stared at me with his eyes, charmed me first, then took his first blood from me. And when he took my last, took me to that moment of hovering between life and death, I recall his eyes the best. Yes, I was aware that my dying heart thudded less and less in my ears, but my grief still hurt more than anything else. And I took a few drops of blood from him, then more. . . Miraculous, like the sun coming up in heaven, awakening a pure world where nothing blocked the light of life. Maybe that was related to the white light some people talk about.
"And do you know what I did before we left? I revealed myself to Janos. I killed him, gave him great agony, more so when I kenned from his blood that he had indeed ordered my brother's murder. I must have scared some servants and soldiers to death when I fled the palace, dripping blood and screaming like a dozen banshees. Trufort waited for me and we flew away."
She stops her narrative. Interesting and slightly distressing, how the Countess can still feel the rage, the blood, hear her howls which had hurt her own ears, as if it occured merely one full moon ago and not in the mid 1500's.
"As for my other great love, Louis. . . Love is an amazing river, seeming to go dry for centuries then springing forth full-force at the most insignificant drop of moisture, perhaps a tear or even a sigh of true desire. . .
"But I ramble on too much. Why don't I let |Louis Dumond| tell you his story? I believe he's waiting for you."
She gives you one last smile, not unkind, yet you feel you have been dismissed. The message is in her eyes. She still seems comfortable on her settee, but the regal bearing learned centuries ago communicates you may go and you don't quite see how this communication works.
So let's not stay and find out if she'll bite you, should you linger too long.


text:
Zardab, Zərdab (também, Zardob) é uma aldeia no Agsu Rayon do Azerbaijão.

Cidades do Azerbaijão

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Natural Stone Maintenance | American Heritage Inc.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A PROFESSIONAL CLEANING.
Natural stone, such as marble, travertine, and slate, are extremely porous materials that require a delicate touch to clean and preserve. When not properly maintained, or if left unsealed, stone flooring will absorb stains and spills and become damaged over time.
American Heritage Carpet & Tile Cleaning's primary goal is protecting your investment. We understand the complexities associated with cleaning your natural stone floors. With our safe and professional cleaning methods, you can minimize wear and damage and restore the luster to your beautiful floors.
American Heritage Carpet & Tile Cleaning provides a free in-home consultation and estimate to determine the best cleaning and maintenance plan for your natural stone floors. Our IICRC trained technicians will provide recommendations that will bring out the natural beauty of your floors and achieve your desired finish. Here's a closer look at the natural stone services that we provide.
The process begins by preparing the area to be cleaned. We remove vent covers, vacuum any surface debris and tape off sensitive areas such as cabinetry and baseboards.
Cleaning and Sealing – Our hot-water-extraction method is safe and environmentally friendly. It gently and effectively removes the dirt, dust and debris from your floor. We perform this service either as a preparatory step or as a routine maintenance procedure. Next, an application of our penetrating sealer(s) is applied to the surface of the stone to help resist everyday spots and spills and to enhance the natural beauty of your floors.
Stone Polishing – Using our professional grade diamond infused stone polishing pad, we restore the beautiful shine to your stone surfaces. This is ideal for periodic maintenance of polished stone floors and worn or etched areas to achieve your desired look.


Al Wilson of Beyonds Walls checked one of the vintage neon signs that the group has installed around Lynn as part of efforts to change the look of the city.
LYNN — Under the bridge here on Market Street, it's dark even in the broad daylight. Cars veering off the nearby Lynnway bear down on the scurrying pedestrians, who dart into traffic from behind the concrete pillars.
"This is the place to get hit by a car," says Al Wilson, surveying the area grimly.
Wilson is the founder and executive director of Beyond Walls, a non-profit group that is helping revitalize parts of this working-class city. Named for the inaugural mural festival the organization sponsored last summer, Beyond Walls is set to unveil its second round of community improvement projects, including a series of artistic lighting installations that will transform some of Lynn's most neglected underpasses.
At a fund-raising kickoff at the Lynn Museum April 5, Wilson and his staff will reveal plans for the lighting art, as well as their second annual mural festival, the installation of several vintage neon signs (like the one for "Lad and Lassie Shoes" — Lynn was once called the "shoe capital of the world"), and other downtown beautification efforts.
"Our mission is to activate space to strengthen communities," says Wilson, a conspicuously tall former marketer, salesman and college soccer player who was inspired by placemaking public art projects in Miami and Philadelphia. "Naively," he says with a laugh, he initially planned to invest a few months into the creation of a single mural festival. Now he's in it for the long haul, looking to bring his ideas to other "gateway" cities both in Massachusetts and across the country, and making Beyond Walls his full-time vocation.
He's not doing it alone. Associate director Pedro Soto, a Lynn native, previously served as a city planner in Peabody. Another associate director, Amanda Hill, brings a combined background in art and urban policy. Julia Midland, who manages Beyond Walls' programming, is a Swampscott resident working on her master's degree in arts administration from Boston University.
"I'm convinced that the creative economy is real," Wilson says.
The underpass lighting project is designed to illuminate the hidden corners in downtown Lynn where crime has festered. To make it happen, Beyond Walls pulled together a diverse coalition of entities, many donating their time and resources, including MassDevelopment, the MBTA, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 and others. Philips Color Kinetics, the same LED innovation that lights up the Zakim Bridge, donated more than $200,000 of hardware to the Lynn project.
Al Wilson of Beyond Walls underneath an overpass which will be illuminated with multi-colored LED lights to transform the Lynn downtown.
David O'Laughlin, an officer with IBEW 103, says the union enlisted members and retirees, some from the Lynn area, to donate man-hours to the project.
The installations will be programmable, capable of creating custom light shows, says Soto. He points to a bar near the T station known for carrying World Cup soccer matches.
"Let's say Mexico is winning," he says. Port Lighting Systems, the Seabrook-based company that will partner as the installation's custodian, can change the nearby lighting to the colors of the Mexican flag.
Building on the goodwill created by the first mural festival, Beyond Walls has positioned itself as a deal-maker for Lynn's improvement. Other cities are taking notice and asking for advice.
Last year, Wilson and his crew had to convince the city's property owners of the benefits of offering a wall to a muralist. This year, given the visibility the project has brought to the community, Wilson says, those talks have come easy.
Beyond Walls Kickoff Party and Fund-raiser, 6-10 p.m. April 5. Free (suggested donation). Lynn Museum, 590 Washington St. www.beyond-walls.org.


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Marian Moms Crew
The Marian Moms Crew is an organization made up of moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and special friends of Marian that want to share their time, treasure and talents to advance the Servite tradition and encompass the charism of the Servants of Mary: devotion to Mary, compassion, service and community. Click here to learn more.
BLUEtique
We can always use an extra hand in the BLUEtique, Marian's official spirit wear store, located on the first floor. Click here to sign up!
The mission of the Booster Club is to build school and community involvement for all Nebraska Schools Activities Association (NSAA) sanctioned athletic activities at Marian High School. All Booster Club activities shall be consistent with the mission and purpose of Marian High School. To provide financial support toward the purchase of supplies and equipment not available through the athletic budget. To recognize and encourage academic and athletic achievement. Click here to learn more.
F.A.M.E.
Being a part of the Fine Arts at Marian Enthusiasts (F.A.M.E.) is a way for parents and friends of Marian to support the performing arts—including dance, drama, and music—at Marian. F.A.M.E. was developed to support these activities and encourage a life-long appreciation for the arts. Your donation will support musical and play, cast and crew needs, band, orchestra, choir, the performing arts awards ceremony and much more. Learn more here.
MarianFEST
FEST stands for Funding Excellence in the Servite Tradition. It has been held annually since 1982. FEST is a fundraising event that includes dinner, a silent auction and a live auction with proceeds supporting tuition assistance and operating expenses. It is an essential source of revenue for the Marian mission. Click here to see more.
Marian students perform over 10,000 hours of non-required hours or service every year.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Airy YouTube video and MP3 Downloader . Key features include.
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Download videos from YouTube. Download Airy 1.0.30along with crack previously mentioned links. . How to Find activation key Registration Key .
Airy is a useful app, which allows you to download and keep all your best YouTube videos at hand. .


Roses are red, violets are blue, if you're looking for some fun Valentine's Day activities, Maracay knows just what to do.
With love in the air, it's hard to not get into the spirit of Valentine's Day and there's no better way to celebrate than with the ones you love – whether that be your friends, family or significant other.
Thankfully, the Valley has no shortage of charming activities to get your holiday started on the right foot. Here's a list of our favorite events to celebrate this February.
Schnepf Farms Peach Blossom Celebration in Queen Creek has over 80 acres of beautiful, blooming fruit trees for you and your loved one(s) to enjoy this Valentine's Day. Take a train ride, hay ride, walking train or bicycle ride through the orchards and admire the hundreds of pink and white blossoms covering the trees.
Girls, get ready for a night out on the town this Valentine's Day. Grab your dad (grandpa, brother or guardian) for the city of Chandler's Daddy-Daughter Valentine's Day Dance at Snedigar Recreation Center and the Tumbleweed Recreation Center. Share some love by dancing, making crafts and enjoying a catered dinner throughout the evening. Also, don't forget to dress your best, because you'll have an opportunity to make some lifelong memories at the photo booth.
This annual event is back but will be held at the beautiful KC Cottage in historic downtown Gilbert. Guests are encouraged to dress up in their loveliest tea party attire and enjoy a selection of food, activities with prizes and – of course – tea. The afternoon event is located in the red cottage on the east side of Gilbert Road between Elliot and Warner roads, next to the Gilbert Farmhouse Restaurant.
The perfect date for you and your Valentine this holiday is just off the I-17 in Phoenix. Share a night under the stars and take part in Castles-n-Coasters Valentine's Day special. Bring out your inner daredevil with unlimited rides the entire night. Or, show off your skills with a round of mini golf for two. End the date with giant ice cream waffle cones and don't forget to enter the Valentine's Day photo contest for a chance to win a prize.
Satisfy your sweet tooth at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire this Valentine's Day with a wide variety of chocolates from which to choose. Whether you prefer milk, dark or white chocolate, with or without nuts, caramel or even cheesecake, this fun-filled event has you covered. Candy factory tours will be available all weekend and there will be plenty of free samples to go around. The event will also have a wide variety of activities, featuring face-painting, entertainment, a chocolate-pizza-making booth, Willy Wonka-inspired magic and more.
Grab a blanket and your special someone and head to The Farm at South Mountain for its annual Valentine Picnic in The Grove. Skip the line and let the Farm Kitchen pack you a farm fresh "Sweetheart" picnic basket to share with your Valentine under the pecan trees. After lunch, enjoy yard games, the on-site garden or find a local treasure at the shop.
Whether you're looking for good pizza, fresh pasta or a romantic corner to settle in for the night, Cibo Urban Pizzeria checks all the boxes for an ideal Valentine's Day spot. Located in a 1913 bungalow in Downtown Phoenix, and recently named one of the most romantic restaurants in the United States, it's easy to see why this is the perfect place to celebrate the day of love.
Get your heart pumping at the Fine Valentine Relay and post-run brunch. Choose between the two- or four-mile race and spend your Sunday running your heart out with your true love, best friend, sibling or neighbor. The best part is that 100 percent of the money raised will be donated to the Ben's Bells Project and Children's Fitness Fund. Wear a costume, spread some love and take part in the variety of challenges and contests for a chance to win prizes.
Spend Valentine's Day weekend with your loved one at Tucson's Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, one of the most romantic dining spots in town. The weekend will feature spectacular views, fabulous food and a variety of fine wines. Make it a weekend to remember with this special package and make your reservation today.


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The Political Cowboy
Former First Lady Michelle Obama Encourages Followers To Turn 'Feelings Into Action' Following Presidential Debate
Michael Cantrell
Facebook Twitter Flipboard
If you thought you'd heard the last from former First Lady Michelle Obama on the realm of politics, think again.
Obama recently created a post on social media platform Instagram where she urged her supporters who were "disappointed" by President Trump's behavior during the first presidential debate held Tuesday night, to turn their feelings into actions.
via Washington Examiner:
Trending: Supreme Court Puts Out Statement; Denies Sotomayor Asked Gorsuch To Wear A Mask
"If you were turned off by the President's behavior last night, I feel you. Believe me, I do," Obama said in an Instagram post on Wednesday, which featured a photograph of former Vice President Joe Biden. "But we can't let him win by tuning out altogether. That's what he wants."
Obama also explained how Biden supporters can transform their feelings into action in a way that can boost the Democratic candidate's campaign.
"So turn those feelings into action — turn them into votes for my friend, [Joe Biden]," she wrote. "It's the only way we can get out of this chaos and restore some stability to this country. You can start by reaching out to everyone you know. Make sure they're registered. Make sure they know how and when they're going to vote. And then follow up with them, every day, to make sure they cast their ballot. Because in this election, we've got to vote for Joe in numbers that cannot be denied."
If you were turned off by the President's behavior last night, I feel you. Believe me, I do. But we can't let him win by tuning out altogether. That's what he wants. So turn those feelings into action—turn them into votes for my friend, @JoeBiden. It's the only way we can get out of this chaos and restore some stability to this country. You can start by reaching out to everyone you know. Make sure they're registered. Make sure they know how and when they're going to vote. And then follow up with them, every day, to make sure they cast their ballot. Because in this election, we've got to vote for Joe in numbers that cannot be denied. iwillvote.com
A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Sep 30, 2020 at 2:31pm PDT
If President Trump was aggressive — and he certainly was — it's not because he's simply a mean-spirited jerk. What choice did the man have when Chris Wallace, who was supposed to be an impartial moderator, injected himself into the debate and essentially became a second opponent for the president?
Trump is a back alley brawler. He fights back. Folks don't seem to be comfortable having a strong man who is willing to defend himself so aggressively and call people out for their corruption sitting in the White House.
But that's exactly what we need.
Supreme Court Puts Out Statement; Denies Sotomayor Asked Gorsuch To Wear...
Michael Cantrell - January 19, 2022
A statement was released on Wednesday by the Supreme Court that provided some push back against recent reports from the media stating that Justice...
VIDEO: UK Prime Minister Announces COVID Restrictions To Be Relaxed Next...
Mark Meadows Believes That Americans 'Want To See Donald Trump Back...
Sen. Ron Johnson Thinks It's 'Well Past Time' For Fauci To...
Democrats Go On The Warpath Against Manchin In Large Number Of...
Rep. Van Duyne Rips Into Democrats Over 'Anti-Semitic Rhetoric' And The...
Massive Gallop Shocker: Republicans Lead Dems In Voter Affiliation
© Copyright 2022 Political Cowboy. All rights reserved.


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Die Liste der Kulturdenkmale in Kreischa  enthält die Kulturdenkmale in der Gemeinde Kreischa und ihren Ortsteilen im sächsischen Landkreis Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. Die Anmerkungen sind zu beachten.

Diese Liste ist eine Teilliste der Liste der Kulturdenkmale im Landkreis Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge.
Diese Liste ist eine Teilliste der Liste der Kulturdenkmale in Sachsen.

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Anmerkungen

Ausführliche Denkmaltexte

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 Denkmalliste des Landes Sachsen

Weblinks

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Herman: Texas lawmakers want to move away from mobile polling places
Ken Herman
kherman@statesman.com
A Republican-led effort at the Capitol would do away with the places where 22,934 Travis County residents cast their ballots in last November's general election.
That's just under 5 percent of all votes cast in the county. But before you knee-jerk react to Dallas state Sen. Don Huffines and blast his Senate Bill 703 as just another GOP voter suppression effort, let's hear him out and see if this makes any sense.
The bill is a bit tough to follow (at least for me), and Huffines acknowledges it might need some tweaking but his goal is clear and clearly delineated in the bill's caption: "Relating to prohibiting movable early voting polling places."
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Many counties use those to make voting as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. So where's the downside? Huffines says it's not that movable polling places can move, it's to where they're moved.
"What we're trying to solve is manipulation of the result of an election by moving the polling location to benefit one side or the other," he said.
He's particularly suspicious about school district bond elections. He claims school officials, seeking approval for bonds for a new football stadium, have put mobile early voting places at the old stadium on Friday nights, eager to connect with fans who'd like a new stadium.
"When you move the mobile polling booth to the football stadium on Friday nights, that does seem to have an impact on the election results," Huffines said, offering no examples but adding: "There's no question they do it."
Nope, says Texas Association of School Boards spokesman Dax Gonzalez, whose organization opposes the bill.
"I don't have data on where districts place mobile voting stations, but I would think districts are being smart and efficient in putting locations where large numbers of people gather," he said. "In many communities across the state, Friday night football games would be a smart choice for reaching voters. And just because they're watching football doesn't mean they want to raise their property taxes to do so."
State Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, this week filed HB 1773, which, among other things, would require all early voting locations in any election that includes bond issues or tax hikes to remain at the same locations throughout the early voting period. The bill also says a tax increase or bond election would be void "unless more than 25 percent of the registered voters" show up.
I went back to Huffines for clarification when I found out that what Travis County calls "mobile" early voting places might be different than the "movable" early voting places targeted in his bill. Travis County sets up temporary early voting places — in addition to permanent ones — at various locations for a day or several days. The "mobile" early voting places are put in permanent buildings — recreation centers, senior citizen facilities, state office buildings, outlying areas, etc. — not in trailers or trucks that are moved around.
Huffines said his intention — though the bill says polling places "may not be located in a movable structure" — is to ban all temporary early voting places, including those in permanent buildings, such as the ones in which 22,934 Travis County voters cast ballots last November.
"I do not want polling locations moving around that might influence the outcome of an election, one way or the other," he said, adding that temporary early voting places in permanent buildings could be problematic depending on "who's making the decision, what building they're going to be in and who's in the building."
"I'm not making the assumption those voters wouldn't vote otherwise," he said. "I'm thinking these folks would still vote. I want them to vote."
The League of Women Voters of Texas, ever watchful for efforts to make it more difficult to vote, believes SB 703 would do just that.
"At the core of our existence is the belief that every Texas citizen should be able to participate in our democracy with his or her vote," said Cinde Weatherby of Austin, the group's voting rights and elections issues chair. "Research I've seen has shown that the No. 1 reason given by those who don't vote is 'I don't have the time.' The mobile voting process addresses that directly."
And Weatherby added: "To my knowledge we have not observed any negatives related to offering mobile voting locations, other than there being a demand for more of it."
But the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, in September offered testimony to the House Committee on Elections to the contrary. James Quintero, director of the foundation's Center for Local Governance, said lawmakers should end "rolling polling."
"This practice, either intentionally or unintentionally, is far too susceptible to abuse," Quintero testified, "allowing for local officials to target certain voting populations to achieve a predetermined outcome."
The foundation hasn't taken a position on the Huffines bill.
Michael Winn, Travis County director of elections, said mobile early voting places are "a great benefit" for voters. He said the county isn't ready to take an official position on Huffines' bill, "but I think it would have an impact on our process."
And he doesn't mean a positive impact.
In last November's general election, Travis County had 91 mobile voting locations at various times during the 12 days of early voting. That includes some that returned to various locations multiple times. The locations included recreation centers, state office buildings, senior citizen facilities and some in outlying areas.
Would banning mobile early voting places make it more difficult for some folks to vote?
"Most definitely," Winn said. "It would cause an impact on the process."
No doubt. I'm open to hearing more about this, but, absent more solid evidence of abuse of the current system, SB 703 sure sounds like an overkill response.
That seems to be popular these days.


Is there going to be particle fire effects with smoke in 1.5.3? It doesnt mention it on the changelog. This is the closest opicture i could find.
0.3c and the particle objects plus the toy system has been out since December, the beta even longer obviousy. I wouldn't expect to see these anytime soon in RC:RP - the latest minor update is nearly two months late and I can't see Alec taking the time to singlehandedly script all the toys, plus their co-ordinates as well as the particle system.