The co-hosts of Episode 322 of Speaking Municipally explored a platform from a mayoral hopeful aimed at infrastructure, the possible struggles that incumbents face in the coming October election, and the city's unclear communication about its spray parks. Here's a quick snapshot.
1. Mayoral candidates drop platform ideas
Coun. Tim Cartmell, who's running for mayor in 2025, has announced an infrastructure platform. It includes calling for the city to create a downtown infrastructure coordinator to prevent overlapping closures of bridges or other infrastructure and communicate with the public. Co-host Mack Male pointed out that many misunderstood the recent closures of downtown bridges and that overlapping construction projects are approved years in advance. Still, Male added, a downtown infrastructure coordinator makes sense.
Co-host Stephanie Swensrude agreed, and said such a coordinator could have prevented the one-block closure of the road, bike lane, and sidewalk on 83 Avenue, just east of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, during (but not before or after) the festival's run.
"It was confusing, it was hectic, and it was so annoying," Swensrude said. "What does this show to all the people visiting Edmonton from outside of Edmonton, but also the people coming from other parts of the city into the Strathcona neighbourhood? Every time I walked through there, I was so angry because (I don't understand why the city) couldn't have coordinated to have EPCOR do this 10 days later."
Two other mayoral candidates shared platform updates on Sept. 4. Mayoral hopeful Coun. Andrew Knack released a plan to increase street safety with infrastructure improvements and traffic safety teams to rein in excessive vehicle noise, among other things. Michael Walters, meanwhile, released a plan to expand recreation access for youth by funding more programs, increasing access to low-cost transit, and more.
2. Incumbents unpopular?
Postmedia examined the sentiment that Edmonton voters are frustrated by the current council and may be less likely to vote for incumbents than in the past. The story reports commentary from candidates Anand Pye, Mark Hillman, Cartmell, Knack, and Walters, as well Coun. Sarah Hamilton, who is not seeking reelection. All but Knack explicitly said they believe voters are dissatisfied with the current council. The story also draws on a Leger poll that found 58% of respondents felt Edmonton is on the wrong track, and that councillors Knack and Cartmell are in the lead and second place for mayor, respectively. But, Male pointed out, the poll said 48% of voters are undecided, and the survey took place from Aug. 22 to 25.
"People are on holidays or enjoying their summer at the Fringe and not thinking about the election yet," he said. "Maybe if (Leger does) the same thing in three or four weeks, it will be quite a different result."
3. The great YEG spray park mystery
Most Edmonton spray parks were still open on Sept. 5, after most outdoor pools had closed for the season. Male noted that the city has not communicated when it plans to close its spray parks, even though it does for pools. Cartmell posted on his mayoral Instagram account that he asked the city manager to keep spray parks open a while longer, which Male said is not the way Edmontonians deserve to find out about infrastructure status.
"This the wrong way to run a city," he said. "A councillor needs to call administration and then post on Instagram about it? There's something broken … I don't love this approach to communicating the state of our infrastructure."
The Sept. 5 episode also includes discussion of public safety, new housing projects, the city's plan to take control of Fort Edmonton Park, and Taproot's election project. Listening and subscription options are all right here.