I entered this race for one reason.  This city has afforded me tremendous opportunity, and I want to ensure those opportunities are there for our children. 

As someone the media has referred to for months now as an “also running”, I remain proud of my decision to publicly serve as Mayor if I am so honoured.  It would have been an easy decision to re-run as Alderman , but as Winston Churchill once said, “play the game for more than you can afford to lose…only then will you learn the game.” 

When I was elected, leaving a 25 year successful business career because my community asked me to step up, they proudly presented me with a copy of  James Owen’s book entitled “Cowboy Ethics”. 

Since then, I have withstood much ridicule for publicly stating and sharing Owen’s Ten Codes of the West.  A code I have told many is my morale compass – a source of inspiration that I have turned to over and over again when I cast my vote on some of the toughest decisions affecting over one million people. 

As rhetoric abounds, I have never let the non-believers tarnish the power of the words, perhaps because one of the codes is “when riding through hell…keep riding”. 

Cowboy Ethics taught me how to build a Calgary that we can all be proud to call home.  It’s masterful language tells me that I am only as good as my word.  And that as a leader,  the true test of my integrity is keeping it in tact by living with courage, taking pride in my work, finishing what I start, and keeping my promises.

But perhaps its most resonating code as Calgarians  go to the polls on Monday is this:  Remember that some things are NOT for sale, and to the cowboy, the best things in life ARE NOT things.  That is why Calgary will not see me quit this race and why I refuse to govern my life according to foregone conclusions.

My promise to Calgarians is simple.  I will finish what I started when I announced my intention in April.  I will keep my word that you will  have a voice at City Hall and that together we will build a future of opportunity.

Calgary, AB, Mayoral Candidate Joe Connelly has announced the next step of his vision to
give all Calgarians a true voice at City Hall. A vision that will ultimately provide significant
financial benefit to Calgary taxpayers. “I will engage, challenge and reward all city
employees, who are also tax-paying Calgarians, to work together to find true efficiencies on
behalf of all taxpayers by introducing a formal Incentive Program that rewards results,” said
Connelly.

Major corporations reward innovation and ideas. The City of Calgary is the largest employer
in the city representing over 14,000 workers. “Why would we not reward staff who are
responsible for spending taxpayer dollars in the most efficient manner possible,” questions
Connelly.

I think it is incumbent upon us as an employer to create a positive environment, seek buy-in,
improve morale, and nurture innovation. Who knows better EXACTLY how taxpayer dollars are
being spent than our own employees who are on the front-lines everyday,” said Connelly.

City employees seem to be used as pawns during every election and every budget. That is
wrong. They can be targets of criticism and work in fear of their jobs every election and
every budget. That is wrong. They have been working under a formalized “Whistleblower
program” where they are encouraged to watch for and report colleagues doing bad
things, rather than being rewarded to work in teams to do the right things. That is wrong.

“My intention is to eliminate the Whistleblower program and introduce instead a
comprehensive incentive program that rewards employees and their teams,” announced
Connelly.

Many individuals and surveys have asked all candidates how they will deal with the $60M
revenue shortfall, and there have been all kinds of responses, from sitting with managers in a
line by line exercise, to cutting services, to introducing user fees. “I have been stating for the
past month that Calgarians are the solution. In the case of finding true cost savings in every City
department that will benefit taxpayers, I believe our employees can start us down the track of
getting our priorities right and saving Calgarians signficiant dollars.”

Calgary, AB,

“Film is not only providing us an economic impact, but putting Calgary on the international map and employing thousands of people,” exclaimed Connelly.  “I not only have the will to support the infrastructure, but we all know we have tremendous built-in scenes and landscapes that are the envy of the world.  We should be doing all we can to market that envy to the benefit of all Calgarians.”

Connelly agrees that we need to bring back what once was a thriving local film industry, successfully competing against other Canadian and US cities.  “It brings work for film crews, performers, agencies, and all the traditional benefactors such as hotels, restaurants and retail,” stated Connelly.

To support the film industry in addition to the $5M start up capital, Connelly says he will reduce the tremendous red tape currently associated with filming in Calgary, provide the land for a film studio and lobby the province on behalf of the industry to build the studio. “I also believe we can do a better job of promoting and supporting the industry by providing better support for events like the Calgary International Film Festival.  We have a lot of talent already in Calgary, but we have the ability to import even more.”

Calgary, AB,

“I find it completely inappropriate that an individual who claims to be a past executive of corporate Calgary would make such an accusation when he has never served on City Council and has never been involved in working directly with City employees,” said Connelly.  “It is a sad day for Calgary and all Calgarians, not just our City employees, when a City Hall outsider with reported human resource experience and training claims he is capable of leading over a 14,000 member team, yet announces days before the election that he is on the hunt,” exclaimed Connelly. 

Connelly said it was a direct slam on the character of some of the highest calibre staff he has ever had the privilege to work with.  “I have seen first-hand the commitment and find it deplorable that an outsider would make such an uninformed opinion of the team he hoped to one day lead,” said Connelly.   “It shows a lack of leadership when staff are not even given a chance to prove themselves to a new Mayor.”

“I believe leadership is about getting the best out of people and not reacting to rumours or making judgement calls before even meeting them,” said Connelly.

When the Tail Wags the Dog

Funny, We Had the Money for the Airport Tunnel All  Along

CALGARY, AB  Today’s announcement from Alderman and colleague, Jim Stevenson, is one filled with tremendous and hopeful news that Calgary will revisit the construction of the much-needed airport tunnel.  “I can assure you Alderman Stevenson was relentless and I would like to congratulate him on his fierce determination that has resulted in today’s announcement,” said Joe Connelly, Alderman Ward 6 and Mayoral Candidate.

“I have spent considerable time with Alderman Stevenson on this project because I faced the same dilemma in my Ward with having to find funds buried deep in administration budgets for the West LRT trench at 45 Street and 17 Avenue SW,” commented Connelly.  A trench critical to the safety of Calgarians particularly as the fire station resides on that corner.  Connelly knows first-hand how much work and personal time goes into digging through a massive administrative maze looking for illusive and unallocated funds, with little co-operation from Administration.   “It is a process that is ludicrous and would not be necessary if City Hall had much fewer, yet more meaningful priorities – core priorities that Calgarians deserve – like mobility,” said an adamant Connelly.

Today’s announcement points, however, to a much larger and deeply concerning issue for Connelly. An issue of priorities, and the need to run Calgary in a more business-like fashion.  “With 25 Council priorities, we have tremendous contradiction, a serious lack of focus and we find ourselves building a $25M pedestrian bridge 200 paces from an existing bridge, yet we apparently had no money for a much more critical airport tunnel,” muses Connelly.  This demonstrates the serious misalignment between Council and Administration and begs the question of who exactly is setting the strategic direction and priorities for our city.  Alderman Stevenson having to fight for months to find the funds for this major critical infrastructure buried deep in administration best portrays what happens when the tail wags the dog.

“I believe that the strategic direction of the city is set by Council.  A Council that is elected by the people of Calgary to build a great city for everyone.  A Council that is responsible to ensure the core services Calgarians deserve are delivered, and delivered well,” says Connelly.  He believes that  the leadership of Council demands a strong business background, formal business education, and an intimate working knowledge of City Hall. 

Connelly believes Council should set the priorities of “what” when Calgarians decide what they want their city to be.  “Once the strategic direction is set, Administration is responsible for ensuring efficient and effective implementation of those projects.  That does not mean holding funds in accounts Council knows nothing about, approving bridges we don’t need, and giving Council only one alternative to fund projects when many more exist but are not shared,” states Connelly. 

“As an Alderman, as a Calgarian and as a former Vice President at Tourism Calgary where I was responsible for bringing tourists to town, I have been adamantly in favour of the airport tunnel since the beginning.  Not only for  convenient transportation to and from Calgary’s International Airport, but even more important, the daily impact the Barlow Trail road closure will have on Calgarians who live and/or earn their livelihood in the NE quadrant of our city,” said Connelly.

Connelly’s second platform point is to “Get Calgary Moving Again”.  During Council’s last meeting Alderman Stevenson made one last valiant attempt for the tunnel, however, Administration presented a sole option; take the money from the Canada Olympic Park and Bowfort Road project.  “I could not support this option because of the daily commute of 60,000 Calgarians and the route to and from the Canadian Rocky Mountains which would affect millions of travellers.  Not to mention construction is well underway and is carefully leveraged with already committed provincial and federal funding that would disappear if Calgary pulled its funding,” said Connelly.  Connelly was disappointed that only one non-viable option was presented by Administration when asked for their suggestions.  “After that completely illogical recommendation, I suggested that all of Calgary should contribute to the tunnel by giving up small projects in each Ward.”

Since a resolution was still not forthcoming, Connelly continued to work with Stevenson even though Council has adjourned, and last week suggested that Calgary could have an airport tunnel if the City got out of the business of building neighbourhoods.  “I still believe we should not compete with developers,” said Connelly.  “The obvious project that comes to mind is the complex and not yet proven financial model of building a West Village when the East Village is not even complete.  But there are many other development projects in Calgary that could be used as an example of taxpayer funds being spent on something they will never use.”

“I believe the most important lesson this year, with three major infrastructure projects as examples – fighting hard for a West LRT trench and an airport tunnel, yet having a $25M pedestrian bridge slide under the radar – shows had misaligned Council and Administration truly are”, states Connelly.

“As Mayor, within the first 100 days of office, my priority is simple.  Reduce the priorities.  Get back to building the great city Calgarians deserve and deliver on core services that will get Calgarians moving again.”  And the way Connelly says he will do it is to run the City in a more business-like fashion .  “We have over 14,000 employees – we need to run City Hall just as any business would demand.  With strategic direction, focused priorities, efficient delivery of those priorities, and Calgarians being privy through the whole process,” promises Connelly.

Joe Connelly can be reached directly at 403.612.9233 for comment.

Development costs to Calgarians this year will be in the millions of dollars.  The latest questionable project is the West Village, which is slowly but surely coming to volition with neither public consultation nor support.  Here’s where Council priorities become of critical importance.

Are the citizens of Calgary better served by building an airport tunnel, or would they rather see us develop a West Village?  I believe at the end of the day the costs involved would be very similar.

There has been considerable debate and evidence to support the need for an airport tunnel.    The question is – when do we build it?  We can pay for it now for approximately $100 million, or we can pass the financial burden on to our children and grandchildren, who will pay for it exponentially. 

I believe the West Village, on the other hand, is a vanity project that has failed to capture the imagination of most Calgarians.  Further, there is no urgency to proceed at this time, as evidenced by our latest survey.  More people have left Calgary than have moved here. 

This begs the question, why is the City of Calgary in the game of building neighborhoods anyway? I appreciate there may be some circumstances that arise where the City has to get involved (occasional industrial development).  But, one has to question whether millions of taxpayer dollars should be gambled on neighborhoods that most will never live in. Could that money not be better utilized for other critical infrastructure projects, for example, the airport tunnel?

While the East Village is progressing nicely, it is based on a controversial funding model that has yet to be proven and I am reluctant to front more taxpayer dollars until we see how successful the model is.  CMLC have done a tremendous job on the East Village, but the state of our present economy should demand considerable caution before we spend present and future taxpayer dollars on a West Village.

Many Calgary developers have won international awards.  Garrison Woods and McKenzie Towne are two that come to mind.  We need to sit back and ask ourselves: should the city really be in competition with them?  Or, would Calgarians be better served to work in concert with developers to ensure we build a great city without sacrificing mobility – like an airport tunnel?

There is only so much money available.  We need to ensure that we spend it on the critical core services and priorities Calgarians deserve.

Wise words spoken by Gandhi –”imitation is the most sincere form of flattery”.

So as the first mayoral candidate to declare my intention by “throwing my hat in the ring”, the first candidate with a strong web and social media presence, the first to produce videos to secure opinions of Calgarians on what they want to see in their next Mayor, the first to open a campaign headquarters in the downtown core, the first to host a Stampede Breakfast with all proceeds to Kidsport (over $3,300), and the first to announce a Stampede Parade Day celebration – all of which were curiously repeated by candidates who later entered the Mayoral race – I am flattered. Very flattered!

Obviously I am doing something right. Lots of things right!

But as the first candidate to publicly publish my platform, on my web site, in print, and now in a direct mail campaign, I find it quite remarkable to see my words, verbatim, appearing in other candidate materials.

One candidate’s advertisement in the publication produced for Chinatown’s 100^th Anniversary says “My Vision for Calgary is A Great City for Everyone.” Funny – that’s my first platform – A Great City for Everyone – Especially our Children. I guess the only thing he doesn’t agree with is that we especially need to look after our children. I believe we do.

And then we have yet another candidate’s platform that was unveiled yesterday. Not only is that platform eerily similar to mine (which has been public since the beginning of May), his “vision” is to make Calgary a “…beacon of opportunity…”. Funny, I used those exact words at my fundraiser two years ago, and still use them often in my speeches and presentations today because I know from my tourism days when I marketed this great city around the world that we really are the beacon. And oh yes – those exact words have been on my website – since May.

Of course all of us will talk about improving roads and snow removal. Calgarians deserve at least that. Funny, that’s my second platform – Get Calgary Moving Again. Parking policies to help business – oh yes, mine. Introduce customer service excellence in our City Administration – oops, that’s mine too. I learned the importance of customer service when I was the Vice President of a blue-chip organization. Zero-base budgeting and an independent auditor. Oh yes – both mine too. I learned the value of true budgeting, and, more importantly, sticking to a budget, during my 25 years of senior business experience.

There are many more similarities from this candidate’s one-pager that flatter me.

But while imitation may be flattering – I think most Calgarians would recognize all of these similarities as more than a coincidence.

A simple cut and paste exercise void of research (which I conducted on telljoe.ca) and void of community input (which I secured through my Community Association Presidents Committee over three years).

Then again, it’s easy to put promising words on paper. Especially when they are someone else’s words. I can hardly wait to see the future platforms.

But as Cowboy Ethics teaches (which I have always firmly believed in) take pride in your work, and know where to draw the line. I am fiercely proud of what I have accomplished in the past three years and what I know I can accomplish as Mayor.

And I also know where to draw the line.

Or, I could just end on a quote the way I started – with Ghandi. “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

See you at the polls in October gentlemen – when I am confident that smart Calgarians will have done their research on who has delivered, and who will only say they will deliver.

The proof is in one’s results. And my results are proudly listed on my website – oh yes – for months now.

I am extremely disappointed that a tunnel resolution did not come to fruition prior to the Calgary International Airport’s original deadline of April 1, 2010.  And disappointed again this week when a second proposed solution was one I simply could not support.

In a second valiant attempt by the Ward Alderman, Jim Stevenson, this past Monday’s Council was presented with one sole option for funding that I simply could not support.  While I do fully support the need for the airport tunnel, it cannot be at all cost and to the serious detriment of major projects already underway.

The motion was to take the funding from the Canada Olympic Park (Winsport) project and shift it to the airport tunnel. This particular project has been underway for years, is complex and multi-levelled,  and includes a commitment to a new and safer traffic interchange at Bowfort Road and 16^th Avenue, NW.

Council did not support this, and neither did I, for the following reasons. 

First, over 60,000 Calgarians travel that road in a daily commute.  This does not include the many tourists enroute to and from Calgary and the Canadian Rocky Mountains.  That particular intersection is extremely dangerous and bears the ugly scars of  many serious accidents, including the deadly one a number of years ago on Easter Day when four nuns were killed.

Second, the COP project is years in the making, is well into construction, and has secured the funding required to completion by all three levels of government.  To pull the municipal portion at this point is not as simple as it sounds, and would start a serious and negative domino affect.  All funding has been successfully leveraged, and cancelling our commitment now will cause Calgary to lose irreplaceable provincial and federal dollars.  This would put at risk not only the much-needed traffic interchange, but the entire COP project which includes Winsport facilities, Olympic athlete training facilities, and new recreational facilities that will be available to all Calgarians.  Sport facilities that Calgary is already desperately lacking.

A solution I had hoped to see come forward was to cut smaller projects throughout the entire city, so each Ward gave up one small future initiative in order to fund the airport tunnel that would benefit most Calgarians.  This would have been more work to review several projects than halt one giant one, but I personally believe it would have been a much more viable solution – one that would see far less sacrifice.

I consider my vote, which I cast on behalf of over one million Calgarians, my most important responsibility.  Voting in favour of cancelling the COP project to support the airport tunnel would have meant abdicating that responsibility.  I could not in good conscience wipe out the entire COP project and traffic interchange, losing years of planning and matching funding. 

This was a very difficult decision, and one that required serious consideration, but in the end, I believe we need to look deeper and further than simply suggesting we rob Peter to pay Paul.

Let me be very clear.  I actively support the soccer community and their efforts to secure more artificial turf fields.  I believe in keeping our children busy and active and I have publicly stated this for some time as part of my future vision for Calgary should I be elected Mayor.   

Two months ago I secured artificial turf fields by spending within my means, by allocating community funds left over from other projects, by working in partnership, and by NOT dipping into the future of our city and our citizens.  My 25 years of business experience has taught me how to work within the budget I have been allocated, and I know how critical a reserve fund is. 

Calgary’s reserve fund for future capital should be in the range of $200 million but it has been chipped away in recent years by special pet projects like this.  A reserve is for emergencies like removing 8 feet of snow.  A reserve is for future capital expansion like contribution to an airport tunnel or the southeast leg of the LRT.  A reserve fund is not for more soccer fields when we are facing a very tough budget this November.

What happened in the closing minutes of Calgary’s final council meeting was inexcusable. Why?

• Due to a variety of factors, our ability to replenish this fund is extremely limited.  So losing $6 million has huge and negative ramifications for Calgary’s future.

• A reserve fund should be tapped only for “need to have” projects, not “nice to have” ones.

• City Administration recognized that more soccer fields, since funds could not be found in the Brighton area budget, should be a decision of the new council in November and had recommended it wait until that time.  Council went against their recommendation.

Calgary taxpayers should be outraged that this was clearly a robbing of our future’s piggy bank at the eleventh hour in the hope no one was watching.

Unfortunately, I was.

July 27, 2010

People like myself who serve in public office are expected to make tough decisions on behalf of Calgarians everyday – ALL Calgarians.  Of every race, gender, age and yes, even on behalf of those who took a wrong turn in life and are now working hard to earn society’s trust back.

On Monday, Council had several projects before it requiring a decision on assigning land for various uses.  The most notable was the Calgary John Howard Society’s Bedford House and offices.  For 27 years, Bedford House, a home that helps offenders transition into a community versus simply releasing them from prison to fend for themselves, has operated peacefully with an extremely low re-offence rate in Victoria Park.  In fact, Rob Taylor, President of the Community, stated they would miss Bedford House, citing John Howard Society as an “excellent organization” and “Bedford House a top notch operation that cares about the community it calls home, with no detrimental effect to nearby residents.”

With the expansion of the Calgary Stampede and Exhibition, Bedford House has been forced to move.  And so, an organization that has worked professionally, successfully and under everyone’s radar for 27 years suddenly had the spot light of negativity shone upon it. 

The first relocation request was in Sunalta, which was turned down by the Calgary Planning Committee stating Bedford’s new home must be in an industrial area versus a residential community.  A new search was conducted by the Society, following all the parameters that were dictated to them, with their final request being the industrial area of Manchester – at 4444 Builders Road SE.  Monday this location came to City Council for approval, following unanimous support by the Calgary Planning Committee – the last official body of approval required before the final decision made by Council.

Council also reviewed correspondence and listened to community members who live as far away as 3 kilometers, citing reasons why it should “not be built in my back yard.”  Monday’s marathon session of community outcry followed two public information sessions, a town hall meeting, numerous meetings with Community Association Executives, media announcements as well as a door to door campaign with neighbouring industrial firms that the John Howard Society started back in March. 

The community efforts to turn away a much-needed facility in Calgary focused on three issues. 

First was the accusation of no community involvement which, as identified above, was clearly conducted.

Second was a demand that Bedford House not be home to pedophiles.  This is not a municipal issue, and in fact is federal jurisdiction.  However, the John Howard Society, even though standing by their program effectiveness, has promised that pedophiles will not be housed at Bedford House until such time that electronic monitoring is available.  Having said that, candidates for Bedford House are put through a rigorous consideration process before even being qualified for acceptance.

And finally, the community requested that the number of beds be reduced from the two-part phased approach of 40 beds to 24.  The Society  is compensated based on the number of individuals it houses.  To reduce it to 24 makes the model uneconomical.  The final request was approved for 32 beds in the first development phase, with consideration to house a maximum of 40 beds in any subsequent development permit.

The community representatives handed me a note in Council.  They wanted me to ask the same question of three integral parties and individual experts involved in dealing with public safety – the John Howard Society, the Calgary Police Service and Corrections Canada.  The question they wanted answered was this:  “Do you know how many former Bedford residents have been convicted for crimes in Victoria Park or nearby residential communities after their sentence was completed?”

In all three cases, the answer was none.  Council heard from these experts that there is no negative impact on surrounding property values and no significant increase of crime in neighbourhoods housing halfway homes.  Instead, one of the worst and more common issues is being late for a curfew. 

Over 50 international studies on halfway houses show they are effective, show they are desperately needed in society, and show that in many cases, crime in the area of halfway houses is reduced.  As stated by the Corrections Canada expert “parole is not a given”, and as a result residents and the organization itself take extra good care of the neighbourhood they call home as residents work hard at a second chance in life.   

To ensure that the needs of the industrial firms in the Manchester neighbourhood are considered, Council approved implementation of a “Good Neighbour” policy citing its success in other areas of Calgary.  Also that a Policing Strategy be developed specific to Bedford House, which the Calgary Police Service supported 100 percent.

Based on all the evidence provided to Council by experts in the field, recognizing the need in Calgary for proactive organizations like the John Howard Society, and considering the extensive community consultation that has been conducted since March 2010, I voted, along with many of my Council colleagues, to grant Bedford House a new location at 4444 Builders Road SE. 

Bedford House will be built in an industrial area, near the transit system vital to integrating residents back into society and not in anyone’s back yard.  Any further out into industrial land, and the entire effort of trying to integrate residents back into the community would be lost. 

To the communities, I simply ask that they give Bedford a chance.  If it functioned successfully for 27 years in Victoria Park, I believe we owe the expropriated home its second chance in the Manchester community.