Idle Cars Are Council's Work - or Are They?

By now, everybody knows that Michael Phair's proposed anti-idling bylaw was defeated in a tie vote at the City's Transportation and Public Works Committee, with Phair and Janice Melnychuk in favour and Mike Nickel and Ron Hayter opposed. What's getting considerably less press is the fact that the motion was moved in two parts, divided, and dispensed with separately - a clause calling on the city administration to bring an proposed information campaign (and potential partners for the campaign) to the committee was carried by a three to one vote, with Hayter joining Phair and Melnychuk voting in favour.

This exposes the differences in Hayter's and Nickel's rationales for opposing the bylaw. Hayter felt that it was largely unenforceable (an allegation that was more or less conceded by the bylaw's proponents), but was fine with an information campaign, while Nickel felt that the whole thing was an unwarranted intrusion on Edmontonians' freedom of choice. Essentially, he argued that it wasn't Council's place to moralize, at least on this issue.

For that matter, even if there's a place for the state to engage in this sort of public awareness/advocacy, why is it the municipal level that should foot the bill? It seems to us that the Kyoto Accord was signed by a different level.

Cavanagh retires

The big news on the municipal front today is that Terry Cavanagh is retiring at the end of his term, after twenty-seven years on City Council (including two brief stints as mayor). Cavanagh joins long-time colleague Michael Phair in declining to seek an umpteenth term. With Bryan Anderson and Mike Nickel (and Stephen Mandel) having made their decisions to seek re-election public, this leaves eight Councillors who are not yet on the record about their intentions.

In Ward 1, neither Councillor has given any indication either way, but both are likely to seek re-election.

In Ward 2, Kim Krushell seems almost certain to run again, despite unfounded rumours that she may seek the provincial nomination for the Progressive Conservative Party in Edmonton Strathcona (why would she do a thing like that in a riding in which the P.C.s finished with less than a third of the votes that the N.D.P. got in 2004?). Ron Hayter's a little iffier - he retired from City Council once before, and has been back for six years.

In Ward 3, Janice Melnychuk is expected to forego a re-election bid in favour of seeking provincial office, as NDP candidate for Edmonton Manning. No word yet on Ed Gibbons.

In Ward 4, Jane Batty is expected to seek re-election, having commented late last month that she was "leaning in that direction".

In Ward 6, Dave Thiele hasn't yet announced his intentions. He was courted to run for the NDP federally in Edmonton Millwoods Beaumont in 2006, and declined, but was it because he wanted to stick with municipal politics or for some other reason?