Matt Todd's Pursuit of Idyll Minds

There is at least one Marine Drive restaurant owner who continues to act as though the reason his business is failing is because of the Spirit Square project that will begin construction in September. While I (and many others on Council) have been trying to have a dialogue about how to make it easier for customers to visit Marine Drive businesses, it seems he’s more interested in attempting to stop the park expansion – as though the project not proceeding would resolve parking problems on the beach.

The Mayor has created an opportunity to address some long-standing transportation and customer service challenges on Marine Drive. Rather than take advantage of the opportunity and work with the City on solutions, he just wants to complain about the Spirit Square. These are issues that have been a problem on Marine Drive for decades and will continue to be the achilles heel for waterfront businesses with or without the Spirit Square. It would be incredibly short-sighted to waste this opportunity for the sake of trying to sabotage Spirit Square.

If the real goal is to create an exceptional, special experience for visitors to the waterfront, then all merchants ought to be looking for ways to improve transportation systems so that their concerns about the Spirit Square will be resolved. Anyone objective or with any knowledge of urban planning knows that well-planned public spaces are good for business.

If transportation is the issue, then let’s focus on that – let’s put in place solutions to the real problem. It would be counter-productive to defeat the Spirit Square for the sake of parking – that won’t solve the problem and would just waste an opportunity to refresh and improve the focal point of the waterfront.

At least one restauranteur has read my previous post and sent a contemptuous retort.

The intention of the post was to illustrate how some of the personal insults I’ve been subjected to could be as much projection as reflection. I really don’t see the point of this contest of who’s smarter or better in business. It would be easy for me to throw stones back, but how would that help?

Why can’t we just focus on the challenges and solutions?

A mistake I keep making as an elected person is assuming that everyone wants to approach dialogue with an open-mind, interested in learning and trying out different perspectives. I also keep forgetting that a lot of people aren’t willing to take responsibility for their own choices.

It seems sad now that my intention with this Spirit Square process was actually to build trust in the community. I had hoped it would become an opportunity to learn together about urban planning and public spaces. I thought that empowering a group citizens to represent their own organizations would get more people engaged in a meaningful and constructive way. Clearly I failed in that regard. I believe the resulting design was a great success, but the process did nothing to build trust in the community beyond those who participated.

In hindsight, I can see that there were things that I could have done. But I still don’t think it is reasonable to say that the outcomes were predictable. To some degree they were, but with very little available staff time and no other resources, there’s not much I could have done different.

Mr. Riome of Frond’s did say that I should have walked Marine Drive to personally talk with each merchant knowing that most would not make contact even though they have questions or concerns. And he’s right. I should have done that.

Am I the only one who finds it ironic that people who own failing businesses are accusing me of having poor business skills? They who say their business is on the brink of failure tell me that the process I have undertaken to design the expansion of a park is poor planning.

The people who now tell me they are rallying to have me unseated in the next election didn’t bother to call or meet with me during the 3 month Spirit Square design process — a series of workshops at which they had a representative who was supposed to share their ideas and concerns.

They claim that the only solution to new competition from the surrounding community is for the City parking program to adapt. They say the only reason people are going to these chic new restaurants is because of an abundance of free parking close to the door.

Enough of the blame game and finger pointing. Let’s get on with creating new reasons for people to come to the beach and making it easier for them to do it.

This Council seems to really like being disappointed. Some of them have a habit of asking for things they know they can’t get.

The financial implications of no-net-loss of parking for the Spirit Square is huge. Parkades are incredibly expensive to build. The City would have to incur a huge debt to pay for one and it would take a very long time to pay it off.

Demanding that bus route changes happen now rather than in 5 years, as proposed, is unreasonable. Translink, like the City, has to plan out its goals to be met over time because they don’t have the resources to do everything they wish right now.

I agree that we should be pushing for improvements and reaching for what we truly want rather than being complacent. But at the same time, we should not be making unreasonable demands or creating unrealistic expectations. All we’re doing is setting up ourselves, and our citizens, for disappointment and creating more stress for the people being asked to do the work.

Last night at the Council meeting, a member implied that the public transportation system should be more “user-pay”.

This is very curious. What exactly does the public transportation system include? Obviously, of course, busses, trains and all the costs of operating and maintaining them. But what about roads, bridges and tunnels? And who are the users anyway?

If White Rock were to advocate for a user pay transportation system, then we should accept road tolling throughout the region for all users, not just those riding Translink busses.

When you think of the transportation system as including roads, sidewalks and bike paths, it becomes obvious that everyone benefits from a comprehensive transportation system. Some people use one mode more than others. Everyone uses the different modes in a different combination. Everyone benefits from having all modes being available, even if it’s just because when other people are on the bus or riding a bicycle, they’re not contributing to more traffic congestion.

So if we all benefit and we’re all users of the transportation system, then we all should pay. If bus riders are expected to pay more of a cost of providing that service, then I’ll suggest that car drivers be expected to pay more of a cost of providing the road network and all its requisite services.

A couple weeks ago I saw a booth for zipcars at the Globe 2008 Trade Fair, then Michael Geller talked about tuk-tuks in his SFU City Program lecture last week, and this weekend I saw electric GEM rental cars in Seaside, Oregon.

Putting those three concepts together, I came up with an idea that I think would alleviate parking stress on the waterfront.

Imagine this: a public transportation service that requires no staff operators, responds to the weather, has very low maintenance costs, upfront capital costs in the tens of thousands — not hundreds of thousands or millions, and requires no large fleet service or storage facility.

This is my vision… Six-seater electric vehicles driven by independent entrepreneurs ferrying passengers between far-flung parking lots and along the waterfront. Drivers are registered with the City. They choose when they want to check out a vehicle. They pay an hourly rental fee for the vehicle. Passengers pay a small fee (such as $1) for the service, perhaps purchased from the City’s parking meter. The driver collects tickets from passengers and redeems them with the City. Their only overhead is their time and the vehicle rental rate. The City gets more efficient use of its existing parking lots and expanded capacity for the waterfront commercial district.

I figure a pilot project could be run this summer for maybe as little as $15,000.

There are all kinds of problems that are easy to think of, but I think the solutions are just as easy. If a pilot project were successful, there are some technologies that could be applied to greatly improve security, streamline the payment process, and create a system where a driver can be notified of a ride request.

If nothing else, this concept has potential to solve the employee parking problem. Merchants with staff working late night could use a shuttle to get their staff safely home or to their vehicles in the Semiahmoo lot.

This is an innovative experiment that we can do now to expand the capacity of our waterfront using parking spaces that already exist.

It’s been an incredible year so far. I feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water, but it’s been exciting. Spirit Square park design, Housing Diversity policies for a balanced and inclusive community, Spirit of BC public art policy and cultural strategy, REPUBLIC benefit concert, Spirit of the Sea Festival planning, and smoke-free spaces implementation… all great challenges, great learning opportunities, and great goals I’m proud to be a part of.

The Spirit Square project has been an interesting challenge. I’m overseeing a community engagement process that learned from the pioneering experience of the OCP review. The site is very important to the community and there is a lot of passion about its future, past, and change in general. I’m honoured to play a role in renovating such a prominent park, creating a new social space for the community, and refining the way the citizens are involved in shaping the future of their community.

The Housing Diversity Task Force is getting close to the finish line. There is only one meeting left before they begin reviewing a first draft of their report. It has been a gruelling endeavour — not so much because of the research required and balancing of diverse, divergent needs, but because the task force has no budget for consultants or additional staff time. This makes it a constant challenge to focus enough energy required to move the project forward. But it looks like some of the recommendations could be pivotal for maintaining and improving high quality neighbourhoods as White Rock evolves.

Spirit of BC Committee is embarking on a couple of tasks that will create momentum for cultural initiatives in White Rock. Revisions to the Public Art Policy and drafting of an Interim Cultural Strategy are needed to guide substantial investments already on the books. They sound like boring policy papers, but they would set the stage for the City to take arts and heritage issues more seriously and be much more careful about how money is spent when it impacts White Rock’s culture.

The REPUBLIC is a music contest being produced by the White Rock Youth Ambassadors. Five bands will be judged in front of a live audience in the curling arena. The winners will get a prime time spot on the Spirit of the Sea Festival RE/MAX Stage and recording time with Turtle Recording Studios. It is a fundraiser to create a scholarship with the Peninsula Arts Foundation for local youth studying arts. We meet every weekend to plan the event.

Spirit of the Sea Festival (lots of ’spirit’ going on in White Rock right now!) is preparing for its AGM March 18. The preparations have already begun. Requests for application forms for the parade, vendors and musicians have been rolling on strong and steady. Fundraising is well underway and the production team for this year hasn’t even been established yet! We are desperately seeking people with proven success in marketing and promotions, and volunteer coordination. This rollercoaster seems to have taken off already and I haven’t had a chance to put on my seatbelt.

Smoke-free spaces is a continuing pursuit. I am hoping to build consensus among all cities in the Lower Mainland on a higher standard for smoke-free spaces. It would be better for residents and less confusing for visitors if all local cities had the same rules.

This is an exciting and interesting time for me. To keep this good thing going, I’m trying to keep balance in my life so I don’t burn out before all these goals are reached. Luckily I have good friends to remind me to get out and have fun. And I’ve discovered some new music that keeps my brain from seizing. If I’m able to complete these goals, I’ll be happy no matter what the outcome of the next election. If I’m voted out, I’ll be satisfied with what I’d have accomplished. If I’m re-elected, I’ll get to embark on new adventures.

At what point does an exaggeration or melodrama become a lie?

I certainly see no problem with exaggerating a point for emphasis or using dramatics to illustrate passion or inject some humour into a conversation. But when it falsely validates or amplifies fears in the community — when it becomes misleading — then it’s just a lie. I don’t think that’s acceptable behaviour for an elected person.

Citizens should be wary of Councillor Coleridge’s statements alleging that the City is secretly planning to sell parks, the beach is threatened as a swimming destination by pollution, or that the Spirit Square project will pave over the lawn. It makes for good political theatre, but none of it is true.

It seems there is almost nobody who agrees with the proposed location of the Spirit Square. They say it should be further down on West Beach, or better yet, on East Beach — they need more down there, I’m told.

So, please correct me where my logic fails:

• If parking in White Rock is a sacred obsession, then impact on parking lots must be none to minimal;
• If a public square might be used for music or have people in it late at night and early morning, then it should not be in a residential neighbourhood;
• If a gathering place can help bring people to local businesses, then it would best be located in front of businesses;
• If it is expected to be used for celebrations, then it will need to be big enough to accommodate a stage;
• If the intention is to create a meeting place, then it should be located where travel paths to many different destinations cross.

So… we need a wide space in front of businesses in a central place that won’t take away any precious parking… I can only think of one space along the waterfront that meets those criteria.

I’m glad Totem Plaza was created. It’s pretty to look at as I walk by to the museum or pier. But the purpose of this Spirit Square project is not to build another pretty monument, it is to create a space that functions exceptionally well as meeting place for friends, to watch passersby, or join a community celebration.

Memorial Park is the best place for a Spirit Square. It is the only waterfront location that meets all 5 criteria listed above.

What makes Councillors’ remarks reek of political opportunism is that the $3000 limit for discretional spending is exactly that. It was never intended to be an absolute limit on a Councillor’s expenses for education; it is the limit for discretional spending — money that can be spent without asking for permission. That’s why there is money in the budget to fund a request for more, and why the policy explicitly permits it.

If Councillors have changed their mind and now want to change the rules, they should admit so. It is disingenuous to imply that I broke any rules or did anything wrong. Everyone knew that I was attending the conference and writing a report on the workshops. Some encouraged me during meetings of Council to submit my expenses. Nobody at any time suggested it wasn’t a good idea to do so.

I am upfront and honest so much so that I have been told some people find it indecent and annoying. There was certainly nothing mischievous or sinister going on. I think that’s obvious to anyone who isn’t a trying to create conspiracy theories or capitalize on cheap political opportunism.

Unfortunately, some councillors seem more interested in the community’s perception of how well they perform in their responsibilities than actually performing their responsibilities well. It’s incredibly disappointing how quickly their courage, vision, and rational thought evaporates under the watch of the TV cameras. They undermined my credibility when I couldn’t be in the room to respond and without allowing me to opportunity to explain the chain of events leading to my request. They call it accountability; I call it gutless politics of convenience.

The only glimmers of integrity I saw in how councillors handled this issue was from McLean and Peddemors. McLean has been consistent, though quietly so, in supporting education and keeping current on new research and best practices. Peddemors committed to looking favourably on a request for additional funds since I attended a conference on his behalf two years ago. He had registered then had to bow out, but the fees were non-refundable. Since I was the councillor who assumed the registration, the expenses were taken out of my discretional funding. He did vote in favour of reimbursing me my expenses, but I was still left waiting for someone, anyone, to speak up on the facts that the policy was written with exactly these kinds of circumstances in mind, and to speak about the value of continual learning.

I think it’s important to learn more about the issues that I have to deal with as a councillor. Shocking as it may sound, being elected did not magically bestow all worldly knowledge upon me. From the behaviour of the councillors last night, I wonder if I’m the only one who remains a mere mortal who isn’t all-knowing. Or perhaps I’m the only one who believes that informed and educated decision-making is valuable for a well-governed community.