Calgary Alderman - Ward 6

Rosemary Berglund has withdrawn from the race, although her name will still appear on the ballot. Berglund stated that she was withdrawing because her presence in the race would result in too much vote-splitting in the quest to unseat the incumbent.

Craig Burrows has lived in the riding since 1994, and has served as Alderman for Ward 6 since 2001. He has drawn criticism from residents on a number of fronts, most notably accusations that he is a "corporate puppet", however he takes a licking and keeps on ticking. He has publicly mused about running Federally for the Conservatives at some point in the future.

Burrows' big issues include:

• A "zero-tolerance" attitude towards crime and "bad behaviour"
• Affordable housing
• Recycling & composting
• Phasing out the use of pesticides

You can read more about the Burrows campaign on their website, here.

Joe Connelly is a former #2 at Tourism Calgary. He believes that the incumbent has effectively abandoned the voters of the ward.

Among Connelly's issues are:

• Westward expansion of the C-Train
• Communication between city management and the residents of the ward
• Increase the number of police on the streets
• Surveillance cameras in the downtown core

Joe's website can be found here.

James Istvanffy is a leadership consultant, and former assistant to Calgary West MP Rob Anders. A longtime political participant, his focus seems to be on transit issues.

With thanks to the sleuthing of Kirk Schmidt, the Istvanffy campaign website is located here. James' biography is also available here. Conspicuously, Istvanffy goes to GREAT lengths to avoid naming the MP for whom he previously worked for 7 years.

James Kohut believes that Craig Burrows works for his corporate donors and friends, not for the people of Ward 6. One could be forgiven for thinking that Kohut is a "professional candidate": Kohut has run, and lost, in this ward for Alderman in 2004; in Calgary Glenmore (2001) and Calgary West (2004) provincially (for the Greens); in Calgary South-East (2000) and Calgary South-West (2002) federally (for the Greens) and in Calgary West (2004) federally (for the Canadian Action Party).

Confused? Here's the timeline...
2000 - Calgary South-East (federal) - Green Party of Canada
2001 - Calgary Glenmore (provincial) - Green Party of Alberta
2002 - Calgary South-West (federal) - Green Party of Canada
June 2004 - Calgary West (federal) - Canadian Action Party
October 2004 - Ward 6 (municipal)
November 2004 - Calgary West (provincial) - Green Party of Alberta

So, quite clearly, James Kohut very badly wants to serve his follow citizens. His big issues in this municipal election include:

• Campaign finance reform
• Banning urban sprawl and land annexations
• Eradicating homelessness
• Westward C-Train line and improved bus service

The Kohut campaign can be found on-line here.