Elections
Neil Bos, Candidate for Ward 15 in Hamilton Municipal Election 2010
Details page for this candidate.
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Candidate Details (top)
| Name | Bos, Neil |
|---|---|
| Election | Hamilton Municipal Election 2010 |
| Area | Ward 15 |
| Party | N/A |
| Votes | 2767 |
| jimmy@NeilBos.ca | |
| Website | http://www.neilbos.ca/ |
| Home | |
| Business | |
| Fax | |
| Bio | Neil Bos is the owner/operator of Village Fish and Chips in Waterdown, next door to the post office.
All of his working life has been spent in the Village of Waterdown. He twice stood for office and was elected to the Council of the Township of Flamborough; and to the Waterdown Hydro Commission. Those who know Neil can tell you that he has always provided a daily stream of commentary on local affairs. Seldom does a local political issue gain a profile in Ward 15 without Neil noticing and, with a smile, offering some candid and often very insightful comments to anybody who happens to be in range of his voice. Neil is a serious student of political and municipal affairs. He formalized his learning at McMaster University where he studied Municipal Administration. After winning his diploma, Neil continued to delve into municipal administration, seeking a technical understanding of town planning; zoning and land-use controls; local governance issues; and protocols, regulations and bylaws. As a citizen who looks for quiet opportunities to help others, Neil has gathered enthusiastic support and approval for his generosity working with the Lions Club, the Optimists, Hamilton Shriners, the Rotary Club and United Way. On the personal side, Neil has two daughters, Emily and Heather, a sister, Cathy, who also works in the family business, and his mother, Rene. |
Responses to Questions (top)
| Question | Brief Response | Full Response |
|---|---|---|
| Should we spend the Future Fund to build a Pan Am / Ticat stadium on the CP Rail Yard lands? Why or why not? | Maybe | If my home backed onto the Chedoke public golf course I would be furious - and against the stadium being placed on the CP Rail Yards - but luckily my home is up on the escarpment and council is unlikely to select Waterdown for a Pan Am/Ticat stadium.
Has anybody thought of building the stadium in Cootes Paradise? It was the town dump for a couple of hundred years - and now it's a breeding ground for the invasive carp. We can still honor our commitment to the botanicals. In fact we might be able to help their cause with a football stadium a la Venice. You also might find that US Steel is prepared to open up some of Stelco's old brownfields for the stadium. US Steel might be planning to let the furnaces go cold anyway. |
| Council is poised to vote on the Airport Employment Growth District, a 3,000 acre plan to expand the urban boundary around Hamilton International Airport for employment lands. Do you support this plan? Why or why not? | No | I have no confidence that Hamilton City Council can make Hamilton International into a viable airport. If we go back to flying Harvards and Lancasters, we're ideally situated for success.
This Airport Employment Growth District is just another wrong-headed and dead-end strategy. By the way, what does "employment growth" mean? Tax free? Let's focus on real opportunities, e.g. LRT (vital to downtown beautification), regular GO service to central Hamilton, a big-league stadium (25,000 heated seats), area rating (I love this one), Citizens' Advisory (a huge favorite). And lest we forget: Stop the Quarry! |
| Many observers argue that Council meetings could be more respectful and professional. Do you agree? If so, what will you do to change this? | Maybe | I've been a student of the Parliamentary process, rules, protocols and tradition for more than 30 years, and I look forward to my time on Hamilton city council.
When I was on council at the Township of Flamborough, I always treated my colleagues as the mature, sincere, hard-working and constructive councillors they were, and they did the same for me. My character won't change overnight. I will be respectful, generally speaking. But if somebody behaves in a manner that is hurtful, bullying and ignorant, you will come to hear them say, when there is a crass comment, "Neil's up!" Meaning: sparks are going to fly! |
| Some cities have committed recently to publishing their public data in an open format that citizens can directly access. Should Hamilton pledge to become an "open source city"? Why or why not? | Maybe | There is information that is benign, and there is information that can be explosive.
If we start today we might get improved transparency over the next decade, but it will be a long haul. I'd like to hear some discussion about the issue before I decide to take a stance. |
| For your campaign, will you be accepting donations from corporations or unions? If so, why? If not, why not? | No | I will not be soliciting or receiving campaign donations from corporations or trade unions or non-governmental agencies or motorcycle gangs or humanitarian agencies or political parties or limited-liability professional firms.
It is my preference that private individuals and families who care about Ward 15 and Flamborough will, to the extent that they can, help me with small donations so I can properly introduce myself to the voters of Ward 15. |
| Hamilton's Cycling Master Plan has Council approval. However, the implementation timeline is very long and ward councillors can block individual bike lane projects. Do you support accelerating the completion of a continuous bicycle network and other initiatives like a bike sharing program and better access up and down the Escarpment? Why or why not? | Yes | Ward 15 plays host to hundreds of bicycles every day. Take a ride up Snake Road, or Centre Road, and any paved concession. Ward 15 (Carlisle, Waterdown, Millgrove) plays host on the weekends to bicyclists who begin their ride in Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and Scarborough. Bike lanes are fine for the downtown area, and they should be marked first.
I noticed that Dundurn in Ward 1 has bike lanes. A trip from the neo-classic castle to the stairs just west of Aberdeen is all the exercise anybody needs in a week. And returning to York Boulevard is downhill most of the way. |
| Is Hamilton doing enough to support and encourage new investment in our older neighbourhoods? If not, what should the City be doing? | Maybe | Let's be clear. I do not want Council to have another excuse to run up to Flamborough and steal everything we've worked for, in some cases for generations.
I plan to be at the council table to represent Ward 15 (Flamborough), and I will not approve "new investment" of any kind by council until I'm satisfied that Flamborough is either free or has been fairly treated by Hamilton and/or the province. |
| Do you support Hamilton's LRT proposal? If so, what will you do to ensure Hamilton's success in building LRT? If not, why do you oppose it? | Maybe | I might be a proponent of LRT - if there are users. And if the LRT goes somewhere, it would be an opportunity to get some cars off the road. There are environmental issues too.
Obviously I don't know enough about this proposal. So let's just say, "Maybe." |
