Elections
Michael Baldasaro, Candidate for Mayor in Hamilton Municipal Election 2014
Details page for this candidate.
In This Page:
Candidate Details (top)
| Name | Baldasaro, Michael |
|---|---|
| Election | Hamilton Municipal Election 2014 |
| Area | Mayor |
| Party | N/A |
| Votes | 0 |
| michaelbaldasaro@me.com | |
| Website | http://www.iamm.com/baldasaro.for.mayor.htm |
| Home | 905-522-3247 |
| Business | |
| Fax | |
| Bio | * Born at Little Current, Manitoulin Island, May 23, 1949. Resettled to Hamilton in 1949.
* Schooled at St. John The Baptist, De la Salle Oak lands (Camp), Delta High School and Universe University. * Worked as an Operating Engineer, since 1967, Family Construction Business, Baldasaro & MacGregor Ltd. (General Contractors) and with the International Union of Operating Engineers as an out-side Contractor in Stelco, Dofasco, Westinghouse, International Harvester, McCoy and other Foundries. * Experienced in road, sewer, water main, tunnel, building construction and demolition. * Minister Plenipotentiary, Church of the Universe since 1979. * Professor Legal Self Defence, Universe University. Civil, Criminal, Constitutional Litigation. * Human Rights Activist since 1967 and an aspiring servant to my fellow human beings, all my life. |
Responses to Questions (top)
| Question | Brief Response | Full Response |
|---|---|---|
| Do you support converting more of Hamilton's one-way thoroughfares into complete, two-way streets that support walking, cycling and transit? | Maybe | Only where logical and it makes sense. Remember, people with money to spend,
tend to drive automobiles and poor access like the Bus Lane downtown is keeping those people away from the Core. |
| Do you support an expanded role for Hamilton to provide more affordable housing? If so, what should Hamilton do? | Yes | Yes. We must raise taxes on the rich. Banks and Insurance Companies would be
a good place to start. |
| Do you believe City Hall should be more accessible to Hamilton residents? If so, what steps would you take to achieve this? | Yes | Yes. Mayor I’ll cut my salary by 1/3 and create an OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE to be chaired by my Runner-up to Office. The Chairperson will be provided an Office and will share 1/3 of the operating budget of the Mayor’s Office for its operation.
I will then ask all Councilors to take a 15% cut in their salaries to create a General Office for their Runner-ups to Staff the Oversight Committee. The Councilors will be asked to provide 15% of their Operating Budget to help maintain the General Office and Staff workstations of the Committee. The purpose of the Over-Sight Committee is to over-see the dealings of Council and report to the Citizens. Their job is to assist the Incumbents and reach out and support Community Groups, so we may better understand their concerns, and bring those concerns before Council. The Committee will foster more competition for incumbents at election time. Town Hall Gatherings will be held on a regular basis, funded to a great degree and Chaired and/or Co-Chaired, by a member of the Oversight Committee. Please refer to my Platform on Facebook for further information. https://word.office.live.com/wv/WordView.aspx?FBsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fdownload%2Ffile_preview.php%3Fid%3D532849766858469%26time%3D1413301685%26metadata&access_token=884370623%3AAVLUyYB9MZl6OUkpj1tPySnK2XOJTnMtBMNa4s7U1gZOgw&title=PLANKS+IN+THE+PLATFORM-3.doc |
| Do you believe Hamilton should do more to protect and enhance its built heritage? | Yes | Yes. The thing is though, the so-called Top Three Candidates, all sat by,
watched and even assisted the destruction of the Centre Mall, turning it into a parking lot. Now those in wheel chairs and/or pushing baby buggies, are forced to navigate around cars and trucks with no sidewalks, in all kinds of weather. All this when we used to do everything inside in what was in reality a Community Centre and shopping mall, all in one. Good luck with this bunch. Their predecessors tore down our original City Hall and 1/2 of Hamilton before they wised up under public scrutiny. So now, according to them, we have nothing to worry about. We are in good hands. The blind leading the blind. |
| The Province plans to allow municipalities to use ranked ballots in future elections. If so, will you vote to adopt ranked ballots in Hamilton? | Yes | Yes and I shall be watching Toronto and Premiere Wynne to see for myself.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/ontario-points-the-way-with-ranked-ballots/article20898792/ |
| Do you support the use of participatory budgeting to allow ward residents to propose and vote on local capital projects? | Yes | |
| Do you support the city's plan to build an east-west light rail transit (LRT) line with full capital funding from the Province? | No | No to east-west route. If the Province lives up to its promise to
fund Public Transportation, my business plan supports beefing up BRT service, shortening wait times and includes an LRT-LOOP from the GO BUS STATION on Hunter to the GO RAIL STATION on James St. North. Travelling North on Bay, South on James, East and west between King and Hunter, it encompass the new HSR/BRT Station on MacNab. This is the only LRT that makes sense. THE HEART OF THE SYSTEM to follow. Fossil fuelled transportation is tomorrows dinosaur. GO to GO services all East and West BRT Routes through-out the G.H.A. Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook, Hamilton, Mount Hope and Stoney Creek. An LRT LOOP will attract local and out-of-town Tourists and commuters to the downtown core and Condominiums. This is our best opportunity of creating a sustainable and expandable BRT/LRT which benefits everyone. |
| The City's Cycling Master Plan is up for review. Do you support improving the plan to speed the installation of cycling facilities and provide more high-quality protected infrastructure like the new Cannon Street cycle track? | Maybe | Again, only where logical and it makes sense. First and foremost, we must
repair pot holes or fend off lawsuits over damaged vehicles and perhaps accidents pot holes and sink holes, common around faulty water mains, occur. |
| The Province has shelved a proposal to build a mid-peninsula highway from Niagara Falls or Fort Erie around Hamilton to connect with Hwy 401 or 407 north of Burlington. Do you agree with the Province's decision to put its development on hold? | Yes | Yes. This highway has been on the table since as long as I can remember, as
far back as the talks over Red Hill Expressway. We should repair our streets and traffic corridors first. |
| Do you support implementing a Vision Zero for Hamilton, with a goal of eliminating all pedestrian and cyclist deaths on our streets? If so, what specific actions would you take to implement this policy, and if not, why? | Yes | Yes. I would stringently enforce jay walking by-laws, especially on the corner of King and James.
All cyclists and bicycles must be licensed if on main streets and all riders must adhere to the rules all motorists abide by and/or face the loss of their ride, depending on the infraction and history of the rider and condition of the bicycle. All electric bicycles as well as sidewalk scooters must be insured. |
