The reason for this post was because the information on London’s website was inadequate. It did not provide enough information for an informed decision – so we took it upon ourselves. Below you will see all the contact and platform information for each candidate, and as well as whatever platform point they felt they wanted emphasized. Last but not least, we have added a lil’ deVOTEd commentary to liven it up a bit.
Ward 6 aka “The Student District.” If you live anywhere near or on campus, this is your ward.
Alasdair Beaton aka “The Bad Texter”
We reached out to Alsadair Beaton to provide us with information on where to view his platform or connect with him further but unfortunately, he did not reply. Take his response, or lack thereof, as you will.
Marie Blosh // @marieblosh aka “The lady who talked about cancelling Homecoming”
“Rapid bus transit has been talked about in London for many years but it is expensive so little progress has been made. Yet a system that routinely runs buses that are packed so full that they cannot stop to pick up passengers is unacceptable. It is not fair to the passengers or to the bus drivers. Public transit is a key aspect of the proposed London Plan, and if elected to the next council I will use the opportunity to help create the kind of city that it envisions.”
The rest of Marie’s platform.
Marie Blosh is one of the most experienced candidates running, but her experience does not make up for her disregard of the student experience. Her decision to highlight public transportation seems more strategic for gaining student votes than anything sincere. It is clear within her tweets that she does not handle criticism well and demands that students should show respect to receive it. Majority of students are in fact very respectful to the ward and help drive the economy of the city. Western students give back during Western Serves initiatives, Western USC Good Neighbourhood Clean-Up Campaign, V-Day Western, and so much more. Blosh’s comments and “solutions” for Homecoming prove that she does not have the capabilities or problem solving skills needed to develop and put in effect an action plan that would work for all parties. In order for Blosh to be an appropriate candidate for Ward 6, she needs to realize the potential students have in aiding the development of the city and stop recycling the “us” vs “them” mentality the city has already placed upon students. With Blosh, we worry students will feel even more alienated within their own ward.
Mike Bloxam // @Mike_Bloxam aka “The Everything Bagel”
“Improve collaboration with Western University and Fanshawe College to share resources and harness research and innovation to build a better London”
The rest of Mike Bloxam’s platform.
Mike Bloxam’s platform is divided into three key buzzwords categories: Integrity, Sustainability, and Prosperity. Bloxam has a lot of great potential solutions for on-going problems in London and seems to be fairly knowledgeable in all aspects which makes him a stand-out candidate. He cares for the overall economic development of London, and we feel he is a better fit for a more permanent role within council to tackle these long-term projects head on. We give Mike bonus points for the idea of an online citizen dashboard where Ward 6 citizens can check out the progress of projects.
Cynthia Etheridge aka “The Carebear”
“Improve and maintain infrastructure, including transportation, communication systems, power plants, and schools.”
The rest of Cynthia’s platform.
All of the issues on her platform are issues that most citizens across London would agree are important to them. Overall, Cynthia Etheridge seems to be very “by the people, for the people!” but does not seem like she has any experience in the field or any proper solutions. We admire Cynthia for her true passion for the community and advocacy efforts; where her experience lacks, her genuine care for the community makes up.
Amir Farahi // @amirfarahi aka “The 19-Year Old”
“London’s downtown small business owners benefit from the significant foot traffic in the downtown late at night. However, the high density of late night foot traffic can lead to costly maintenance bills. London’s taxi drivers work hard, but they cannot service the entire population. Law enforcement does their best to ensure community safety and the safety of late 
night patrons but they can’t protect everyone and it’s expensive to have officers downtown. Residents of Ward 6 are patient and understanding, but heavy foot traffic from those who choose to walk home late at night can lead to vandalism, noise and disruption. A solution to this problem is for the LTC to run a late night bus on Friday and Saturday nights between the hours of 12am-3am. Doing this will protect our small business owners, save us law enforcement costs, reduce community friction and increase safety for late night customers. As a Ward 6 City Councillor I will work to implement a late-night busing pilot program.”
The rest of Amir’s platform.
Any trepidation of Amir’s age fades away swiftly when you read his clear platform or listen to him during debates. If we as students want London to start taking us seriously, Amir might be the first big step. One of our favorite points of Amir’s platform is aiming to lower voting age to 16 to increase youth participation in democracy – he sees (however idealistic) the potential in youth taking on active roles within their city. He is a student candidate, but he’s a standout one at that. His experience on LYAC (London Youth Advisory Council) makes him one of the top candidates in terms of overall knowledge (especially of the city), experience, and capability. He is an advocate we look forward to seeing more from (and will be seeing more from).
Flavio Iannialice aka “The Ghost”
Flavio Iannialice seems to be the ghost candidate. We never see him at debates, his contact information is nowhere that is easily accessible, and quite frankly, we are a little confused as to how someone so absent plans to be a councillor. His e-mail isn’t even listed on the Candidate page.
Phil Squire // @SquirePhil aka “Affordable Housing”
“Intention to pursue the creation of a rapid bus transit system in the City of London” (though we failed to find this on his actual platform…)
The rest of Phil Squire’s platform.
Phil seems to be knowledgeable on budgeting and seems fairly focused on making life easier for the families within Ward 6. We were a bit sad to see that Phil had nothing on his platform that would ease the lives of students and that when we need something advocated for, his focus may lay elsewhere. Nothing on Phil’s platform stands out among the other candidates’ platforms and his focus is very narrowed into working on affordable housing.
We hope we have been able to take the mildly boring out of municipal elections. If you’re not a fan of words, you can watch the candidates All-Candidates’ Meeting debate (Spoiler: longer than 3 minutes).
Have questions for your candidates? You can ask them at these debates:
Thursday, October 9th, 2014 at 7 pm // Cherryhill Mall Library
Wednesday, October 15th, 2014 at 6:30pm // USC Meet & Greet in the Mustang Lounge (right before the Mayoral debate)
Thursday, October 16th, 2014 at 6:30 pm // London Muslim Mosque
Still need information on how to vote, where to vote, and everything in between? We got you covered. Check out our masterpost of all things elections. Also check out The Gazette’s own coverage of each of the Ward 6 candidates.
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