Frequently Asked Questions

Is R.J.  … “Like … a Real Person”?

Absolutely!  RJ is a life long citizen of Edmonton. He was born, raised, educated, and has spent a career working in Edmonton.

R.J. authored the content that is found on this website. The references and numbers as well as all calculations were derived from public records readily available on the internet.

The “Favourites”, “Incredibles” and “Goals”, lists and pages are based on R.J.’s real observations, experiences, and goals.

The only non-real aspect of the site is R.J.’s candidacy. R.J is not currently running for mayor.

Why isn't R.J. running for office?

Originally, R.J. intended to stand for election in 2010. In fact, in late July and early August, before he embarked on some travels that took him through five Western states, R.J. actually passed out some flyers and spoke with a number of voters.

At the time, R.J. was surprised at the apprehension that was frequently displayed by members of the public. R.J. believes that such responses represent a natural reaction when people are faced with the "unconventional". 

R.J. came to realize that it will probably take much longer than he originally anticipated for these initial responses of anxiety and denial to give way to openness and reflection.

Compound this with the realization that it is very difficult to simultaneously introduce both new ideas and a new personality to the public given the typical four week campaign period that exists between the filing of nomination papers and election day and R.J. decided to modify his original intention.

As a consequence, R.J. has chosen to limit his efforts to simply trying to introduce voters to some new possibilities over the short term. Hopefully, his efforts will inspire the electorate to demand that existing candidates recognize and actively commit to bolstering our democratic infrastructure. 

Over the longer term R.J. hopes to set up a non-profit society made up of like minded people who are dedicated to exploring various means by which the frequency of meaningful participation of citizen’s in the governance of Edmonton can be dramatically increased.

Does R.J. consider his ideas to be “radical”?

No, on the contrary, R.J. believes his proposals on governance reform are quite moderate.

A truly radical proposal would press the public to discuss implementing a practice like Sortition, which Aristotle described as essential for “true democracy”. Another truly radical governance proposal would demand the redrawing of constituency or ward boundaries in a non contiguous manner the way that Cleisthenes did in ancient Athens. Still another truly radical governance proposal would demand that all businesses and industries across the city devote a specific percentage of staff meeting time each month to providing background information on various civic issues in return for a reduced mill rate.  A truly radical proposal would encourage the public to demand referendums rather than plebiscites. Another truly radical proposal would seek to replace all property taxes with an adjustable sales tax that was harmonized with the GST. A truly radical proposal would require that any legislative body that can introduce statistically significant regulations must itself be made up of a number of members that exceed the minimum number required to represent a “statistically valid random sample" of the population.

Proposals that are more radical than R.J.’s can even be found by simply reviewing things that some currently elected politicians on city council are credited with saying and/or supporting.

For example:

 "I'm going to ask our law department if we can ban knives in the City of Edmonton, …”

Edmonton can fast-track its aggressive LRT plans without raising taxes or axing certain priority projects.

The city will fine you $250 for putting Garage Sale signs on city property: “Signs end up as litter, look untidy, create sight line obstructions, and can be hazardous to City work crews.”

Why isn’t R.J. publishing his full name?

R.J. wants people to focus on ideas rather than on him as an individual.

Is R.J. a member of any special interest group or political party?

No.

Why is R.J. starting his “virtual campaign” before nomination day?

R.J. will be occupied traveling, into Ontario and the Eastern US, for major portions of the normal campaign period in September and October. These reflect commitments he undertook long before contemplating a run for civic office.

Why is R.J. spelling "Councilor" with one "L"?

The traditional British spelling of councillor uses two "L"s.  However, there is an accepted American spelling that uses only one "L".  R.J. has opted to use the one “L” version because heading text length can adversely affect limited column sizing and display output on computer screens. R.J. has chosen to transfer this spelling to the formatting of printed text materials to maintain consistency.  To those who prefer the double "L" spelling R.J. extends his condolences.  R.J. hopes this will not become a contentious issue as it has in some other jurisdictions.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/08/07/spelling_spats_divide_city_council/

http://urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?10117-City-Councilors-find-new-cause-Spell-check           

How can R.J. be contacted?

Mailing Address: R.J. at Glenora P.O., Box Number 53105, Edmonton, AB, T5N 4A8

Why is R.J. not communicating through email?

Email communication implies 24/7 monitoring and rapid response time. Given R.J.'s off-line travel commitments over the next couple of months this is unlikely to occur.  Items sent to the postal box will be attended to as promptly as possible.