r/Milton • u/Charming_Party_2052 • 20d ago

Election Disappointing Elections (or Candidates)

It is disappointing that I cannot find a single candidate I'd confidently vote for. Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on overlooked candidates. Who could genuinely be a good candidate and be good to Milton?

30 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

24

u/narrative_buster 20d ago

Milton is full of opportunistic people. They don't want to lead they want power and clout.

29

u/Charming_Party_2052 20d ago

100% agree with that
except for GK. Problem is he is too old and I dont doubt his intentions but cognitive decline is a thing.

my thesis is this:

most of the candidates are from South Asia, mainly Pakistan and they’re all 1st gen immigrants. How do I trust someone who’s spent better half of their life in Pakistan to improve things here in Milton, which is way ahead of any city there in terms of cleaning, rule of law etc especially considering the state that country is in right now?

Its totally their right to migrate legally but to contest elections here after being here for a few years? How are they capable of improving things here? I would rather trust someone who’s spent some time working for better managed cities in Canada or the US or Europe and then moved here.

When an organization wants to improve things, they always hire from better or well managed organizations i.e., xxx hired from Pepsi to run Coca Cola or vice versa. Or Tim Cook joining Nike’s board of directors because he had Apple under his belt. Just an example.

It takes years to learn the system and understanding how things work and then you need a really strong sense of responsibility and nationalism to actually want to do something good for the town and its people. If they were capable and really wanted to do something good for the people, they could have done it for the place they were born in and for its people and believe me there’s alot to improve there. Its much easier adding value to any organization (or town in this case) if its doing poorly by improving little things but to add value to a relatively well managed town in North America, that is tough. It is surprising that they’re all starting here.

12

u/Charming_Party_2052 20d ago

I expect to get alot of downvotes on this but it is what it is.

3

u/[deleted] 20d ago

[deleted]

11

u/Charming_Party_2052 20d ago

Interesting you mentioned these CEO’s and Executives and they’re all Indian but the candidates we have are mostly Pakistani, if not all, right?

You’re comparing apples and oranges. If Sameera Ali worked for the Pakistani Government say their Education Department and brought significant improvements, I would 100% consider her as a credible candidate. If she was working for a private or a plc back in Pakistan, I would not vote for her simply because she has no experience, nothing to show. Even if she was white, I would not consider her.

and I totally agree alot of CEOs and executives are from India running companies and they’re very talented too! you know why? because they ran companies back in India or US and worked their way up the ladder through proven success in running “Companies” not “Countries”. Still i’ll bite.

Google > Pichai > Stanford / UPenn > worked at Google since 04’.

Micron / Sandisk > Mehrotra > Stanford / Berkeley > living in the US since he was 18

Mamdani is a good mention but he’s technically 2nd gen and been living in the US since he was a kid. Worked his way up in politics. Did not move to NY at 30, contested elections at 32.

There is no prejudice against anyone (except that one candidate Asif Khan who’s making a mockery of this whole thing). Its simple math that doesnt add up. I read about that guy Salman Zafar and he’s a good candidate because he’s worked for different cities so he has some experience which is good and makes him a credible candidate that I can respect, others no.

Unfortunately, immigrants at times struggle to find a decent job here in Canada but they can run for Mayor in a few years? You know why that is? Because it takes time to get accustomed to how things work here.

11

u/Charming_Party_2052 20d ago

its ironic you started your argument with the words “ignorance”, “trailer park” and “boomer slop” instead of having a civil discussion.

-2

u/[deleted] 20d ago

[deleted]

5

u/Charming_Party_2052 20d ago

I did not say that I have a problem with Pakistanis? I did not say I supported George? The victim mindset will not do any good for you or the community. I did not carry on listing down everyone’s history because its an invalid argument. I mentioned mamdani. Sajid Khan was born and raises in London and worked his way up in Politics with tons of experience. You missed the point completely. Even if you apply for a mid level position in a company they ask for experience. I cant just walk into a company, tell them i have two kids and a loving family so hire me. They ask for experience and references. Shouldnt the criteria be the same if not stricter for a councillor or mayor’s position?

I did not doubt any South Asian’s skills as a professional, its about managing a town. I did not throw the entire demographic anywhere, I singled out Salman Zafar for being a good candidate.

2

u/[deleted] 20d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

10

u/SpartanOnGround 20d ago

You're not alone in feeling this. Our choice of candidates is pretty sad

9

u/SignificantVas 20d ago

I am voting for George. The lesser evil.

6

u/PlantainManne 20d ago

I’ll be voting for George. Gord is getting to an age where people fall asleep and don’t wake up. We don’t need a succession issue is that happens.

I also do not understand the obsession with the his experience with the issues the town clearly has. If his tenure has left us with the worst rated public transportation in the GTA, a lack of job diversity, and a lack of purpose built rentals, what is it worth?

3

u/Squire_Squirrely 19d ago

In an ideal world George wouldn't be my guy but I don't see anyone else as a viable option.

Gord is too old and honestly having Costco go to Halton Hills just over the border in what should be Milton is a huge failure from the old man. How can you trust him on more meaningful things that aren't just a loss of tax revenue for the town?

2

u/Thanks-4allthefish 20d ago edited 20d ago

Pay attention to the Q&As the candidates are doing. I like what Salaam Zafar has said and think he would bring a needed perspective to regional council.

Looking forward to the rest of the candidates.

10

u/Charming_Party_2052 20d ago

Yeah he looks okay and handled questions well.

Sameera Ali for Mayor did not impress at all! she needs to have a thick skin. She gets easily offended.

4

u/Thanks-4allthefish 20d ago

I think her official kick at the policy can begins tonight.

3

u/Sad_Times654 18d ago

She's not committed to Milton, she's here to pad up her resume and move on.

1

u/[deleted] 14d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Charming_Party_2052 14d ago

well i got news for you. she doesn’t care about those issues either. maybe she used it to get more votes?

3

u/gingerkitten6 20d ago

Are the Q&As posted online, or did you go in person? I'd like to watch them. Thanks!

3

u/EnglishKen421 20d ago

Honestly, I'm probably gonna vote for Gord.

Is he great? No.

Has been competent for 46 years? Yea.

No one else looks even basically competent.

6

u/Charming_Party_2052 20d ago

Yes I agree he’s maintained this town but he’s the perfect age for US Congress

0

u/EnglishKen421 20d ago

He is old, yes.

Old and competent.

3

u/PlantainManne 19d ago

With Milton’s current issues I fear his level of competence is simply inadequate. It’s been over 40 years of him as mayor and we have issues no municipality our size should have.

1

u/EnglishKen421 19d ago

What issues do you believe those to be?

Which candidate do you believe will be a better fit in finding a solution?

3

u/PlantainManne 19d ago

Poorly planned infrastructure
Low Non residential tax revenue
Lack of affordable housing, rentals specifically
Worst public transit in the GTA according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade
Lack of job diversity and local jobs that pay more that minimum wage
Lack of local retail options
The quarry
The lack of knowledge handling the CN intermodal and other like minded projects.

For a town that plans to nearly double its population in the next 10 years, these issues can’t remain.

Of the current candidates I think George is the best. Is perfect? No. But it’s been 46 years now of Gord and the competence and experience his supporters repeatedly go on about aren’t showing us the results we need. And haven’t for a years.

1

u/EnglishKen421 19d ago

Does George have a platform that addresses these issues that I can read?

1

u/iceynyo 20d ago

I hope competent enough to do something about the fact that the only walkable store in the entire 2km² area between Louis St Laurent, Bronte, Britannia and Tremaine is a single tiny condo convenience store.

Even just zoning more mixed use like they have at Derry and Thompson would be nice.

2

u/Bobcaygeon23 20d ago

You’re going to get more of the same 

1

u/PlantainManne 18d ago

If you vote for Gord and expect anything different than what’s been going on the last 15 years, I have a bridge to sell you in Nunavut.

1

u/devajsan 16d ago

Most of the candidates are entitled boomers.

-6

u/Split_Seconds 20d ago

This town was perfect up until the last 10 years.

Ill let you decide why its changed and if there is any connection to who wants to run it.

12

u/LongMom 20d ago

I have only been here three years so I am clueless. Hasn't the current mayor been in the role for decades?

7

u/Split_Seconds 20d ago

You got it.

Longest running mayor in Canadian history.

60 years of service to milton.

5

u/LongMom 20d ago

So what happened in the last ten years in terms of the municipal government that caused this shift?

-4

u/Split_Seconds 20d ago edited 20d ago

Nothing in that regard has changed or needs to be changed.

But there are groups that feel it needs to be. These groups are creating events only inviting a certain demographic to strategically vote in said demograph.

6

u/iceynyo 20d ago

Yeah I hate church events too

1

u/Split_Seconds 20d ago

me too, all religion is a fallacy. Look at what it does to people. Divides and eliminates logic.

Imagine, thousands of years ago when humans where uneducated and science was not prevalent people prayed for weather, harvest, pregnancy due to lack of understanding.

There is no excuse for that anymore other than a choice to believe in a fairytale that is self defeating.

6

u/Vast-Vanilla4471 20d ago

So how was it perfect until 10 years ago if ppl were doing church events or maybe it was your type of perfect

9

u/Quirky-Cat2860 20d ago

Back in 2008, Milton was considered the fastest growing municipality in Ontario, if not Canada.

You'd think we'd have planned for it over the last ~20 years.

1

u/PlantainManne 19d ago

Vote for the same mayor for 40 years but act like he’s not a big part of the current issues. That seems to be how this town operates.

18

u/Coomking999 20d ago

Why bother with dogwhistles, say it with chest.