Keith Gerein: On Edmonton’s density or an MP’s defection, there is an art to breaking political promises There is a frequent tension in politics between the need to make good on campaign promises and the pressure to pivot when confronted with relevant evidence or changing circumstances. Both are important, but the best ideas should ideally win out. |
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Keith Gerein: On Edmonton’s density or an MP’s defection, there is an art to breaking political promises
There is a frequent tension in politics between the need to make good on campaign promises and the pressure to pivot when confronted with relevant evidence or changing circumstances. Both are important, but the best ideas should ideally win out.
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On the surface, Edmonton city council’s decision last week to stay the course on infill density limits could be seen as a broken promise from Mayor Andrew Knack and a couple of other council members.
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After all, Knack, Michael Janz and Ashley Salvador last year all supported six-plexes over eight-plexes as the maximum for interior lots in mature communities, and Knack even made that vow one of his campaign planks.
So when Coun. Karen Principe made a motion last week to do just that — following the recommendations of city administration and even lukewarm support from some developers — it wasn’t the best look for Knack, Janz and Salvador to vote against it. You can probably understand if some homeowners and communities felt a bit........