Archive for January, 2010
Adam Giambrone Launch Video Demonstrates Power of Social Media
I’m not supporting any candidate for Mayor, but am watching the race with great interest as I am sure many others are as well.
Love him or hate him, or even his video for that matter, Giambrone’s campaign in my opinion has demonstrated the best understanding of social media of all major campaigns in the race so far. Sure the video content is doesn’t necessarily paint Giambrone looking mayoral but it has been seen by over 30,000 people in just over a day. Compare with George Smitherman’s official launch video on his youtube page with closer to 500 people, or Rocco Rossi’s Empire Club speech with around 400 viewers over a considerably longer period of time.
A lot of folks are debating the content, whether Giambrone struck the right cord or not, but this early in the game the ’say anything you want about me, but spell my name right’ approach to public relations applies. For a Mayor’s race getting out there and getting noticed is a good first start.
Even if you’re Rocco Rossi and you’re suggesting it is a stunt unworthy of a campaign that should be about policy, the cold hard reality that Giambrone’s team was able to make a video go viral and get their unedited message (regardless of content or quality) to a group that big that quickly AND get traditional media coverage of the whole thing should have you taking him more seriously than you did before.
If you’re George Smitherman – you need to be worried Giambrone will be able to excite the 30,000 or so folks who tuned in in the first 24 hours, because they are an audience you surely need to be able to reach out and win over as well if you’re to maintain a commanding lead.
Finally if you’re Joe Pantalone, your ability to be the main candidate for progressives and those on the left of the spectrum could prove to be a lot more difficult as the new media types that have tuned into watch are a constituency you need to reach if you’re to compete.
Giambrone’s video is certainly not a game changer and likely doesn’t put him any closer to sealing the deal, but it surely will create a good turn out for his launch, and allow him to connect better with individuals early, making it easier to get his message out, unfiltered to a larger audience than the other big name candidates in the race.
At the very least it makes the case for an exciting race to come.
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1 Comment »What It’s About – Why I’m Running For City Council
My campaign for Toronto City Council in Ward 43 began last week and has been building since. We’ve begun to share our message with voters, started fundraising and getting the mechanisms in place to ensure Ward 43 voters have the choice they deserve. We’re running strong, and as a team effort, because any campaign, at least any campaign worth winning is always bigger than the candidate. The video below outlines just what it’s about.
For this to be a winning effort it will take people from all over to donate their time or their money. If you would like to see this be a winning effort, consider making a donation to my campaign using the paypal button on the right. Donors receive a generous rebate cheque of 75% of the first $300 they donate back from the City of Toronto, meaning a donation of $100 actually only costs you $25, but does so much more to make this a winnable fight.
Our campaign can only be successful with the financial support of those who believe in what we’re trying to achieve.
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Comments OffCouncillors Pay Freeze An Opportunity To Show Leadership
Monday will present an opportunity to watch the degree of self interest on Council up close and personal. Councillor Walker has moved a motion to freeze the salaries of his colleagues at the 2009 rate of $99,153 (up from $2,348 from 2008, as members of Council failed to vote to freeze their salaries as a whole last year). Walker’s motion is the right thing to do at a time like this, and probably doesn’t go far enough considering the City is calling for 5% cuts to all budgets across the board. I think it would be reasonable for Councillors to shave 5% off their salaries as a demonstration of goodwill and commitment to do their part to help the City solve the financial crunch that is the result of their spending habits in the first place.
In 2008 when Councillor Walker tried to freeze salaries for 2008, the following members of Council voted to prevent his motion from being debated by Council, protecting their raises.
They were: Paul Ainslie (Ward 43); Brian Ashton (Ward 36); Sandra Bussin (Ward 32); Shelley Carroll (Ward 33); Raymond Cho (Ward 42); Janet Davis (Ward 31); Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38); Michael Del Grande (Ward 39); Frank Di Giorgio (Ward 12); John Filion (Ward 23); Paula Fletcher (Ward 30); Adam Giambrone (Ward 18); Suzan Hall (Ward 1); Adrian Heaps (Ward 35); Norm Kelly (Ward 40); Gloria Lindsay Luby (Ward 4); Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7); Pam McConnell (Ward 28); Joe Mihevc (Ward 21); Mayor David Miller; Howard Moscoe (Ward 15); Joe Pantalone (Ward 19); John Parker (Ward 26); Gord Perks (Ward 14); Anthony Perruzza (Ward 8); Kyle Rae (Ward 27); Bill Saundercook (Ward 13); David Shiner (Ward 24); Karen Stintz (Ward 16); Adam Vaughan (Ward 20).
Being an election year, it will be interesting to watch the footwork undertaken this time around. With a $500 million dollar deficit asking Councillors to freeze their salaries in my opinion doesn’t go far enough and is beyond reasonable. I personally would be more inclined, as I suggested earlier, to see Councillors shave 5% off of their salaries, their staff and office budgets for a total savings of nearly $900,000 ($895,619.56). It would be a painless start to filling the giant hole our Council has created and will no doubt expect us to fill with tax increases, user fee hikes and service cuts. While they are at it, they could also cut out the catering of their meetings, for a savings in the $150,000 range. People making far less either brown bag it or buy their lunch at work and it is reasonable to expect in the 90 minutes they have mid day on days Council is in session that they too could source their own lunch.
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