<html><head><base href="data:"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><base href="data:"><div>Lynn,<div><br></div><div>Certainly praise for Ken and Carl is deserved. And indeed "competition is good for democracy". But please don't exaggerate the differences between Ken and I by grossly under-representing me! That is simply poor and unfair journalism for which I hold you responsible. </div><div><br></div><div>As for the other-than-Carl candidates for mayor -- while I only superficially know them from recent meetings -- you did a pretty good hatchet job on them too.</div><div><br></div><div>And yes, if you took the time to read my website (<a href="http://www.RobertMilligan.org">www.RobertMilligan.org</a>), I have come up through local (provincial & federal) politics but in the background and not the foreground -- an area of very innovative political involvement which your newspaper mostly ignores. And I have achieved some really great accomplishments in this community which you again choose to ignore in your "hatchet" article -- even subley questioning the accomplishments of Ken & Carl in the latter part of the article.</div><div><br></div><div>If you did your research and read my website, you would have realized that I do not support the Region's LRT system design. I would only support a sufficiently cost-effective design which -- as I have informed you of previously -- I have shown is possible by integrating new proven technology IDEAS. (Opps, now the complexity starts to grow beyond "generalist" journalists!)</div><div><br></div><div>Unfortunately for the public, both you and CTV are guilty of simplistically framing the debate as LRT vs bus only, while irresponsibly ignoring the great need to enhance the current LRT system design, for the sake of our great Region's viable future.</div><div><br></div><div>And, the put-down categories for those new candidates in Kitchener's open field, of either thoughtful or egotistical were just too simplistic for any reasonable person to accept. </div><div><br></div><div>You really should use part-time writers -- I guess the full-time writers find hatchet jobs unethical -- who know how to adequately do research and are able to exercise a little more responsible use of their questionable ability.</div><div><br></div><div>"A shame"? Really! The shame is your (likely initiation and) acceptance of this story! It reminds me of a recent CBC radio interview of a cultural hero of mine, Deepak Chopra, who said the media love a good story -- and they don't let facts get in the way! </div><div><br></div><div>Shame on you Lynn!</div><div><br></div><div>Note: bcc's are being sent to other parties who might be interested.</div><div><br></div><div>Regards,</div><div>Robert</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div><div>On 11-Aug-10, at 6:26 PM, Robert Milligan wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left; ">Lynn,</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left; ">Especially as a former Media Consultant and independent light rail transit (LRT) researcher, I have a concern that some staff writers (perhaps mostly the key writer) appear to be subtly biased against the idea of an LRT backbone for our Regional transit system. I sense/surmise that this is true because of a combination of the harbouring of a dated ideology (I'm a pragmatist myself) and information-lack that impairs understanding and good judgement. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left; ">The following web-article about Charlotte NC's very enlightened <b>Republican</b> Mayor brings out situational nuances -- political, operational, ... -- that could help your staff raise their level of LRT-consciousness. And this example of the seeking out of higher community thinking & action from around the World could catalyze further similar steps towards helping distinguish your newspaper from its profit-draining competition -- be it other newspapers, traditional electronic media or the internet. <b>"How Charlotte’s mayor championed light rail"</b></div><a href="http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-25-planning-politics-how-charlottes-mayor-championed-light-rail/P2">http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-25-planning-politics-how-charlottes-mayor-championed-light-rail/P2 </a>(If any staff or free-lance writers decide to use some of the information in this web-article for future stories, perhaps it could be done with adequate context.)<div><br></div><div>Please note that I strongly support an LRT only if the current system design is enhanced so as to optimally intensify road corridors <b>and</b> optimally attract middle-class ridership from their cars. My analysis suggests that neither interrelated LRT goal would be sufficiently realized. </div><div><br></div><div>Our Region's cherished leading-edge innovative image would be thereby tarnished. And this great lack of success would be rubbed in our face every time we hear of a story written/broadcast somewhere in the World about our LRT's unexpected failure to adequately innovate in our LRT system design.</div><div><br></div><div>Being a constructive critic, I have found and developed many new IDEAS that could "tweak" the current LRT system design -- it does have great potential for leading-edge enhancement -- towards a very high degree of goal realization within a reasonable budget. <b>That the Record shows absolutely no interest in what I have written -- except for an incompetently edited 200 word letter-to-the-editor -- does show gross negligence in serving the best interests of our Region!!</b></div><div><br></div><div>Increasingly the general public are being recognized as a source of good critiques and IDEAS that could help advance our community. While you are to be commended for your <b>Community Editorial Board</b> (which I lobbied for over many years beginning with former publisher KA Sandy Baird) -- <b>whose membership would be better if voted on by the readers </b>-- there are many people in our community, beyond professors & other prominent people, who can critique and suggest IDEAS towards community advancement. Greater involvement of these people in writing op-ed articles would also help make the WR Record more relevant to more people, especially if web linkages are integral. </div><div><br></div><div>The potential for greater citizen involvement -- especially involving new technologies -- is suggested is this report from the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; ">Reinventing Technology Assessment: A 21st Century Model". <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-weight: normal; ">The subtitle says it all, "Using citizen participation, collaboration and expert analysis to inform and improve decision-making on issues involving science and technology". </span></span></div><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><a href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1414&fuseaction=topics.documents&group_id=271875">http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1414&fuseaction=topics.documents&group_id=271875</a></div></div><div>"</div><div><br></div><div>(I would hope that <b>Chair Honderich</b> would have a special interest in the continuing innovative success of Waterloo Region where his father <b>Beland </b>-- a great social innovator -- grew up on a farm near Baden. <b>John</b>, your help in making the WR Record a better community-advancing medium would be most appreciated -- more future-considering progressivism please as in the above Charlotte piece).</div><div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/10/business/media/10honderich.html?_r=1">http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/10/business/media/10honderich.html?_r=1</a></div><div><br></div><div>Note: bcc's to other parties who may be interested are also being sent.</div><div><br></div><div>Best wishes,</div><div>Robert Milligan (New Dundee in Wilmot Township)</div><div><br></div><div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'"><b>Robert Milligan</b> is a member of Transport Action Ontario (formerly Transport 2000). He has a BSc in math-physics. a Graduate Diploma in Education and has completed many other courses including ones in industrial engineering, operations research, journalism and environmental health. He was a high school teacher, business systems analyst, media consultant, and environmental health analyst. Much of his time in retirement is now given freely to action-research for public projects, especially those with significant environmental and health features.</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'"><br></font></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>