Raise the Hammer

I wish I could help but I'm woefully technologically illiterate.

Aside from the platform, which is a wonderful idea, people really need to organize into an effective civic advocacy group (easier said than done, I know).

It has to be realized that there are two basic factions tat matter in this town.

Firstly, there is the status quo faction, which is largely based around property developers and the remnants of the business establishment. These people (including most if not all of the council members, and all of staff members who matter) are content to watch Hamilton die as a city (but not as a tax base). The city as an entity is useful to them because it provides a source of free capital to fund their projects (in whole or in part). The Connaught deal is a case in point on how this faction operates.

Secondly, there are the people who want to see the city realize its obvious potential as a great place to live. They want to rectify the planning and policy mistakes of the past fifty years and return Hamilton to its rightful status as, to quote Trevor Cole, a "contender". There is enormous potential for lobbying pressure and political action here but it hasn't yet been realized.

The bulk of Hamilton's citizenry doesn't give a sh-t (which is true of just about every city, but I think in Hamilton's case citizen apathy is particularly deep and widespread).

It will always be a small group of people battling another small group, trying to take control of the agenda. This isn't about the people battling the elite (although I think a strong argument can be made that the people's best interests are more legitimately represented by the second group I describe above). It's about one agenda trying to trump the other. That other agenda is starting to get a voice, but it needs legs too.