By Pepper Parr
August 13, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
If boots on the ground are what win elections – then Jim Curran is in the race for the ward 6 seat.
Curran is a real estate appraiser as well as a political operative of long standing. He has been at the political game for a long time, usually in the background as an adviser. This will be his first attempt at gaining public office for himself and he brings the discipline and tested approaches to winning.
The bylaw enforcement officer told Curran to take down signs he had put up late in July.. He was ready to plant 300 of the things in ward 6 lawns.
Curran thought the city was offside with that rule and wrote the city manager – he apparently didn’t get as much as a reply or an acknowledgement to his letter. Curran argued that there is case law that says signs can go up any time but decided this wasn’t a battle he wanted to take on. He said he had 300 sign locations and wanted t get them all up in a single day.
He does however have a number of battles that need, from his point of view, a serious taking on. The damage done to the Sheldon property on Appleby Line where the owners of the air park have built 30 foot hills on either side of a small property.
Poverty – yes we have poor people in Burlington says Curran needs attention. “The Comfort Inn is packed with welfare cases” he said. While social welfare is a regional issue Curran appreciates that he is both a city Councillor and a Regional Councillor and expects to improve Burlington’s performance at the Region.
Curran is not at a loss for issues: Parking, close to a disaster in the ward and nothing is being done. The current council member held a town hall – 16 people showed up – most people in the community didn’t know about the event.
QEW traffic congestion is another issue that Curran wants more discussion about: “We know that even more grid lock is coming – it’s time to look at the options to make getting to places on the QEW easier and faster”, said Curran.
Don’t expect Curran to be a wall flower at council meetings. This man looks at the issues, develops an opinion based on the facts he can gather and speaks his mind.
He thinks the Region is making a massive – and very expensive mistake with the way the Randall Reef problem is being handled. The Randall Reef is a spot in Burlington Bay where toxic waste has collected over the years and got to the point where it is now the second most toxic site in the country. The Region decided to put a concrete cap on the site. Curran says a better, far less expensive way has been worked out but, according to Curran, no one is listening to the people with the information.
Curran looks for situations where a project is designed to become self-sustainable as quickly as possible – and he has his eye on what the Economic Development Corporation is doing. He didn’t appear impressed but the new board has only been at it for a couple of months.
Curran thinks the Candidate Manual produced by the city clerk was far from clear on the rules on when signs can be out up.
Curran gets animated when he reviews where the other seven candidates in the ward are in terms of support and where they are likely to be when all the ballots are counted – and declares that he is going to win the election in ward 6.
Wonder what incumbent Blair Lancaster thinks of that statement?
Sorry Mr. Curran but I am not buying into your fights. Lets start with the sign issue – really, could you imagine the confusion of municipal election signs up at the same time as the latest provincial election signs. Imagine how staff would have to handle the hundreds of complaints about signs littering the city. Thats a start…. you state that the incumbents are given better opportunity to promote their cause. Come on, you could have delegated at Council on any number of issues that came to Council via staff reports. You can be out knocking on doors, meeting people introducing yourself….. and telling them what you hope to get accomplished instead of the egotistical self-promotion that I am reading through this blog and through other outlets.
The voters need good representation, not those who think everything is a fight and think that once they are elected have “won the war”. What do you intend to do on day two?????
I personally had a candidate who is running in my neck of the woods knock on my door and introduce himself. Unfortunately, instead of letting me know about his platform, he said he was running so he can “oust the current member of council”. Truth is, I would like nothing better than to see my current councillor ousted. But is that the only reason I should vote for him. Or, should I make every effort to understand the platforms of all candidates?
Do your community a favour and start speaking about what you can do for the community. Burlington as well as at the regional table.
Folks, we won’t see change unless we get out and vote. Just because there’s not a Mayor’s race doesn’t mean we shouldn’t vote!!
Frankly Mr. Parr, I think your ‘enough’ should be directed at Candidate Curran.
As Pat indicated in his last statement, there hasn’t been a single statement from him regarding his position on the Ward 6 and City issues that he pointed out during his interview with you.
I have had enough of Mr. Curran.
James, you really know how to cherry pick the items you want to address.
You say you want to go back to the beginning? Well then, mercy man, do that.
This whole matter started because in your published interview with the Burlington Gazette, all you did is point out issues and at no time did you offer solutions. The issue at hand was/is this: give us your solutions, or as Mr. Pullin requested: tell us your plans should you be elected Councillor.
Rather than address the issue, you attempted to divert our attention and insult our intelligence by offering to us that you are indeed a licensed appraiser – a foolish endeavor, for as Raj coined it, you were flat out busted when it was confirmed you are not accredited by the Appraisal Institute of Canada.
Sir, you intentionally attempted to deceive the readers.
And after suffering through all your diversions, even your playing the ‘my kids are reading this’ card, here we are today – no further ahead at acquiring the information asked of you, despite repeated attempts by other participants in this dialogue, to achieve these from you.
As Mr. Pullin wisely suggested to you, you have been handed a great opportunity to showcase your plans – you’ve not only ignored this opportunity, you’ve blown your chance entirely.
James, a full eight days after my original question, Raj came back to you with my original query, albeit with different words: He asked for reasons why voters in your Ward should vote for you.
Eight days of your nonsense and we are no further ahead at getting an answer to the original question. This speaks clearly of the caliber of candidate you are.
Editor’s note: Enough. This hammering away at Curran needs to come to an end. He has explained where he is with his appraiser credentials; some may not like the answer but it is what he has said. Those who are not happy with his explanations have their opportunity on October 27th to put a mark beside a name other than Curran. We will monitor the comments – but we want to bring this to an end. No useful purpose is being served.
Let’s go back to the beginning.
Here’s where it started. Pat stated:
” that he is NOT licensed as an appraiser with the Appraisal Institute of Canada”. NOT me. Pat stated this. Nowhere in the article did I, or Pepper Parr, state I was a licensed appraiser. I stated that I was an appraiser.
From there it turned into a personal lynching. To wit personal private membership information was given out by the institute to a “lady that called”. Probably a breach of privacy, but that’s an issue for another day.
In summary. I did NOT say I was a licensed appraiser in the article. NO member of the Appraisal Institute of Canada is licensed in Ontario. Not CRAs, not AAICs, not P.Apps and not candidate members. It is up to the various Provincial governments if they choose to license appraisers in their province (i.e tax them to work). Alberta, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick currently issue licenses separate and apart from the Institute’s requirements for membership.
I apologize to my fellow Appraiser on this stream that took exception to any mention of a license and to the institute for the jeopardy that I and others have caused to come to fruition for at least one employee at the institute. In Ontario all of us are “Members” of the Appraisal Institute of Canada regardless of the level to which we are certified or if we are candidates. Ontario does not ask for us to be licensed.
Once again, in the article above, I did not say I was a licensed Appraiser. Commentor Pat issued the statement. Pat’s intention, in my opinion however, was to imply I was NOT a member of the Institute at all. And for that, I took offense.
I don’t know WHAT to say to you Raj. Taxpayers are “required” to pay taxes. If they don’t they could lose their home. Taxpayers are NOT required to donate to political campaigns. Heck! They aren’t even required to vote!
I’m pretty certain that our brave men and women in our military have fought on foreign soil for well over a century now so that we, and others around the world, have a democratic right to vote and to express ourselves by way of freedom of speech politically or even by way of blog here today. My right to that freedom has been denied by a flawed by-law.
Your stating License #702609 is what started this and you got busted.
The sign by-law is in place to protect normal people and their rights to not having to endure the visual pollution that comes with unsightly signs; your selfish rights to pollute the neighbourhood with signs do not trump the rights of other people who want their space to be more aesthetically appealing. Nobody fought wars to give you the right to put up ugly election signs; that is a funny analogy, you must be a comedian also – licensed or unlicensed.
To be an effective politician, you have to be careful with details and also how you treat others and their criticisms. For example, you tend to use the words hell and heck, perhaps out of frustration to what has been a opportunity for you to demonstrate political communication skills. I dont recall any other councilor using such language in response to citizen input.
You are under scrutiny, and you have yet to take the opportunity to demonstrate your worth to warm a council seat, other than complaining about an election sign by-law.
What else do you have? There has to be a reason why I would want to vote for you.
Cliff, I’m not sure what’s so funny about the taxpayers of Burlington paying as much as $300,000 a year in one local print paper for advertising things other than public meetings, zoning amendment applications, expropriation notices, road closures and invites to tender. Certainly no laughing matter to me.
As for your question Raj? There are some Councillors that seem fit to be paid handsomely still at other positions they currently hold outside of city hall.
I remember a guy running for Mayor not too long ago that was a financial advisor. I hope to hell he wasn’t just running to increase his portfolio.
And, the taxpayers sure as heck are NOT paying for my campaign.
At least the mayor was fully open and honest about everything. I also like open honest political representation. The mayor still seems to be a very nice and honest fellow who is trying his best to serve the people of this city – he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but, the guy means well and you can at least trust the guy for not telling fibs or less than the truth.
The taxpayers are indirectly funding your efforts to go door to door in your ward to gain yourself profile both for your attempt to get a seat at council and also as a default to secure real estate business for yourself; there is nothing wrong with making a living; its all good, just be open about it.
I hope you make lots of money as a real estate agent and an unlicensed appraiser, after the election is over. You can even come and drive by my house to see if your sign is on the front lawn.
$300,000 a year is money well spent for advertising communications; the money is also good for the local press business. We are all in this together so dont be so stingy. $300K is nothing compared to the financial waste of incompetent members of council.
I also support your idea that there should be no limits on signage for promoting one self for public office. I think your signs would enhance the visual aesthetics of your Alton community neighbourhoods if they were up all year long – I think that makes a lot of sense, and it would give you a more level playing field to get elected.
I just dont think that any taxpayer should be paying for anybody’s campaign; that effort should be on your own dime; aren’t you asking for donations from taxypayers other than yourself? Or, are you paying for the full shot and not seeking donations? If you are seeking donations, then taxpayers are paying for your campaign.
OK boys and girls, this is getting too intense…let’s lighten things up a bit. Time for our Wednesday giggle!
Here’s a quote from Candidate Curran on his view of City Councillors, found within in an August 13 article from the Bay Observer:
“They get four year’s worth of puff pieces in the City Wide magazine, and then again bi-weekly in the Burlington Post. We don’t know what this is costing us, but these self-serving articles are beyond ridiculous.”
After which the reporter added, “He vows to try to end the taxpayer-funded free publicity if elected.”
That, my friends, is how Candidate Curran categorizes the communications about our City and Ward issues and events, from those who successfully earned their spots on Council. He sums it up in a word: ridiculous!
I’m laughing so hard, I can’t see through my tears to even comment on this – perhaps one of you will!
Here’s the link to the entire article:
https://bayobserver.ca/burlington-candidate-challenging-election-sign-bylaw/
Taxpayer-funded free publicity?
How about Jim Curran’s capitalization of the election efforts of knocking on doors to also promote his own self serving interests as a local real estate agent? This is not illegal, or unethical, just a bit of an exploitation of an opportunity, also funded by the taxpaying public, under the guise of running for public office.
Somebody please tell me that Jim is not using the taxpaying public to his personal advantage.
It would appear that one of the commentors here may be an appraiser as well. As a member of Council Mr. Pullin, I would see the benefit to someone sharp in the math field. Pat is not one of those people. But haters are going to hate.
Not that it’s any of your business Pat as to why I took 4 years off of appraising but I was running a mid sized real estate brokerage of my own, my own appraisal firm and raising 2 beautiful children as a single parent with sole custody. One of those things had to be sacrificed. Appraisals lost.
Thousands of candidate members make really good money appraising properties. I, for one, do. Many have chosen not to be designated in the past as insurance and liability rates are quite onerous. The institute has now ended that practice. I require two more courses at UBC for my designation. 443 and the actual case study. Again, I run a household by myself so getting your courses is not exactly the easiest of tasks.
I feel that if one of you are an actual appraiser on this comment stream, you may want to step up and tell the rest of us what your beef is exactly. Is it the volume of appraisals I perform? What exactly is it? Is it because I call my membership card a license? Because without it you can’t appraise. So tell us. Are one of you an appraiser? Let’s see who’s being honest.
Now I’m off to do three appraisal inspections. Tomorrow, I only have four. It’s a slow week.
Mr. Curran, it is obvious that you have been given a rough ride here and the notes are a little sour all ’round. Keep in mind that you have a chance to showcase yourself here in this forum, as hundreds or thousands of people are reading. You may be missing a great opportunity.
On the flip-side, if Pat wishes to have his/her “error” corrected, he/she should be prepared to retract the last few sentences as there is no context.
I’d love to get beyond the “appraisal” thing and find out more about Jim Curran. What are your future plans for Council? What are your affiliations, interests, pet projects or issues? Maybe provide a link to your blog. Now’s a great chance to get people to better understand you.
Mr. Curran – I am genuinely sorry that this has turned into a very STRONG questioning of your credibility, but you have brought this upon yourself. And since you have been involved in politics before, you know that you will have to face this kind of scrutiny.
I admire that you are willing to continue this dialogue – I think it’s critical for the voters in your Ward to be fully informed with the insights you are deliberately (and perhaps unintentionally) providing.
So in that vein:
You said: “Unless you are a member of the institute yourself you would not be privy to a list of candidate members.”
That is not completely the truth, Sir.
A simple reference check was conducted (on my behalf by another citizen concerned with your ‘story’) with the national head office of the AIC garnered this information
Here is the information released:
You have been a ‘Candidate’ member since 1994.
What this means is…in TWENTY years, either you haven’t completed the courses, or you hasn’t done the oral examination, or you haven’t had enough applicable experience. Twenty years, Mr. Curran! For those who are unaware, all three combined are mandatory requirements in order to become a designated appraiser.
You also let your candidacy lapse for a period of 4 years, and renewed it again in 2009.
In order to perform an appraisal, as a ‘candidate’ member of the AIC, you, Mr. Curran, MUST have a designated appraiser (an individual with all three of the above requirements) sign off on the appraisal.
To that point, and with all due respect Sir: if you were performing 350 plus appraisals a year, say at a rather reduced fee of $100.00 each due to your lack of credentials from the AIC, you’d be earning more than $350k per annum.
With that kind of income, combined with your “rewarding” real estate sales commissions and income as a broker, why would anyone have had to sue you as a debtor?
I am afraid that something is not kosher about you, Sir.
Editor’s note:
Pat has asked us to revise her error – advises us that her pencil wasn’t as sharp as she thought and that 350 x 100 is $35,000 – not $350,000. Hopefully Pat is not an appraiser.
Pat, I dare say you are about to be informed of a math error in your comment. When Mr. Curran undoubtedly corrects you, maybe he could give the readers an example of how Ward 6 would benefit from having him on Council.
Oops.
Thanks Tony – not sure why I added that extra zero…Mr. Curran’s embellishments must be contagious!
Mr. Parr, would you have your proof reader amend my post accordingly please?
As for Mr. Curran providing a shining example of how he would represent his Ward (6) on Council: I believe he already has.
Pat, if your going to be lynching someone you better get your math and facts absolutely water tight.
An appology is due to Mr. Curran as well as your kudos to Tony Pullin.
Pat, 350 appraisals per year at $100 is only $35,000 not $350,000.
What I am not sure about is if 350 appraisals per year is feasable and if $100 per appraisal is a reasonable rate.
Dear Editor Parr,
Much as I love women, I am not one. (Tis a perpetual misconception with the androgynous abbreviation of my name).
And yes, my staff is always relieved when I don’t attempt to do the math.
Your website is undoubtedly providing as big a relief to the City’s voters as it would seem that yours is the only media in Burlington by which they can learn through open dialogues, triggered by your insightful interviews, the truth about the various municipal candidates.
Thanks for your excellent work.
Jane, Jane, Jane. Try in vain.
If you read the article again, I am also a “licensed” Real Estate Broker. And, as I mentioned above, my office is located on Walkers Line a mere block from my home. But, you choose to be selective in your reading abilities.
Also, the appraisal institute is located in Ottawa. People from Ottawa don’t vote here either, nonetheless I am “Fee Appraiser” candidate member of that institute and appraise for pretty much every bank and lender in this country.
Similarly, the Real Estate Council of Ontario is located in Toronto. Torontonians don’t vote here either. But I’ve been a licensed Realtor since 1982 and a Broker since 1991, and that’s a fact Jack. Or, in your case, Jane. That’s right, I work at two different, rewarding careers to feed my 3 children – two of whom get to read this section and shake their heads.
And, what exactly would be my motivation to “deceive” people about where I work? Call the office and order an appraisal. Or, call the other office and I’ll come list your house.
Tony, Blue signs in a summer/fall campaign are much more visible than red, orange and yellow. It’s been proven. Therefore, we used Blue. Party affiliations are, for the most part, useless in a municipal campaign as the “machine” of the party is not with you. We’re on our own. Hence the need for signs on the streets to create name awareness and recognition.
You stated you were a licensed appraiser. You are not a licensed appraiser, only a candidate member. The deception issue is strictly attached to your claim of being a licensed appraiser, not where you work or if you are a real estate agent; who cares.
For clarity and simplicity, don’t try and state you are something which you are not. There are designated AIC members out there that would not appreciate your embellishment on appraiser status. That is against the institutes rules of conduct and ethics and is reportable from what I understand.
And as a voter, I do not appreciate embellishment of any sort.
As a wannabe politician, you need to hone your communication skills and pay attention to details, or, you will be shredded to bits in the public forum.
Bit of advice; there’s going to be a lot of careful attention paid to the credibility of all candidates in this election, and you are now on the candidate parade. Good luck.
Thanks Jim, that is interesting information on the sign colours that I did not know. I see that you have a long running blog, so I was able to get some insight and background from it.
The Gazette has done a great job in providing background of other candidates of all levels of government. Here, Mr. Curran is only described as a “political operative of long standing”, and an “adviser”. The “who/what/when” would be useful. Is the blue sign Mr. Curran holding meant to suggest a Conservative affiliation?
Jane, you should really get your facts and information straight before you accuse people of being a bit misleading and deceptive.
I’m a mortgage agent in the Niagara Region and process deals from Niagara to Toronto. James is a Candidate member ( working towards his CRA ) with Berk Appraisals. Jim has done all my work for the last 8 years, over 30-40 deals a year from our office alone. He is the most hard working and ethical appraiser I have ever worked with. He is certainly registered with the Appraisal Institute of Canada and is able to appraise for all our lenders.
Bill Anderson
Mortgage Shopper
Jim Curran is not licensed. There is a big difference between being a member and actually being a designated appraiser. Since when do Niagarans vote in this city? Maybe there are different ethics rules in Niagara. In this city we like honest and full transparency.
Berk Appraisals is in Dundas, a part of Hamilton. Curran states he works in Burlington; another deception.
Accusation affirmed. thank you very much.
Editor’s note:
There is some character assassination taking place here. There is a comment from a broker who has used Curran for a number of years. We have spoken to that realtor and are satisfied that Curran is what he says he is. We will not publish future scurrilous comments.
“The appraisal institute does not give out licenses; it grants designations; either a CRA or an AACI, P.App. Mr. Curran neither has a license, nor, a designation from the institute.”
Again, misinformed. The institute has thousands of candidate members that are fee appraisers. Of which, I am one. Unless you are a member of the institute yourself you would not be privy to a list of candidate members.
And, with all due respect, I’m not about to give you my member login.
We need people who are honest and capable of handling public pressure. To come out with a fight against the timing of sign postings is an embarrassing act; Charter of Rights? Who is this guy? Could you imagine him dealing with real issues.
Gee, maybe it’s me…can someone help me please? I keep re-reading Mr. Parr’s article, but I also can’t find the part in which this candidate went beyond pointing out problems to outlining his solutions.
Candidate Curran, I think it’s terrific that you live and work in the Ward in which you’re running, however I’m not convinced that this gives you a leg up over the other candidates – nor does it prove your stability, intelligence or integrity.
I concur with the very perceptive Ms. Appleton: self-declarations don’t count. (350++ appraisals per year??)
The thousands of folks who flock to this website daily have read your statement. As someone with no dog in this race, I am compelled to inform you, objectively and with respect, that your response to reader Pat’s reasonable and viable concerns, has given your own credibility a severe, possibly fatal, beating.
What bothers me is Mr. Curran seems a bit misleading, some would say deceptive. The appraisal institute does not give out licenses; it grants designations; either a CRA or an AACI, P.App. Mr. Curran neither has a license, nor, a designation from the institute. He may be a member #702609 but that’s about the extent of his professional appraisal expertise; he should show his card from the AIC.
We need fully honest and open and transparent representation; not this type of defensive reactive promotion of greatness ( his response to Pat’s comments are a bit amateur for a wannabe politician).
Dear Anonymous Pat,
“The ward needs a person who can identify…..” I’m certain that is what I was doing. No?
Let’s have a look at all of the candidates for Ward 6 and their business successes shall we. Not to mention, my office is right here in Ward 6. Feel free to pass by at 3145 Walkers Line. That’s right… I live AND work in Ward 6.
License #702609. AIC member since 1995. Fee appraiser with over 350 appraisals per year on average.
You know not about what you speak. But hey, you know me better than I know me so…have at it.
What I read about here is a person who points out problems. Geez, who can’t do that? The Ward needs a person who can identify, if not create, intelligent, workable solutions.
Just what are his solutions on any of the issues he raised?
Would be highly useful and insightful to know his track record of success in business. Has he got one? Couldn’t find anything on him through the internet except that he’s a real estate broker, that he is NOT licensed as an appraiser with the Appraisal Institute of Canada, that he’s moved several times in the last several years, and that he’s been sued as a debtor.