Mahesh P. Butani for Mayor (2010)

Welcome!

Congratulations to Bob Bratina on decisively winning the mayoral elections, on Oct 25, 2010!

While it is too early to project the impact that the new council will have on the outcomes we all desire for our city - it is never too late to look back and see how we got here.

Redirecting our city towards true progress, prosperity and sustainability will require more collective energy than it took to elect our new council.

My best wishes to all the mayoral and councillor candidates who have held the course in spite of many obstacles, and sincerely hope that they continue to remain engaged in the civic affairs of our community. – Mahesh P. Butani, October 26, 2010

Note: I will endeavor to keep this web site live through the 2010-2014 council term, in order to continue exploring many ideas, initiatives and directions which I believe would help redirect our city towards true progress, prosperity and sustainability.

A message to all Hamiltonians

I seek to be the mayor of Hamilton because we need a leader who makes — creation of new high quality jobs; reduction of taxes; and the restoration of our urban environment the topmost priority.

I seek to lead you at a time in our city's history when countless individuals, families, seniors and businesses have simply given up hope of a better future.

The policies and directions guiding our city over the past decade have virtually ensured that no new meaningful jobs or business opportunities materialize outside of the medical/educational complex; and the handful that are created infrequently from our tax dollars, are mainly in closely guarded sectors which are accessible only to a select few.

It is imperative that while redirecting our city towards economic and ecological sustainability — we not only reduce our property taxes, but also cut all wasteful public expenditure.

If we fail to bring significant changes to our civic affairs in the coming election — we will be ensuring that economic stagnation and environmental degradation are the only legacies we leave for our children.

This requires a new kind of leadership that is in tune with our times, which possesses professional knowledge of contemporary urban and regional development — and which has deep business and financial relationships in the international & regional markets to rapidly attract investments into relevant industrial, trade and service sectors in our city.

Building capacity for sustainability

Some in our community equate their long careers in public life and their resulting local name recognition — to strong leadership. They make use of terms like 'strong leaders' and 'experience' to position themselves as your leaders yet again in this election.

What they fail to tell you honestly is that the unacceptable living and working conditions experienced for decades in our lower city including some of our communities, have occurred directly on their watch.

Leadership in our times requires having the strength of character to publicly talk about our many serious problems, both local and regional. Real innovative approaches to solving our problems which benefit all in our community — can only come from such honest acknowledgment of our conditions.

Leapfrogging smart growth to organic growth

The complex economic and environmental conditions we face, coupled with our growing infrastructure deficit, leads many among us to push for growth by any means. It is critical that we develop civic capacity to discern between what gives us the illusion of progress — and that, which leads to real progress, by embracing sustainable economic and environmental rejuvenation principles; and innovative approaches to bridge our infrastructure gap.

I am deeply committed to taking decisive steps based on a collaborative approach to get our city moving in the direction of a sustainable, grassroots knowledge driven economy — which spreads prosperity equitably across all communities.

On this new path, the old notion of growth is no longer relevant to our success. We have to leapfrog the notion of 'smart growth' to 'organic growth' — a strategic departure from our present, which no longer pits the residents against city & regional systems in a continuing battle for dominance or subjugation, but instead develops a framework for creating open platforms upon which our diverse residents, organizations and businesses are able to reinvent patterns and forms which address contemporary needs and creates conditions for co-existence with our environment — resulting in new forms of living & working.

This markedly new direction that points to true sustainability, will ensure that we are being genuinely respectful of our environment; and the hopes and expectations of all our people — including our children, youth, adults, seniors, temporary workers, the unemployed, emerging entrepreneurs and businesses.

And more importantly, this new direction will ensure active participation of all residents in our regrowth process, irrespective of class, age, race or orientation — be they indigenous, locals or immigrants from diverse cultures.

Solutions

I have developed wide ranging integrated solutions for a short term jobs recovery and near term economic and environmental revitalization which will get Hamiltonians back to work, and create the framework for sustainable local living which is connected to the global network of economies.

A cosmopolitan knowledge driven economy unlike a creative city, will not strip-mine existing culture and dislocate those who do not fit in, but will instead open up avenues for all to participate in the regrowth of Hamilton.

Our renewed confidence and drive for innovation at every level in our community will shape our new common identity that is no longer based on simplistic slogans.

A reinvigorated council with an overarching common aim to benefit all — will only but speak with one voice.

Hamilton is my home, and I am deeply committed to making it a more productive and safer place to live and work for all in our diverse communities.

I look forward to your support on October 25th, 2010.

Thank You!

Mahesh P. Butani
Hamilton, Ontario

PS: Please visit www.ButaniForMayor.com for frequent updates; and also visit my Blog above, to share your valued views and ideas.

Welcome!

A message to all Hamiltonians

Rebuilding bRaND Hamilton