Joe Magliocca said the truth will come out regarding his past expense snafu, and he’s ready to represent the residents of Ward 2.
Magliocca confirmed his candidacy to LiveWire Calgary in an interview Friday evening. He filed his official nomination papers earlier this week.
The two-term Ward 2 councillor said that a lot of people have asked him to run again.
“We’re not finished our job yet,” Magliocca said.
We asked him: What do you tell people at the doors and at events when they bring up the expense situation?
The Calgary Herald was first to reveal expenses racked up by Magliocca at Federation of Canadian Municipalities meetings in past years. It’s been an ongoing conversation at Calgary city hall, and included the revamping of the Coordinating Committee of the Councillors’ Office (CCCO).
Magliocca has repaid all outstanding expenses – and then some. But he was stripped of deputy mayoral duties and not allowed to claim travel expenses for a year. An RCMP investigation was started due to the expense allegations. The investigations cost Calgary taxpayers more than $64,000.
“I’ve been telling everybody right now there are two sides to a story. You know what, I made the mistake. I didn’t put people’s names on it,” he said.
He said when you’re entertaining and there could be dozens of people, you don’t put names on a receipt. The word he used was “framed.”
“There’s two sides to every story, and it is definitely going to be coming out,” he said.
Missed opportunities
Magliocca said the city has missed big opportunities to boost the local economy. He said specifically that Calgary needs a mayor that’s open-minded to business opportunities.
That’s one of the biggest issues, he said.
“The biggest issue is right now in Calgary is not having a mayor that is open-minded and keeping too much red tape and not really exploring the different avenues of bringing in revenue into the city. (Always) trying to always block everybody who’s trying to get ahead,” Magliocca said.
He said there were a number of opportunities for big corporations and warehousing companies to come to Calgary. Those chances were lost, Magliocca said.
“We just need a good bunch of people on council that are business-minded to really get Calgary back on its feet again,” Magliocca said.
In Ward 2, Magliocca said a lot of the area’s issues have been addressed in the past eight years.
He said roadways, traffic congestion, missing pathway links and enhanced crosswalks have all been taken care of in the ward.
“We’re going to continue doing that to make it one of the best places to live in Calgary,” Magliocca said.
“We want to get you at home with your family, not stuck in traffic for two or three hours or whatever the case may be. The faster you get home, the happier you’re going to be.”
Green Line / Arena
Magliocca wants to see the Green Line move ahead. He said it needs to get to 140th at least, right down Centre Street to the core.
He believes the north should be a priority.
“I’ve always been a strong promoter about that because that’s where most of the population is,” he said.
“But unfortunately, a couple of people on council didn’t see that as I see it.”
On the arena, Magliocca said it must be seen as an event centre that hosts 300+ events per year.
“If we want to revitalize the downtown core, that’s something that we as Calgarians have to invest in,” he said.
“Or else, it’d be a ghost town. It’s not good for anybody.”
On the question of public money for private enterprise, Magliocca said he wants to make sure the money is working for all Calgarians, not just the Calgary Flames. He said the city will see revenue off the transaction.
“It’s going to be a really great gathering area for a lot of people in Calgary, and for tourists to come down and visit Calgary,” he said.
No defunding the police
Magliocca said they’ll come to a good resolution on police funding. But he doesn’t think that means they should be defunded.
He didn’t want to get into the conversation any further as he said there are things the city’s working on at this time.
On fluoride, Magliocca has his personal opinions. But, he’ll listen to the base of citizens in Ward 2 on what to do after the question on the ballot.
He doesn’t think fluoride should be added to Calgary’s water. Especially at a cost of $20 million or more.
Magliocca said it’s a difficult conversation because there’s a pro side and a con side and you can find good or bad in either argument.
Track record
Magliocca said voters should take a look at his track record over eight years. He said there’s been significant investment in the Ward 2 communities.
“We’re going to continue to do better work, more work that more effective, and we’re really going to move ward two forward,” Magliocca said.
