Prince George goes to the polls Nov. 19 to determine who will be their municipal leaders for the next three years.
In an effort to better inform the community on the 24 candidates running for a seat on Prince George municipal council, The Citizen sent out a form to all hopefuls with a series of questions that we hope will reveal their histories, priorities, qualifications and personalities.
Here are what they had to say.
Technology Entrepreneur 2002-current
Current Member, provincial Small Business Roundtable, Yellowhead Rotary Club, Northern Technologists and Engineers Society.
Past-president, Prince George Chamber of Commerce, Prince George Society for Employment of Persons With Disabilities, past director, Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society, past member, Living and Working Prince George.
Past instructor, CNC Management Skills for Supervisors, UNBC computer courses for business, UNBC guest lecturer.
Master's in Business Administration, Political Science, UNBC Master's degree (International Studies).
I build bridges wherever I go, and work hard. I have consistently earned trust and greater responsibility through my first three years on council.
Not every Prince George councillor sits on a standing committee; I was the only councillor on both the Finance and Audit Committee, and Policy Advisory Committee (which I chaired). I also sat on three more committees. I work hard.
Council elects four councillors to sit on the Regional District. I was one of those elected, and sat on five committees there, one as vice-chair. I work hard.
Mayors and councillors from across B.C. elect five members to represent them on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Despite being a newcomer, they elected me in 2009, 2010, and 2011. This year, they elected me chair. I work hard.
Among other things, I was pleased: to bring home the 2013 FCM convention to Prince George, an event that will generate $450,000 for the city, to arrange for the FCM Women's committee to hold a workshop for women leaders in Prince George earlier this year, that my expert testimony to the Green Municipal Fund led to better access to the $550 Million dollar fund across Canada.
In my national role, FCM pushes Ottawa, and gets results. The federal gas tax money brings revenue to Prince George every year; $3 million was allocated in 2011 alone. The global financial crisis led to stimulus funding from the federal government that brought millions of dollars into Prince George in 2010 and 2011.
Canadian cities are $122 billion behind on maintaining infrastructure, and we need to plan ahead. We have already seen bridges fall apart in Quebec, and water mains burst in Calgary. It's not okay to just raise tax; local taxes are strained to the breaking point. Cities need to work together, and I have proven I can build and maintain effective relationships for us on the national scale.
I am asking for your vote. I will continue to bring thoughtful dialogue and reason into council decisions. I will build bridges wherever I go, and bring a broad perspective to council discussions. Running a city is complex; there is a fine balance between too few services and too high taxes.
In my businesses, I successfully found that balance. I will continue to offer Prince George the prudence of successful business finance, the promise of appropriate technology, and meticulous planning for our future.
My wife and I have three young children who are the center of our lives. We love Prince George, and the future is bright!
