Jean Clarke, candidate for Osoyoos Town Council. (Richard McGuire photo)
With the 2014 municipal election set for this Saturday, the Osoyoos Times wanted to give all of the candidates running to become mayor and town councillor the opportunity to make one final impression with eligible voters.
We have decided to ask each of the candidates four questions.
1. What would be your top priority during your first year in office if you are elected mayor/councillor following the November 15 municipal election?
Achievable tasks are on the top of my priority list. These would include giving the residents of Oosyoos direct access to councillors, by scheduling council meetings in the evenings and allowing residents to approach councillors without having to give written requests a week in advance of the meetings. This allows total transparency of council meetings. An allotted time frame of 15 to 20 minutes would give taxpayers time to air their concerns with council and ultimately know that it will get dealt with.
Need to review all bylaws, especially to ensure there is a level platform for all local businesses and residences. I would also allot specific tasks to each councillor. This gives the residence of Osoyoos a direct contact person elating to the problem on hand. It is important to me to ensure that the taxpayers of Osoyoos, who live here all year round, are not ignored.
I would also review status of new fire hall, based on the referendum results.
2. How can you make a positive difference to the Town of Osoyoos and the residents who live here?
Each time one walks down Main Street, there is a constant reminder, with empty stores, that the local businesses are not thriving as they should and maybe are not supported by our council. We seriously need to stabilize businesses and create regular jobs full time jobs.
Maybe the new council can get together with other surrounding communities and lobby to find out what they are doing that’s successful and what we need to do to bring back a vibrant business community. I would also standardize parking bylaws and I think they might greatly assist in improving the situation.
The closing of Haynes point on October 1 has been devastating to our community. There is a huge requirement to get into negotiations with the Province and the Osoyoos Indian Band to see if we can get back what we had prior to October 1.
It seems that most of the residents are against FortisBC’s new Smart Meter program, where some residents will have them installed against their wishes. There are major concerns regarding the adverse effects these meters have on our health. They can cause fires and the readings are totally incorrect most of the time. The council should find out how others communities have restricted their installation, so we can adopt those same guidelines and be a smart meter free environment.
3. What in your background qualifies you to be a good mayor/councillor?
I have over 30 years experience in government taxation in the United Kingdomn and all three levels of government in Canada. It was absolutely necessary for me to obtain an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of government policies, procedures, collective agreements and contracts, etc.
My last appointment was with the North Fraser Pre-Trial Centre, Corrections in Port Coquitlam. I worked as part of the “start up” team when it opened in 2001 as an administration officer and acting business manager.
I was required to supervise all support staff, while securing the co-operation of the line staff to meet all aspects of the centre’s operational needs.
The necessary requirements for the position were good leadership, problem solving and inter-personal communication skills. During my work history I have been awarded numerous awards and certificates for job recognition.
Controlling of the monetary aspect of the facility was highly important as financial guidelines are very strict with regards to the operational budget, contracts, inmate trust and petty cash accounts had to be accurate and come in on budget.
4. What is the most important issue, in your opinion, facing our community and what will you commit to doing about it?
I’m pretty sure that those Resort Municipality grants given to the Town of Osoyoos should not be dedicated purely for the tourists that flood into our town for six to eight weeks of the year, but to enhance the Town of Osoyoos for everyone. If those funds were redirected to infrastructure such as drinking water, sidewalks and improved roads, wouldn’t we all benefit?
The new mayor and council need to look at different ways to do things, get outside the box, and apply some common sense to all the aforementioned situations, to resolve issues, rather than defer them until tomorrow because sometimes tomorrow never comes.
