Mike Campol, candidate for councillor, Town of Osoyoos. (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?
My top priority will be to gain a clear understanding as to what our residents and stakeholders would like to see improved. If elected, I plan to set up meetings with business owners, organizations and leaders in our community in order to help this council prioritize potential projects and initiatives. During an election season, sometimes only the loudest voices are heard. I think it’s important to continue to talk to people and gather information once the new council is in place.
2. How can you make a positive difference to the Town of Osoyoos and the residents who live here?
I will continue to look for opportunities to help our less fortunate residents through child/youth programs as I have done for the past year and a half. I will continue to look for opportunities to showcase arts and culture in our community. I would like to bring stakeholders together to promote “shop local” initiatives, especially through the holiday season. I believe that we need to look for a way to enhance and bring new medical services to Osoyoos as a convenience for our residents but also to help attract new residents to our community. A focus on enticing developers to initiate low-income housing projects should also be a priority for the new mayor and council.
3. What in your background qualifies you to be a good mayor/councillor?
There are two particular qualities that I possess that have helped me excel in my profession, leadership and accountability. I have held leadership roles in my industry for 20 years, creating a culture of teamwork and relentless execution while managing through a simple belief of “do what you say that you’re going to do and if you fall short re-commit.” I believe that I have the ability to rise thousands of feet above a potential initiative in order to create the vision, then returning to ground level to plan accordingly. I have a very high level of experience creating budgets and managing capital reserve funds. Lastly, I believe that character and integrity are to be practised and protected at all times as these are things that only we can control within ourselves.
4. What is the most important issue, in your opinion, facing our community and what will you commit to doing about it?
Economic development outside of tourism will be a top priority. We continue to be successful in growing our visitors through the hard work of our Destination Osoyoos team. I believe that establishing Osoyoos as the ultimate hospitality, agriculture and tourism training centre makes a lot of sense as we have all of the natural resources right here. This will give our youth a career field to look toward and an opportunity to grow their skills right here at home while filling a need within the community. Thank you for your support.
