The public is invited to attend an all-candidates meeting on Tuesday, September 10 at the Oliver Community Centre from 7-9 pm.
The meeting, hosted by the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce, will give candidates running in the September 21 by-election an opportunity to showcase themselves. It will also give the public a chance to ask questions.
Candidates will begin their two-minute introductory speeches at 7:05 pm. At 7:25 pm the public can ask questions. At 8:30 pm the candidates will present their two-minute closing remarks.
The Chamber of Commerce points out that no debates will be tolerated during question period.
Two more residents have thrown their hats into the political ring in hopes of earning a highly sought after seat on town council. The Oliver Chronicle recently sat down with two of the newest candidates. To find out what they had to say, read below.
Local business owner says transparency is key
Dan Robertson’s platform includes making Oliver’s municipal government more open and transparent to the public.
Lyonel Doherty photo
Q: Why do you want to enter municipal politics?
A: The people of Oliver deserve to know what their tax dollars and other monies are being spent on. We need transparency in municipal government.
Q: What is your background?
A: Retail management and local business owner.
Q: What is your platform?
A: Open municipal government, transparency, no back room deals. Let the people know what’s going on in their town.
Q: What issues concern you in Oliver?
A: First is water meters. Why are we paying for water when other South Okanagan communities don’t? Not all homes in Oliver have water meters. Why not?
Second is street name changing. Canada Post only requested the rural areas to be changed, not the whole town of Oliver. What was the real cost? Is municipal politics when you make something mandatory in the community and then enact a bylaw and a fine when people don’t want to comply with something they did not want?
Third is raising taxes to cover future policing costs. Why? Oliver has over $30 million surplus, and $6 million in cash! How come the people are not told about the comprehensive annual financial report monies? Where is it? What is the interest percentage?
Fourth is in-camera meetings. Is that what they don’t want the taxpayers to know about, how their money is spent or what deals they make that directly or indirectly affect the people that pay their salaries?
Fifth is covering the cost of transportation, for example, taxi rides for Town staff or councillors who attend a function on behalf of the Town of Oliver, because they may consume too much?
Sixth is why do they have special meetings that state, “resolution to exclude the public?”
Seventh is why are most council meetings held when the taxpaying working public are not able to attend?
Q: What can the Town do better?
A: Be more open, and allow more public input on monies spent that exceed $50,000.
Q: What can we do about youth delinquency?
A: Maybe it’s time we write our own local youth offender bylaw.
Q: How would you boost the local economy?
A: We need to attract more manufacturing to the area and offer incentives and rules that insist on a large percentage of employees must be local. How about building a local trade school in Oliver?
Q: If you could change one thing in Oliver, what would it be?
A: Local municipal government should be more accountable and more open. How many Town credit cards are there? Who has them? What’s the daily limit?
Q: What more can we do to accommodate summer transients?
A: There should be a local hostel with showers and washrooms, and have it operated by a local non-profit group, and hire some of the local fruit pickers.
Q: Pick one problem in Oliver and offer a solution.
A: Unemployment. Attract small specialty manufacturers of bikes, skateboards, tennis rackets, life jackets, etc.
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Outspoken watchdog eyes seat on Oliver council
Community watchdog, Doug Pederson, is running for a seat on Oliver council in the September 21 by-election. If he could change one thing in Oliver, he would open everything in the Town office to video and post it on the Internet.
Lyonel Doherty photo
Q: Why are you throwing your hat into municipal politics?
A: When Oliver council prohibited me from videotaping open town meetings, I knew they had something to hide. If elected I will be totally transparent, even if it breaks some rules. Laws that keep people in the dark need to be abolished.
Q: What is your background?
A: I wrote my first computer program in 1970 using punched cards. I completed a wide variety of programming applications. I have a lot I could bring to the Town.
Q: What is your platform?
A: Total transparency and honesty. And to reduce the number of Chamber of Commerce members that get elected. They are a political action committee lobby group.
Q: What issues concern you in Oliver?
A: The large surplus in comprehensive annual financial report files, $32 plus million with $6 million in cash.
Q: What can the Town do better?
A: It has done some questionable things, such as street renaming, and water meters that have sandy water that wrecks them.
Q: What can be done about youth delinquency in Oliver?
A: School, for the most part, is a waste of time. There wasn’t one computer job that a Grade 8 student couldn’t do. There are huge numbers of underemployed university graduates burdened with debt. Do something productive.
Q: What would you do to boost the local economy?
A: Reverse almost everything done in the last 40 years. We have one of the highest average age anywhere competing with young families for jobs. You don’t improve the economy by selling out the locals to get a water meter supplier to build their warehouse here. Give watchdogs and whistleblowers more access to all Town dealings.
Q: If you could change one thing in Oliver, what would it be?
A: Open everything in the Town office to video. No exceptions. And post it on the Internet. In-camera meetings on labour, land and legal issues should be watched more closely than the rest.
Q: What more can we do to accommodate fruit pickers?
A: Year-round free shower and laundry facility. Everybody wants to be clean.
Q: Pick one problem in Oliver and offer a solution?
A: I have called for a Town audit. Having Town staff or council pick the auditors is wrong on all levels. Also, make the non-resident property elector list public.
