Name: Hugh O'Reilly
Campaign slogan: none
Age: 47
Occupation: Businessman.
Volunteerism:1) FCM/NRC The National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure —member.
2) Friends of Whistler USA -a nonprofit society in Washington State which allows U.S. citizens to donate to projects in Whistler and retain a tax receipt.
3) Fundraising committee for Library-Museum Capital Campaign.
Skier, golfer, skate skier.
Other hobbies: Travelling, reading, watching movies.
Web site: www.reelecthughoreilly.ca
Last book read: Dave Pelz's - The Short Game Bible
Why are you running for Mayor again?
I haven’t finished what I set out to do. When I first came on board I felt it was really important to sink some deep roots and be prepared to weather economic changes and storms. That is what really lies behind the Whistler 2002 Vision document, the Olympics and the sustainability plan. Those are really the key initiatives that have emerged that I have wanted to participate in, because if those are done well and successfully they will allow Whistler to continue to have the kind of success it has had in the past. Whistler is in mid stride, and faces some key initiatives right now, and the community needs continuity to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved. I want to use my experience and the insight I have gained over the last 14 years in local government to get the best out of these opportunities.
It takes a long time to put all that together, and my understanding of how things go together and the relationship-building that we are doing is a key to success.
What are the major accomplishments and failures of council since the last election?
In typical Whistler fashion I don’t know that we take enough time to really appreciate all the things that we do get done. There has just been so many things accomplished: The Housing Authority got some more projects completed, there is a new community school going up in Spring Creek, the transportation advisory recommendations have been implemented, we have created the Community Foundation of Whistler, the library has become a municipal building, we have even set up a sister-city relationship with one of the resorts in Japan.
We are working on a comprehensive sponsorship program that really looks at opportunities for the resort… Over the last 10 years the only real player has been the mountains and Tourism Whistler. We would like to get involved in sponsorship and we believe that we have assets that have value and so we are pursuing that. We believe the community should be benefiting, not just the private sector.
We have done a lot of work with First Nations and that has been an extremely powerful relationship. In fact the federal and provincial governments are watching that process very carefully because it has been a very positive one compared to most treaty discussions, which have been very confrontational.
We have great teen programs and we opened a skate park for the youth. There is the Black Bear Task Force, a fishery stewardship program, and the Re-Use-It Centre has been a great success.
I think we have an incredible financial system. Typically if you look at government budgets the understanding is if you don’t spend it you loose it. But our staff has a totally different perspective. Here, we tell our staff if you can save it, you can invest it. We give them an incentive to do more within their budgets and be very efficient.
From 1997 to 2001 the municipal debt has been cut in half. (It now stands at $4.5 million. All of this debt stems from borrowing done by local government more than 15 years ago.)
If there was a real disappointment it was losing a big housing project recently in White Gold. In my mind that was really a great opportunity but due to circumstances beyond our control we weren’t able to bring that one forward.
What are the key Issues facing the next council?
Our challenge is to stay a vibrant community. It’s making people feel that they can see a future for themselves in Whistler. I think that is the most pending and immediate issue.
I support Whistler’s vision of continuing to be a premier mountain resort community and that really speaks to both the need to have a strong economic place of employment and at the same time having a dynamic community. If we don’t balance both we are just a factory and we lose the soul, which makes Whistler such a special place. That means facing challenges such as affordability and housing.
When it comes to housing we’ve created the Housing Authority and we are working with partners and developers to create housing.
The municipality is a partner when it comes to the economic engine. Obviously it is a private sector initiative for the most part. But at the same time, the municipality takes a very key role in providing a lot of the facilities and infrastructure, whether it is trails, or parks, or the cleanliness of the village. We control the design standards, parking, and transportation. But we don’t benefit at this time given the current financial structure we work under.
That is an issue we are aggressively pursuing with the provincial government and we have their commitment that there will be financial tools in place to help resorts like Whistler address the problem.
We also recognize, and must never lose track of, the need to preserve the natural environment, the very element, and the very thing that brings people here. That leads right back to our whole commitment to the sustainability plan.
Our commitment to sustainability is now being recognized on a global basis. I have been appointed to a national committee by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the National Research Council. I will be sitting on that for the next four years, because of our demonstrated commitment over the last four to five years and our comments about adopting the Natural Step.
Like so many of the other plans we have done in the past, sometimes when we initiate them, they are not well understood. But I think we have demonstrated time and time again, with plans such as the Whistler 2002 document and the Guiding Principles for the Olympics, that these plans are extremely powerful. They were so strategic in their approach, and they worked.
I look at the Olympic bid as a starting point for the resort’s future. What we have done is secured just the base contract. This will ensure, win or lose, we are going to get some legacies that will help our communities.
We have been able to protect the community. We have been able to impact the bid’s creation by saying that Whistler has to retain its vibrancy and appeal after the Games.
There are many key issues within the bid for the Olympics but one significant legacy we have talked to the community about has been affordable housing. And we have really positioned ourselves so that the community has lots to say in the future on this issue.
We have been trying for years to host it and we can do a fabulous job. We have an incredible community and we have a fabulous environment. We can host the world and do a fabulous job of it. That is our business. I see this as an event, not a development. There will be new facilities that get added that are consistent with our core business of recreation, such as Nordic trails, mountain biking trails, a whole new venue in ski-jumping and the bob and luge run. Our community thrives on adrenaline and that’s what those venues are all about. We are talking about facilities that will make sense after the Games. But we must work to make sure the resort and the community benefit from today, and for years to come, if we are to host such an event, and I believe that is what we are proving we can do.
Why should people vote for you?
I think that right now the key reason to support me is the need for continuity to complete on a number of key initiatives like the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and the Whistler sustainability plan. Those are all in mid stride right now. I have formed important relationships with senior levels of government, First Nations and local communities as these initiatives have developed.
The job also requires tremendous patience and you have to be able to listen. Often an individual has a pearl of wisdom that gets lost because people stop listening. I am always listening.
This is a full time position and over the eight years I was a councillor, and the last six years as mayor, I have gained an invaluable, in-depth, understanding of local government and what is involved and the process. It is different from the private sector
And I think I have a different leadership style. I am not overbearing and domineering. I believe I steer from the centre and try and move everyone in a direction the community has indicated it wants to go. (And together) we have made tremendous strides in maintaining the vibrancy of this resort (making us) the envy of other resorts.
I believe my record speaks for itself. People said we couldn’t deliver the 2010 bid on our terms and we did it. That took leadership and conviction to stick to a plan, under incredible pressure, and get the job done right.
