Name: Inge Flanagan
Age: 50
Website: www.webspawner.com/users/voteinge/index.html
Occupation: Real estate sales person
Last book read: Schroedinger’s Rabbits, The Many Worlds of Quantum by Colin Bruce. (A recent (2004) examination of quantum mechanics.)
What music are you listening to these days: Cubana, Coldplay, The Fall of Summer, Sarah McLachlan, Norah Jones, Andrea Bocelli, Dvorak, to name a few.
Favourite recreational pursuits: Skiing, sliding on snow in any format, running and hiking, tennis, golf, anything outside. Indoors: I read everything and anything I can get my hands on.
1. Why are you running for council?
I’m ready. It’s been a long process but today I am ready to make the commitment required for this work. I preach, "If you don’t like it, change it!" I practice what I preach and feel that I will be a valuable asset to council and hence the community.
2/3. What are the biggest issues facing Whistler? And what needs to be done to address those issues?
Economics — We need to get our town into shape to not only survive, but to thrive. This needs the promotion of Whistler as a 12-month resort with the best and friendliest service on earth , aggressively filling conferences, creating weekend events such as art, music, and theatre performances to draw crowds to Whistler. It’s still a long way until the Olympics and we need to find ways to support our local businesses and grow a healthy town economically. Without this, there will be no need for the other concerns.
An exciting Whistler Village — The more bustle we create in our centre, the more attractive and energetic it will become. I love the creative, out of the box thinking of Norbert’s proposal for the "sledge hockey arena;" incorporating retail facilities into the community service building. Although the feasibility still needs to be more closely examined, this type of creative thinking can open new venues to improve our existing village. We need our citizens to come forth with ideas and not be turned off by reams of red tape.
Keeping locals local — We have to look at affordability issues and find solutions that fit into our Whistler 2020 Vision providing accommodation and also allowing for property ownership at affordable prices. Perhaps we could consider allowing homeowners to subdivide and sell their revenue suites. This would create homeownership opportunities without increasing the bed cap or requiring any further infrastructure to support these new homes. Who knows what ideas we might be able to generate. Let’s remain open-minded and ready to embrace things that work.
Education and our natural environment — Our biggest draw is our abundant, natural world with its clean air and sparkling water. It is absolutely necessary that we retain these as Whistler 2020 points out. We have the perfect venue to not only showcase our spectacular natural world, but to influence our visitors to take care of their world when they return home. Our backyard houses endangered wildlife populations and our awareness of basic habitat and migration patterns could help preserve endangered species. Adapting and implementing The Natural Step will go a long ways towards supporting our 2020 objectives and moving towards a sustainable world.
4. How will Whistler 2020 help us?
It is our map and compass to forge Whistler’s composite future.
5. Name three things you expect to accomplish in this council’s term.
I will work on the following:
1) Provincial Government is responsible for our taxation. I feel it is imperative at this time that communications with the B.C. government are prioritized to help with the current economic problems facing many of Whistler’s businesses. We need to create some special tax relaxation for condo/hotel owners and create some "special taxation" incentives for local entrepreneurs.
2) Support and explore new housing/homeownership options for Whistler locals that wish to sleep here.
3) Work to keep Whistler 2020 as the guiding policy for decisions made at council.
