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Mayor and council get set to host the world

Round-the-clock schedule will see elected officials representing Whistler to dignitaries, athletes
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One week prior to the Olympic Games, Whistler's mayor and councillors are watching invitations pour into their e-mail accounts and their calendars quickly fill up.

Over the next three weeks Whistler Council will be meeting with dignitaries from around the world, attending celebrations with different countries and taking shifts at the Whistler Canada House.

Among their list of obligations, they are going to the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) opening session on Feb. 9, the Bavarian House opening at Nicklaus North on Feb. 10, and the Austrian House opening on Feb. 11.

They are also hosting elected politicians from the Sea to Sky corridor during the two-man bobsled event on Feb. 21, followed by a party at Whistler Canada House.

And while all the council members will be busy during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Mayor Ken Melamed in particular is readying for a never-ending schedule.

"I have been always holding out the hope that I would get to see a few events and I am still trying to do that, but really my role is to be the ambassador of Whistler and to show our visitors and our partners how much we appreciate them being here," said Melamed on Tuesday afternoon.

"I don't say that begrudgingly. Nothing makes me more content than representing Whistler."

To help him meet his obligations, the mayor will have a personal driver, which Melamed said is fairly standard for mayors hosting the Games.

He doesn't plan to use the car all the time but there will be times when he will need to travel between events quickly. The driver will be able to access Whistler's Olympic Lane.

Council has also been told to expect lots of last minute invitations over the Games. A team at municipal hall is currently putting together the council members' schedules and each morning they will receive a daily schedule.

In other words, explained councilor Eckhard Zeidler, if all of a sudden Estonia looks like it is going to get a gold medal in the luge, a bunch of Estonians might get on a plane and come to Whistler.

Internationally protected people will also not make their travel plans known until minutes before they take off, for security reasons, said Zeidler.

And while it is impossible to compare the Olympics to anything else, the mayor added the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference held in Whistler last June helped prepare him. At FCM, he said, he was going for 15 hours a day, talking until his voice was hoarse as he welcomed people to Whistler and shared with them the resort municipality's stories.

"I have had the privilege of going to several Games now and I am not sure that every councillor has, but I am quite sure the expectations for us being the hosts is going to be quite a bit different than being the visitor," Melamed added.

"Honestly, I think we'll know better a few days into the Games. At this point in time, what we can tell you is that invitations to attend various receptions put on by other host partners, by businesses, by other community groups and by organizations are starting to come in fast and furious."

The mayor added that it feels "surreal" after so many years of hard work and difficult decisions to finally be on the cusp of hosting the Olympics.

He is comfortable and confident that the work the Resort Municipality of Whistler has done will live up to the promises it made.

"I think I am looking most forward to the realization of what we have been trying to do, in other words, to showcase Whistler to the world, and to have the reception and response be the positive one we are hoping it will be," said Melamed.

He hopes people around the world will recognize that Whistler doesn't just have the best skiing and mountain biking in North America, but it is also a "fantastic community" and a spiritually uplifting place with many stories to tell.

"The single most important thing we can do is remember to be gracious hosts and reach out to the visitors here and make sure they have the best time possible and will take away positive memories," he said.

Councillor Ralph Forsyth also admitted he can't wait for the Games to start.

The councillor plans to "tweet" his experiences on Twitter.com, and compared his excitement to the build up to Christmas. While he will be busy during the Olympics, it won't feel like work, he said.

"You pinch yourself because you can't believe you get paid to do this," said Forsyth.

"It is exciting to get to meet so many people. You meet all the international dignitaries, families of athletes and the athletes themselves."

Councillor Tom Thomson was equally excited, saying he feels honoured and privileged to be in the position he is in.

And Councillor Chris Quinlan - who will also be running his restaurant, Quinny's Café, for 20 hours every day - joked he is planning to only sleep three hours every night.

"What I am looking forward to while it is going on is everybody just being so excited about it and then what people are going to say afterwards," said Quinlan. "For the majority of us, this is going to happen once in our lifetimes and it is here."

Councillors Grant Lamont and Eckhard Zeidler were more cautious with their enthusiasm.

"One of the major things I think we were elected for was to keep an eye on things and I think that during this super busy time, not to lose the fact that the rules are there for everybody," said Lamont.

Zeidler added: "I have been involved with VANOC and the bid corporation since the year 2000, on the environmental and sustainability side of things, and I am glad it is finally here.

"I don't mind saying I am looking forward to it being behind us so our town can get back to deciding what normal looks like. It has been a lot of years of life as not normal," he said.

Meanwhile, Councillor Ted Milner said he is having difficulties juggling his daughter Ali Milner's intense performance schedule during the Games with his councillor duties.

He added, though, that he is confident council will continue to take care of council business during the Games.

"We have had special meetings and if there is an issue that needs to be decided, they will call one right away," he said. "I don't think the town will be left hanging."