Rising municipal costs, and rising property taxes. Shortages of
employee rental housing. Economic diversification and post-secondary education.
The bed cap. Daycare. Municipal communications and community engagement.
Olympic decisions and Olympic legacies. These are a few of the issues that were
on the minds of voters in the second all-candidates meeting, hosted by the
Whistler Chamber of Commerce.
Upwards of 300 people turned out to Whistler Secondary School
on Saturday afternoon to hear from four of Whistler’s five mayoral candidates
(Jag Bhandari was a no-show), and 14 of the 17 council candidates (minus Shane
Bennett, Will Pullinger and former candidate Chris Reading, who withdrew from
the race this week but was too late to remove his name from the ballot).
The event was mediated by Dave Davenport, who was strict when
it came to limiting time for questions and answers. Given the number of
candidates it was the only way to ensure that everyone got at least one
opportunity to speak.
The mayors took the stage after the school trustee candidates.
Outsider Brian Walker got the loudest applause for his opening remarks, which
touched on every hot button issue including daycare, the failure of the Phoenix
housing project, and people facing evictions for the 2010 Games.
Incumbent Ken Melamed said his goals were to deliver the
opportunities promised by the Games, and address budgetary challenges. He also
pledged to make himself more available to the public, and acknowledged that the
past council was not perfect.
Kristi Wells talked about the community values on display in
Tapley’s Farm on Halloween night and said she was concerned about the viability
of the Whistler experience for residents. She pledged to reign in spending,
getting the municipality back to its core responsibilities.
Miro Kolvek also focused on the budget, telling people that he
was a moral man, family man, and strict when it comes to budgeting.
Most questions were directed to Melamed and Wells. Topics
included plans to audit municipal spending and having an organizational review,
how Whistler was prepared to weather the economic crisis without a contingency
fund or plan, whether the candidates supported the bed cap, the state of
community engagement, whether the money for the 2010 Celebration Plaza should
have been spent elsewhere, how candidates would support daycare, Melamed’s
response to the WITAC ads, and what the mayors would be prepared to do if an
organizational review found that the RMOW was operating beyond Whistler’s means
and needs.
Wells earned points for her call to return the municipality to
delivering core services, and getting out of the “T-shirt, website and events”
business, but didn’t get a great response to calling the development bed cap
“archaic.”
Melamed was strongest when he was talking about the need to
limit development to preserve what has already been built, and advocated for
“forests, not parking lots, wetlands… and fresh air instead of endless
development.” He also acknowledged that communication could have been better.
Walker noted the disappointment in the community that Lot 1/9
turned into a celebration plaza instead of a hockey arena, and warned about the
municipality’s financial future. “I don’t think the money is coming in that
we’re expecting to get, and we’re spending money we only think we’re going to
get.” He also called for economic diversification, including a plan for a BCIT media
campus in Whistler.
Most candidates agreed on the need to have an organizational
review. Wells would have one right away, while Melamed said it would be better
to wait until after 2010 as the municipality is already short-staffed when it
comes to meeting the needs of the Games.
The council candidates meeting was complicated with 14 people
on stage, some of whom only got to speak once or twice during the question
period. Many of the questions were addressed to the incumbents: Ralph Forsyth,
Bob Lorriman and Eckhard Zeidler.
Questions were on topics like the municipality’s relationship
with the school board, the proposed university in Whistler, rising municipal
costs, whether the candidates supported referendum questions and town hall
meetings, whether the candidates supported using Olympic venues to attract more
World Cup events, accountability at the RMOW, and plans for sustaining the
resort economy. Three newcomers were also asked why they were motivated to run.
There were a few shockers. Tim Wake called candidate Dave
Sharpe the “biggest threat to the existence of public housing” for his part in
a lawsuit against the municipality that was filed by Barnfield residents, and
asked if he had a change of heart.
“Tim Wake,” answered Sharpe, “we meet at last.” Sharpe, who no
longer has an interest in the suit, said the accusation was unfounded and that
he is a big supporter of employee-restricted housing but believes the rules are
working against homeowners.
The incumbents also defended their decision not to back the
proposed university. Zeidler said he liked the idea, but not the proposed
location beside the Millar Creek wetlands. Forsyth said he was open to the
idea, but felt that the resort should focus on tourism instead of diversifying
and taking on new responsibilities.
Ted Milner, who served on two previous councils, also attracted
a lot of attention from audience members who regarded him as an expert on the
economy. He said the last three years “reading the paper has been an incredibly
frustrating experience,” and talked about financial accountability and the need
to reign in rising capital costs.
Zeidler and Jack Crompton also fielded a question about the pay
raises to council and mayor, and whether they were in favour of rolling back
the salaries. Both said no, citing the demands of the job. “It’s part-time pay
but for a full-time job,” said Crompton. In a show of hands, only retiree Tom
Thomson indicated that he would vote to reduce his salary.
With few chances to speak, Grant Lamont, Bill Overing, Chris
Quinlan, Dave Buzzard, Wayne Escott, and Stephen Milstein made the most of some
limited opportunities.
In conversations after the event, some felt that the school
trustee candidates should have had a separate meeting to allow more time for
council candidates, while others felt that it should be harder to run, to
reduce the number of candidates on stage. There was also some frustration that
people took too long to ask questions, despite Davenport’s attempts to get
people to cut to the chase, and that the questions went to the same people.
The Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment hosted the third all candidates meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
