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Ten candidates step forward at deadline

Nomination period now closed with a total of 18 Whistler council hopefuls

The list of Whistler council candidates for November’s municipal election was beefed up significantly at the end of last week, with 10 new names joining the race.

The nomination period closed on Friday afternoon, with a total of 18 people running for six council seats.

New candidates have been profiled below. Prospects who declared earlier include David Buzzard, Jack Crompton, Ralph Forsyth, Grant Lamont, Bob Lorriman, Ted Milner, Bill Overing and Eckhard Zeidler. The candidates will be officially declared on Oct. 10, and the last day candidates can withdraw is Oct. 17.

Two all candidates meetings have also been scheduled to give the community a chance to learn more about the nominees. The first meeting is put on by the arts community and will take place on Oct. 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at MY Millennium Place. The Chamber of Commerce has also organized a meeting on Nov. 1 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Whistler Secondary School.

 

Pina Belperio

Community activist Pina Belperio decided to run for council because she is concerned about Whistler post-2010.

“I would like to see more transparency and meaningful community consultation when it comes to making costly, long term decisions,” said the eight-year Whistler resident who works for Glacier Interactive Media.

“I feel that as an activist, I have a different perspective when it comes to dealing with community issues.”

Belperio sits on the board of AWARE and the Whistler Writers Group. She co-founded Whistler Watch and the local chapter of the Council of Canadians.

In her campaign, Belperio would like to see a review of all RMOW expenditures and budgets. She would also like to monitor the effects of the 2010 Games on the community.

Belperio said she also wants to explore local food production and alterative energy sources. And she would like to work towards developing an affordable, public space for community groups and artists.

 

Shane Bennett

This will be Shane Bennett’s fifth campaign for council. The 20-year Whistler resident claims to hold the record in Canada for coming in last in four municipal elections.

Asked why he is running again, Bennett joked: “I’ve got to secure my record.”

He added, more seriously, that he appreciates the opportunity that the election gives candidates to raise different issues.

“Basically I’ve effected change even though I’ve come in last… That is probably one of the ways that the democratic system does work. Everyone gets up and speaks their piece,” he said.

“I’ll probably just rapid fire off a whole bunch of policies that I’ve been thinking about for the last couple of years, and most of it probably won’t make sense to people because they haven’t figured it out.”

Bennett currently owns an Internet provider company called Whistler Web. He also works construction jobs and runs a blog at www.whistlerpolitics.com .

 

Simon Briggs

Simon Briggs said he wants to run for council because he thinks he can bring a fresh perspective to the table.

“A majority of the people on council aren’t single people,” said Briggs, who usually works three jobs at a time and volunteers 150 hours a year.

“They aren’t people that scramble to do two or three jobs. They have a mortgage, but they have kids and a wife, or a husband. I am still down in the trenches. I still go out at night and play pool and do these volunteer things.”

Briggs, employed as an account pay clerk for Intrawest and a night auditor for First Track, moved to Whistler 10 years ago for work. He decided to stay because of the people.

Some of the issues Briggs will run on are government accountability, housing and enhancing the sense of community.

 

Wayne Escott

Wayne Escott has worked in Whistler’s food and beverage industry for almost 19 years and decided to run for council because he is “a concerned citizen with the time and the energy to serve our community.”

He was urged to run in the 2005 municipal election through his campaign work with then-Liberal Blair Wilson but decided against it because he did not want to be attached to a political party.

Escott added that he is running in the spirit of his uncle, former Squamish councillor Ray Peters, who passed away three years ago from cancer.

Key campaign issues Escott pointed to include accountability, communication, housing, day care and “really protecting our values.”

Escott currently works in the limousine business. He also spent a significant amount of his career managing Sachi Sushi when it first opened. He worked for the Fairmont last year.

 

Stephen Milstein

Psychologist Stephen Milstein believes his professional education, training and experience in clinical psychology, combined with his knowledge of the community, gives him the proper skill set to help govern Whistler.

“This skill set can be applied with an understanding of people’s needs, motivation and why they behave the way they do,” said the 13-year resident who first owned Whistler property in 1989.

“My past and current level of community engagement has more specifically given me an understanding of the social structure, fabric and needs of this community and its members, of which I am one.”

Milstein founded his Whistler clinical psychology office in 1995 and also operates a practice in Squamish. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba and has worked in various Canadian universities.

Important election topics to Milstein include financial accountability, strengthening the role of the community and reviewing the municipality’s business model. He will run a website at www.talktomewhistler.ca .

 

Will   Pullinger

At 25 years old, Will Pullinger is the youngest candidate for council, and he wants to give the youth a voice.

Almost 50 per cent of Whistler’s demographic is between the ages of 24 and 34, pointed out Pullinger, and they should be represented at the council table.

“The current council is definitely a more mature council,” said Pullinger, who moved to Whistler in the summer of 2007 from his hometown of Vancouver.

“They probably have a lot more experience to provide, but in my opinion, not only does a council member need to have experience, but they also have to be dedicated to researching and committing themselves to the community and being the voice and conduit for the community.”

Pullinger has been self-employed for the last 10 years with his consulting business for web and software development.

Campaign issues that are important to him include employee housing and Whistler post-2010.

 

Chris Quinlan

Business owner Chris Quinlan believes the next council needs to look beyond the Olympics to the more long-term future of the resort, which is why he is running for council.

“The heavy lifting is done,” said Quinlan, who owns Behind the Grind, The Mountain Hound Lounge and the recently opened café Quinny’s.

“We need to look to tomorrow as far as where we are at as a destination resort and where the resort and the municipality fits into that. We also have to look beyond 2010 because there is obviously going to be changes to staffing and everything after the Olympics. We will have to look at where are we at with regards to growth and how do we diversify our economy.”

This will be the third council campaign that Quinlan has entered. He has never been elected.

The 17-year Whistler resident has also been on the board of the Chamber of Commerce, the Phoenix project, and the Health Care Foundation.

 

Christopher Reading

Christopher Reading, owner of general contracting businesses Pura Management Corp., joined the council race because of his interest in what is going on in the community.

“It just seems like the natural progression for my brain,” said Reading, who has lived on and off in Whistler for the past six years.

“I am not 100 per cent familiar with all the responsibilities and what everything is that I am getting into, but because of that freshness, at the same time, I think that is going to give me a different perspective on the topics.”

At 30 years old, Reading also wants to represent the youth demographic.

Reading is not firm on his campaign issues yet, but he said maintaining Whistler’s “energy” and individuality is important to him. He also mentioned working on the housing shortage and sustainability as focal points.

Beyond his business, Reading is also involved in mountain bike coaching.

 

David Sharpe

Real estate agent David Sharpe has been working with resident housing in Whistler for 10 years and said he decided to run for council because it is important that someone at the table has real estate experience.

“I decided it was my time to serve the community as best I could,” said Sharpe, who has dealt with both seasonal housing and employee-owned housing through his work with Remax Sea to Sky.

“I have a deep knowledge of housing that I felt would serve those who own housing now and could definitely be an asset to continue to build on the resident housing requirements of Whistler. I have a lot to offer, and I am prepared to spend the time to serve.”

In his 20 years in Whistler, Sharpe has served on the resident advisory housing panel. He has also been the president of the Barnfield homeowners association and various stratas. Sharpe also coaches soccer and minor hockey.

 

Tom Thomson

Retired teacher Tom Thomson, who has owned property in Whistler since 1968, is running for council because he wants to give something back to the resort town.

“I have had the opportunity of having Whistler share its time with my life and I feel now, I am retired, I have time to give back to the community,” said Thomson, who moved to Whistler full-time in 2000 and now substitutes at local schools.

“I felt a need for myself to share some of the experience and wonderful times that I have had here, and like an old bear, I might know the lay of the land a little bit more than a newcomer over time.”

Some issues Thomson said are important are streamlining the municipality’s decision-making process, more affordable housing, more fiscal responsibility and developing a second industry in Whistler, like education.