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Choices, choices, choices
City of Cranbrook voters were given a chance to hear what the 14 candidates running for the six city council seats had to say last night, Nov. 8.
For half an hour before the forum began candidates mingled with interested citizens in the foyer of Key City Theatre before taking to the stage for a forum moderated by College of the Rockies president and chief executive officer Dr. Nick Rubidge.
The 14 candidates are: Sean Campbell, Sharon Cross, Angus Davis, Jim Fennell, Dave Hall, David Humphrey, Paulette Johnson, Denise Pallesen, Jay Savage, Diana J Scott, Connor Stewart, Tasy Strouzas, Gerry Warner and Bob Whetham.
Each candidate received one minute to make an opening statement before Rubidge began asking questions of each candidate, culled from the 115 questions provided by the approximately 270 people in attendance. After the chosen candidate answered, in a one minute time frame, other candidates were allowed to chime in with their two cents.
A total of 16 questions were asked in a two-hour period before the candidates received another minute apiece to make closing statements.
Among the questions asked candidates were how they would go about engaging youth to become interested in city issues, what they thought of the Growth Management Strategy, how the city could assist arts and culture, what they thought of the creation of a municipal auditor general, how they would go about keeping open channels of communication with the public, what cuts could be made from the city’s five-year plan to save money and what they thought about the Nov. 19 water meter referendum and water conservation.
In addition, questions were asked about what the chamber of commerce’s relationship with the city should be, how they would go about attracting business to the city, what their views on the urban deer problem were, if they were running for a “slate,” be it the Citizens for a Livable Cranbrook or a business ‘slate,’ and how the new council could go about turning Mount Baker Secondary School into a learning centre.
Finally, they fielded questions about affordable housing, why council didn’t object to the Rocky View project referral from the Regional District of East Kootenay, if their signs were made locally and what their views were of ongoing relationships with the aboriginal community.
For the record, only three councilors did not raise their hands when asked if their signs were made locally. Warner, who donated his sign budget to the breast cancer research and does not have election signs up, and Cross and Humphrey.
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
