Letter to the Editor

Dear Jenny Humphrey:

I thank you for the time you took to ask the question that you did in your letter to the editor. I have great respect for individuals who ask the hard questions, and force candidates away from their blanket statements.

Therefore, it is my goal to respond to these questions with the greatest respect and sincerity. I can only answer for myself, though I hope more candidates step up to the plate and answer your question. If they do not do so publicly, I hope they will at least do so through a private response of sorts. You are a resident, and you deserve answers from those of us who claim to have the abilities to make change in our community.

You stated, “It is the assumption by many of these candidates that they will, if elected, be able to greatly change the city’s budget. I wonder what magic wand and unknown skills they possess. Council has unanimously approved its Five-Year Financial Plan, which was carefully crafted by very well qualified staff working in collaboration with Mayor, Council and Department Heads.”

I do not claim to have any magic wand, though I will make my skills known. I have been educated in Humanities, Communications, Education, Economics, and Leadership. I have worked in multiple sectors of the Ktunaxa Nation Council since 2008, including Traditional Knowledge and Language, Treaty/Lands, Social, and Economics. This means I have had the opportunity to work through and learn about almost every department in this government organization. I’ve learned more about community development than I ever could have imagined.  I have learned that healthy community development takes a holistic approach, but that a strong economy is its backbone.

I am now a staff member for the Department of Community and Economic Development for St. Mary’s Band and its Development Corporation. I am part of a two-person team (myself and my Director/CEO) who are ridiculously passionate about the community we work for and what we do. My job, with my CEO, is to seek out, assess, coordinate, negotiate, and finalize opportunity. Our job is to create a community of opportunity that encourages community members to stay and thrive. I am proud of our team, and I know our community is also. My job is the reason I am running for council. I believe I have something to contribute.

I want to start off by saying I have at no time accused current the current mayor and council of frivolous spending. I recognize that to be a very powerful statement.  Do I disagree with some of their spending decisions and budgeting? Yes, that is why I am running for council. Do I think I am going to come in and change it all in my four-year term? No, but I do intend to make an impact.

My contribution to council is not intended to come rattle the budget upside down and sideways. My intention is to bring my experiences in community and economic development to the City of Cranbrook. I recognize that residents cannot afford continuous tax increases each year. I cannot afford continuous tax increases each year. We’re at a maxed-out situation, where if residents continue to pay higher and higher taxes, they’re going to start moving or losing their homes. No one will benefit when it comes to this.

I am running for council because I want to support economic development. I want to change this. I want to see the city broaden its tax base and stop the increases. I am not blaming the current mayor and council by saying this. I am saying I am an educated resident who wants to make a change. I think this is the case for many of the candidates who are pointing out the 25% tax increase in the 2015-2018 Financial Plan. Please don’t make us out to be villains. We are not.

The city must do is put them in the position of an investor. The first thing an investor will do is look a city up by its community investment profile. Cranbrook doesn’t appear to have one. I’ve looked high and low, so if I am incorrect, please inform me. Cranbrook’s own website lacks it. It’s not present on Invest Kootenay. It is not present on Trade and Invest BC. So where are we promoting our great city to industry? We cannot grow if we are not known.

Secondly, when an investor “bites,” they dig deeper for a community strategic plan. One that ultimately lays out the values and direction the city wants to go in the future. It’s its ‘brand.’

Are we aiming to be a tourism hub? Are we hoping to be at the front of the Kootenay cultural scene? Are we supportive of large industrial parkland developments for industry such as BC Hydro, SNC Lavalin, etc. What is our direction? Our newly expired Economic Development Strategy describes us as a big box centre, with a fiber optic network with locally produced foods. So are we a shopping centre, a tech town, or a nature’s best? We need to figure this out. We need a Community Strategic Plan.

These are the things that I think about on a regular basis. I am constantly questioning. I am constantly inquiring. I am constantly educating myself. I do this during my workday. I do this at home. I do this because I am passionate about it. These are the issues I am going to raise at Council. But I promise you; I will never raise an issue without offering a solution.

I believe in growth. Nowadays, if you don’t believe in growing economy, you believe in a dying economy. The word sustainable doesn’t mean what it used to.  Self-Sustaining is now a buzzword. Any economist will tell you that. There’s no such thing a community that can sustain itself. The World Wide Web has destroyed that possibility. You either have a growing economy or you have a dying economy. I am not okay with letting Cranbrook’s economy die. This is why I am running for council.

I am offering Cranbrook a councilor who educates herself on a regular basis. I am offering Cranbrook a councilor who works in community and economic development each and every day. This isn’t a side gig. This is my career. When I say I am going to help stop the tax increase or increase infrastructure to an urban standard, I am not telling you I am going to re-budget the whole city with a magic wand. I am telling you that I am going to lend my experience to create a plan to help Cranbrook develop a strong growing economy. I am going to help Cranbrook attract new investors (both business and residents), so that we can broaden our tax base. With that, we can improve infrastructure and provide residents with a better quality of life.

We as candidates all want the same thing: a better Cranbrook. There are some candidates who have current careers that provide them with up-to-date knowledge in community development, economic development, and financial management. These candidates are educating themselves eight to 12 hours a day, five to seven days a week, in their respected fields. They are kindly offering this up to date knowledge to the City of Cranbrook, as an additional resource. They don’t have magic wands, but they have current experience and passion that could really benefit the city and the residents. They just need to be given the chance.

I thank you again Jenny Humphrey, for expressing your concerns that candidates aren’t offering up enough information.  I am sure many residents feel the same. It’s a one-month campaign. It’s hard to get out what we do on a daily basis, or what we plan to do over the next four years. But if you gave us each a call, I have no doubt we’d be happy to talk about it. To you. To any resident. 250-919-7595. Please feel free to call me any time.

Sincerely…

Danielle Cardozo,

Candidate for council, City of Cranbrook

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