Two all-candidates meetings held simultaneously in Colwood Wednesday has split council hopefuls into two distinct and largely polarized camps on how to best guide the city out of economic turmoil.
A meeting at the Presbyterian Church organized by the Concerned Citizen Coalition was meant to address a perceived bias at the longstanding West Shore Chamber of Commerce sponsored event.
The Coalition organizers suggested the Chamber event at the Chuch of the Advent favoured candidates who are members of the business association.
That the two meetings were scheduled for the same time was apparently an accident, and email negotiations between the two camps failed to bring the sides together. Candidates at both events claimed they merely attended the meeting for which they first received an invitation.
Both events had a similar size audience, with more than 200 people cramming their respective church halls. But the discussions at the events were markedly different.
Church of the Advent meeting
Attending the Chamber's meeting were two mayoral candidatesB次元官网网址擟arol Hamilton and Jason NaultB次元官网网址攁nd five people running for the six council seatsB次元官网网址攊ncumbents Judith Cullington, Cynthia Day and Gordie Logan, as well as Robert Martin and Shari Lukens.
To address the fear of bias, the chamber-appointed moderator, former Kwantlen college president Skip Triplett, had audience members randomly draw the questions and names of three candidates to answer them. Additional questions were also allowed at an open mic at the end.
There were few issues the candidates in the room didn't agree on. A question on the Capital Regional District's pedestrian and cycling master plan garnered three enthusiastic responses in support of it. And the three asked about the CRD's sewage treatment plan all disagreed with it.
There was much talk about how to increase government transparency, with a surprise promise coming from three-term councillor Cynthia Day who said she'd figured out a way the meetings could be video recorded for the public to view online.
Mayor-candidate Jason Nault said he'd post his meeting schedule and expenses online and improve the City's website, while Carol Hamilton, also running for mayor, said she'd make meetings more welcoming to the public.
On the issue of City staffing levels, Nault and council candidates Robert Martin and Shari Lukens all said they believe the current levels are appropriate.
"Colwood is getting to be a big city, and it needs a big staff," Nault said.
And Martin pointed out that cutting staff would lead to delays in processing applications for things such as development permits, which ultimately generate money for the City.
"We don't want to save a dollar today and lose two dollars tomorrow," Martin said.
Lukens added that engineering director Michael Baxter has been, "taxed to the max" working out the City's sewage fiasco in particular, but recent streamlining of the sewage tax will free up staff time for other projects.
On a similar question of reviewing staff wages, council candidates Cynthia Day, Gordie Logan and Judith Cullington all said they'd be willing to consider a review, but didn't expect to find the wages inappropriate.
"We review costs every year at budget time," Cullington said, adding that City departments are already bare-bones operations. "We only have two planners and their two assistants in the planning department ... We'll need to increase that at some point."
The mayor candidates were askedB次元官网网址攊n light of Brian Tucknott promising zero tax increasesB次元官网网址攚hat they view as a reasonable tax increase each year. Nault and Hamilton both predicted increases of two to three per cent, in line with the City's five year financial plan, which accounts for inflation and contractual wage increases for their unionized staff.
Unlike at the coalition-sponsored meeting, there was little mention of Solar Colwood, besides Cullington mentioning it only costs tax payers about $1.70 per year.
Instead, candidates harped on the attendance record of one absent candidate.
Cullington and Nault had compiled the attendance from the current council term, which revealed veteran councillor Ernie Robertson had missed one third of regular council meetings, half the budget meetings, and only once attended a parks and recreation committee meeting, which he was meant to chair.
Robertson has had a dispute with the mayor over granting money to the chamber, and a health issue, both which impacted attendance.
Nault said if he were mayor, he'd regularly post attendance records and demote councillors who missed their committee meetings, first bumping them from chair to vice-chair, then completely removing them from the committee if necessary.
"I'd make sure people were only assigned to meetings they were available for," he added.
Finally, candidates addressed in-fighting and stressed the importance of electing a council that would work well together.
"It's up to you who we have to work with," Hamilton told the audience, challenging them to do their research and talk to their neighbours about who to vote.
The chamber meeting was video recorded and will be available at www.westshore.bc.ca.
Presbyterian Church meeting
Mayoral candidate Coun. Brian Tucknott and council candidates Teresa Harvey, Bill Wagner, Rick McKay, Duane MacNeill and Coun. Ernie Robertson were largely on the same page on a number of hot button topics B次元官网网址� Solar Colwood, City staffing and overhauling City fiscal management.
Candidates faced questions from a packed house, including why there were two separate meetings on the same day, at the same time. Organizer John Read said pre-submitting questions through the West Shore Chamber of Commerce is B次元官网网址渨rong and undemocratic.B次元官网网址�
Most of the other candidates expressed a deep mistrust of the chamber, the format of the other meeting, or that they had first received an meeting invitation from the Colwood Concerned CitizenB次元官网网址檚 group.
B次元官网网址淪ome believe the chamber wields too much political influence,B次元官网网址� said Tucknott, a one term councillor. Robertson, a five-term councillor, called the parallel meeting B次元官网网址渁 healthy sign of a living democracy left in Colwood.B次元官网网址�
The meeting got off to a rocky start. One audience member waved an email that indicated meeting organizers wouldnB次元官网网址檛 allow candidate representatives to speak B次元官网网址� which is against election law. Moderator Mike Geoghegan quickly reversed that to allow representatives to speak, although none came forward.
Many of the candidates spoke of high tax increases and fiscal mismanagement at Colwood city hall in past years, the need to refocus on core city services B次元官网网址� police, fire and public works B次元官网网址� and to dump non-essential programs, such as Solar Colwood.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e heard consistently that taxes are no longer sustainable. Some people in Colwood are thinking of selling their homes and leaving,B次元官网网址� Harvey said. B次元官网网址淲e need to get our financial house in order.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淐olwood is at a crossroads. We canB次元官网网址檛 continue toward a dead end with ill-conceived projects, fiscal mismanagement and secret meetings,B次元官网网址� McKay said. B次元官网网址淲e need strict cost controls and to focus on core essential services. Council should think like a taxpayer.B次元官网网址�
Wagner, an accountant, called Colwood B次元官网网址渙perationally bankrupt,B次元官网网址� and slammed its budget process. Colwood staff are B次元官网网址渙verpaid and under-worked,B次元官网网址� he told the audience. B次元官网网址淭here is bloated staffing at Colwood and bloated salaries. The sense of entitlement should be swept away.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淓xecutive hiring has got to be put under review,B次元官网网址� Robertson said. B次元官网网址淲e need to deliver services for people. We donB次元官网网址檛 need to hire more executives.B次元官网网址�
Several candidates vowed to shut down Solar Colwood, a project where the federal government granted $3.9 million to subsidize home energy-saving retrofits.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 committed to a zero per cent tax increase in 2012, and no more than the cost of living in the next two years,B次元官网网址� said McNeill, who last ran for council about 20 years ago. B次元官网网址淚 would move to stop Solar Colwood. It is a financial drain on staff resources and taxpayer money.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e need to freeze taxes focus on core police, fire and public works and end the misadventure of the new green economy,B次元官网网址� Roberston said.
B次元官网网址淭here are considerable hidden costs with Solar Colwood. IB次元官网网址檇 do my best to shut it down,B次元官网网址� Wagner said. B次元官网网址淭he numbers donB次元官网网址檛 work.B次元官网网址�
An audience member challenged TucknottB次元官网网址檚 campaign signs vowing not to raise taxes, while keeping city services funded.
Tucknott said that zero mandate only applies to services under direct control of council. He said would look to freeze new employment, discretionary projects and overtime, conduct a full financial audit and possibly eliminate grant funding.
Most of the candidates promised more transparency at council and more public input into council decision making. Tucknott said he'd open city hall on Saturdays for informal chats. McKay said he wanted to bring in more citizens for advisory groups. Most advocated audio or video recording council meetings.
Some audience members questioned why Colwood council was struck with infighting and acrimony. Tucknott and Robertson agreed conflict at council is a problem, but both said the speak out against policy they donB次元官网网址檛 like.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e need the right people elected,B次元官网网址� Robertson said.
B次元官网网址淚f we donB次元官网网址檛 elect a new council we are going to have a continuation of this disfunction,B次元官网网址� Tucknott said. B次元官网网址淚t is inevitable. We need new blood.B次元官网网址�
-- by Sam Van Schie and Edward Hill
