Penny A.P. Anderson, Kevin Boehmer, Evelyn Bradford, Jen Comer, Arnold DeBoon, Jim Elford, Daniel Guerts, Lon Hansen, Myrna Johnson, Joe Snopek, Karen Unruh, Ed Vondracek and incumbent Joanna Wilson are running for Creston town council in the Nov. 15 municipal election.
What experience do you have that would make you an effective councillor?
I have a passion and a concern for our “small-town way of life”. I encourage others to see the world differently and share their perspective. Working together in a co-operative manner is paramount in the success of any community.
Local government as Regional District of Central Kootenay Area B alternate director, where I attended many meetings for our area in shared services with the Town of Creston. I also sat on the committee for the current branding initiative, “Growing Together”. Also, RDCK Area B Tourism, Economic Development and Communications Society founding member, where we implemented initiatives including signage (“Come Grow With Us”) and working with other areas to bring in broadband.
Board of director for many organizations including BC3: British Columbia Community Connectivity Co-operative, where we worked with rural communities for connectivity in partnership with Network BC.
Business owner working with like-minded individuals and companies to formulate solutions for IT-related projects.
Other education: I graduated from Alberta College of Art in 1988. Firefighter certificate and first responder.
What is your top priority for the next town council?
Working together to make the community a vibrant, healthy community. This includes art and culture as one of the cornerstones of that healthy society.
Should the Creston Valley have a single, locally managed form of government?
If this is a concern for the people of Creston and the surrounding areas, it would be brought forward and there would be community consultation to see if it is equitable for everyone. To date we share in many services with areas A, B and C. This is why we need to continue an open dialogue with area directors
Any effort to reduce duplication of services and cost would provide taxpayers relief and should be on all of our agendas. We should review the exhaustive reports brought forward by the Town of Creston and areas A, B and C to review this question.
We should continue to reject downloading for services from the province onto municipalities while also looking for efficiencies to help reduce taxation without loss of service.
How many council/committee meetings have you attended in 2014?
I have attended many meetings at town hall, Creston Valley services committee, chamber, Columbia Basin Trust and Kootenay Employment Services. Frankly, I don’t believe it matters how many meetings you have attended. What counts are results from those meetings.