My promise to the people, for the next three years, of Creston and area:
I will work diligently as a team member of council to make Creston the place you want to live in.
I will support and assist in furthering the efforts of the doctor recruitment committee in order to fill the void we have regarding our much needed health care professionals.
I will endeavor to work with the youth, youth workers and local school board in this community to develop a workable youth centre in Creston.
I will not vote to raise property taxes beyond the provincial rate of inflation (unless approved by the taxpayers in a referendum) and will diligently try to get increases lower than that.
I will work and support making Creston a destination for tourism .
I will work with council and the members of the regional district to ensure that our Agricultural Land Reserve is preserved for production of local food supply that is organic in nature.
I will support measures that improve transparency and accountability, such as a municipal auditor general, introduce municipal politician recall rules, and the use of referenda, plebiscites and citizen initiatives to gauge public opinion on major expenditures and issues.
I will also encourage developers to hire local first and make sure all projects undertaken in the town will go out to tender locally first, and insure there is no conflict of interest between board members and contractors.
Infrastructure and public safety will be my top budgetary priorities.
Ingrid Voigt is seeking election to Creston town council.
• • •
The Advance asked each candidate for Creston town council and mayor, Regional District of Central Kootenay director and School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) trustee — as well as acclaimed directors Garry Jackman (Area A) and Larry Binks (Area C) — to submit about 300 words to describe their goals, background, qualifications, concerns — whatever mattered to them. Of the 27 candidates, only two, Jackman and Creston town council candidate Louis Mihaly, chose not to make a submission.