WHO’S RUNNING | Find out who your choices are in the Nov. 15 election for your area [A3,10]
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Sunday, October 12, 2014
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Five vying for Vernon mayor
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RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
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Cousins Kayla van der Molen, nine, (left) and Jennica Veenendaal, 10, work together to carry out a big pumpkin from the pumpkin patch on St. Anne’s Road in Spallumcheen Thursday.
Garlick acclaimed mayor JENNIFER SMITH Morning Star Staff
Coldstream’s mayor will be getting right down to business preparing for a new council in November. Mayor Jim Garlick is acclaimed as no one has stepped forward to challenge him for the position, which he has held for six years now. Although he would have expected someone to run against him for mayor so that the constituents could have a choice, Garlick is pleased he doesn’t have to put any signs up this election. “I can put more time into actually preparing for the new council,” said Garlick. There are seven candidates vying for the six seats on council: Shane Hillman and Glen Taylor as well as incumbents Peter McClean,
Gyula Kiss, Richard Enns, Doug Dirk and Pat Cochrane. Maria Besso will not be running in the Nov. 15 election and Garlick admits it would have been good to have a woman on council. “I’m kind of disappointed. It’s always good, it grounds us.” Even though Garlick doesn’t have to take part in any forums, such as the Oct. 30 one at the Performing Arts Centre, he still plans on it. “I think it’s important for me to go to the forums again anyway.” He also wonders if the lack of candidates means Coldstream is pleased with the work being done, or just don’t want to take on the job. “I think they tolerate me enough to not run against me,” he chuckled.
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The wait is over and Vernon’s five mayoralty candidates are ready to convince voters they deserve the city’s top job. Nominations for the Nov. 15 civic election closed Friday and running for mayor are Victor Cumming, Jamie Morrow, Akbal Mund, Mary-Jo O’Keefe and Klaus Tribes. All of them expect a steady pace as they campaign for the next month. “I’ve been attending community gatherings and I will be knocking on doors. There’s social media and it’s about being seen,” said Cumming, who is an economist. Morrow, an Okanagan College recruiter, will be focused on increasing his profile. Victor Cumming “There will be door knocking and people are e-mailing me and posting on the website,” he said. “I want to establish personal relationships. It’s about one person at a time because people talk (to friends and neighbours).” Mund, a former Wendy’s partner, will also be using a mix of social media and traditional methods like visiting homes. “I will be calling people and knocking on doors and tellJamie Morrow ing them what I am about,” he said. “I’m going to bring out a lot of younger voters.” Websites, Facebook and Twitter are being used by O’Keefe, as are brochures. “It’s a hard game to play,” said the current city councillor and owner of MJO Tours of election campaigns. “We have to try and reach out to everyone.” Tribes, a former city councillor and restaurateur, plans to hold a meet-and-greet for residents and brochures have been printed off. “My committee has been working on the campaign and we will let the public know what I’m all about,” he said. All of the candidates have identified
key issues they want to address during the campaign. “We need to grow the regional economy and ensure responsible financial management,” said Cumming, adding that his focus is also strong relationships with neighbouring jurisdictions and seeking government grants for infrastructure. Akbal Mund Morrow wants to engage youth and focus on the economy. “I want to create an environment to keep young people here and jobs. If there is a vibrant downtown, that spreads out through the community,” he said. Mund says he wants to get people interested in city hall. “A lot of people don’t vote and my focus is to get people to vote. People need to make a choice instead of bickering about what the mayor and council do,” he said. O’Keefe insists she Mary-Jo O’Keefe has a clear message. “We need to make it easier for people to invest in the community and start the money rolling around in the economy again,” she said. “How do we support families here. You do that by having stable jobs.” Tribes says he wants to promote town hall meetings and open government so residents are more involved in decisionmaking. “The people of Klaus Tribes Vernon will know what’s going on. I will have an open door as mayor,” he said. Running for the six Vernon councillor seats are Scott Anderson, Juliette Cunningham, Kari Gares, Jack Gilroy, Art Gourley, Janet Green, Shawn Lee, Catherine Lord, Dalvir Nahal, Mark Olsen, Brian Quiring, Bob Spiers, James Todd and Colt Wilson.
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