WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15, 2014
HORSE BARN VALLEY
GRIZZLY ATTACK
PROJECT COMPLETE
MOE, CO’S CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE
New signs installed. See LOCAL NEWS page 3
See LOCAL NEWS page 4
THE BULLETIN PROUDLY SERVING KIMBERLEY AND AREA SINCE 1932 | Vol. 82, Issue 198 | www.dailybulletin.ca
STORIES OR IDEAS TO SHARE?
Drop us an email, a Tweet, a Facebook message, or give us a call if you have any story ideas you would like to share.
www.dailybulletin.ca
Like Us TownsmanBulletin Follow Us
@kbulletin
1
$ 10 INCLUDES G.S.T.
Doug Johnson is third candidate for Mayor C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
CAROLYN GRANT PHOTO
Who better to accept a donation for the Sparks Youth Society than the youth it serves? Above, Cheryl Greenwood of FOCUS (with youth centre board member Bev Middlebrook in the background) presents a $500 cheque to the Society, which is being used for a new computer. FOCUS raises funds — which remain in Kimberley — at weekly meat draws at the Kimberley Elks Club, to which all are welcome. The funds could not be raised without the assistance of Kimberley Overwaitea.
Dates set for candidates forums C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
As always the all-candidates forum for the Kimberley municipal elections will be hosted by the Kimberley Chamber of Commerce. The dates for the two forums — one for Councillors, one for mayoral candidates — have now been set. The forums will take place at McKim Theatre. Candidates for Council will debate on November 3 and candidates for Mayor on November 4. Details for the evenings are still being worked on, says Chamber Manager Mike Guarnery, but here’s what has been decided so far. Candidates will all have opportunities to
speak briefly and then they will answer questions from Kimberley residents. If you have a question you’d like to put to a candidate, please email the Chamber at manager@kimberleychamber.com. On the subject line, please indicate Question for Council or Question for Mayor. Doors will open at 6 p.m. each evening with a one-hour meet and greet with candidates before they take to the stage in the theatre. Then the forum will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Taking part in the Council forum will be Albert Hoglund, Kent Goodwin, Bev Middlebrook, Darryl Oakley, Sandra Roberts, Brent Bush, Darren Close and Nigel Kitto. Mayoral candidates are Ron McRae, Don McCormick and Doug Johnson.
Website re-launch This Thursday at the Conference Centre FOR THE BULLE TIN
The Kimberley & District Chamber of Commerce will be launching their website that allows members to have control of their business information, membership account, and newsletters at October 16th’s Business After Business meeting at the Kimberley Athlete Training & Conference Centre at 5 p.m.
See CHAMBER , Page 4
Doug Johnson was a last minute entrant into the Kimberley mayor’s race, filing his papers late last week. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been thinking about it for quite some time. Johnson says he has been mulling the idea over for some seven years, and seriously thinking about it for the last year. His ideas for what the City of Kimberley should be doing going forward are simple, he says — slow down and zip up your wallet. “For the last year or so I’ve been getting angry and a little bit scared watching my taxes go up,” he said. “I’m on a perfectly adequate pension but now it isn’t enough. My taxes used to be about $30 a month, now that’s up to $114, and they are going up even more.” Johnson says he has talked to many other Kimberley residents who are just as frustrated and worried. Johnson has a long history of community service in Kimberley with the Bavarian Society, the Kimberley Community Development Society, minor sports and more. He also served one term on Council beginning in 1987. “I’ve done the alderman’s job. I want to be Mayor,” he said. He says he has watched appalled as the surplus fund so thoughtfully built up prior to the closure of the Sullivan Mine has been whittled away.
Mayoral candidate Doug Johnson “The City has taken on too many pie in the sky projects. There has been no choice but to raise taxes, but the city got itself into this mess. The surplus is gone. I don’t know where it went.” Johnson says that after the mine closed people were prepared for tough times, and knew that things wouldn’t be the same without the big industrial tax base. There were, and are, still things that make Kimberley a great place to live, tough times or not. “We need to face facts and quit this hysterical endeavour to try to make this into a boom town again. “We need to expect less. The city is there to provide basic services. “The flume was a problem and it needed to be fixed. It was a simple enough job and it didn’t have to be done overnight. But all of a sudden, we have a six million dollar bill and it’s not even done yet. “I want to be Mayor. I want to try to slow things down a bit. See JOHNSON, Page 3