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whistler - October 06th, 2005
Two throw hats into ring for Council as RMOW race begins to take shape
At least two of Whistler’s five eligible Councillors this week said they plan to seek re-election in the fall, while two others said they plan to wait until later to announce their plans.
Last week’s shift in the political landscape …quot; which saw Mayor Hugh O’Reilly announce he didn’t plan to seek a fourth term and Councillor Nick Davies announce plans to seek the top job in municipal elections on Nov. 19 …quot; was most certainly felt by the other members of Council.
Councillors Marianne Wade and Gordon McKeever, both nearing the end of their first terms on Council, stated unequivocally this week that they plan to seek second terms.
Councillors Caroline Lamont and Kristi Wells both said they plan to announce their intentions at a later date …quot; with first-term member Lamont saying she could well announce her plans by early next week.
Councillo r Ken Melamed, the top vote-getter in the 2002 Council race, said he’s “pretty sure” he’ll run again.
“Hugh’s decision to not run for mayor absolutely changes the political landscape,” McKeever said. “He’s been a real fixture in that post and his change changes the picture. I think we might see all sorts of folks come out and throw their hats in the ring.”
Wells, who said she was “surprised” by O’Reilly’s announcement, said she thinks it’s important for current Council members to focus on the work remaining to be done over the next few weeks. The nomination period for municipal, regional and school-board elections starts on Oct. 4.
“At this point I think it’s really important that Council stays focused on the priorities and work that we have before us, and that’s where I’m going to keep my energies right now,” Wells said.
“When it comes time for the campaign in the fall, that’s when I’ll make my decision.”
In discussions with non-Council members thought to be pondering w hether to run, three names that surfaced were those of Dave Davenport, Bob Lorriman and Rick Clare.
Davenport, who lost to O’Reilly in the 2002 mayoral race, said he was thinking about running for Council.
“I’m being encouraged to think about it, which I am doing,” Davenport said.
“Things are obviously very exciting on the political front, and I’ve heard some very good people are considering running, and one of the names I’ve heard is Rick Clare’s.”
Attempts to reach Clare for comment were unsuccessful.
Lorriman, a businessman and member of the RMOW’s advisory planning commission (APC), on Friday said he was considering taking a run at it.
Those who have already stated their intentions to run were anxious to discuss their views about the issues facing the community.
Wade said that economically, Whistler is facing “challenging times,” adding that it will take a concerted effort from many different segments to chart a clear course to the future.
“I think that we really have to get our heads around the economic picture in terms of where we are provincially, nationally and internationally,” she said. “I think there’s no doubt there’s been a downward trend in the past couple of years. I think we have to look at things like arts and culture …quot; how do we utilize those to stimulate the economy?
“I think we have to look at how do we share arts and culture with Vancouver to boost our product.”
McKeever said he decided to run for a second term shortly after being elected to a first.
“Three years is really too short a time to really affect any meaningful changes. I’m running for Council and we’ll see what people have to say about it,” he said.
McKeever said the proposed Rainbow development and the completion of the Whistler 2020 sustainability document are just two of the most important tasks that still face the current Council.
“I think community engagement will be one of them as well,” McKeever said. “I think there’s a lot of people who feel they’re not ge tting engaged quickly enough or thoroughly enough.
“In tough economic times, people certainly seem to focus on that, and I think it’s something that certainly needs to be addressed.”
Council running out of time
As term winds down push is on to get projects approved before election
As much as some of them would like tangible evidence of projects completed during their term in office, time is running out for this council.
Of particular concern is the lack of employee housing built these past three years, even though it was one of the highest priorities for this council when they took office in 2002.
That much was obvious Monday night as some members of council pushed to have the Holborn redevelopment project rezoned before November’s election. That project is set to deliver seniors housing as well as a new tennis facility.
Councillor Marianne Wade pushed to create a timeline that would put the project on track to rezoning by election day, on Nov. 19. Like Councillor Gord McKeever, she said she was willing to attend special council meetings to see that happen.
But it appears there simply isn’t enough time.
"We will try and make these things happen if they’re priorities of council," said Bob MacPherson, general manager of planning and development.
He cautioned, however, that his job is to get the rezoning done well and in a way that is defensible if challenged in court.
"There’s a lot more to getting these deals done than bringing them to council every two weeks," he added.
The discussion was prompted by a report to council outlining their priorities. This came as a result of an earlier request from Councillor Kristi Wells.
There are several priorities. Among them the Rainbow development, the athletes village, the Paralympic arena, the administrator search, procedure bylaw, Shoestring Lodge re-development and negotiations for First Nations development in Whistler.
"If we choose to focus on one or two of these… we can deliver," said Wells. "It’s about picking your priorities.
"My concern here is a spring start to the seniors housing and resolution (to) a project we’ve been working on for two and a half years."
But when Wade put a motion forward to drive the Holborn rezoning forward, she could not get a majority to support her. Only Councillors McKeever and Caroline Lamont were on board.
"I think the motion is quite pointless," said Councillor Ken Melamed. "This is a demonstration of how this council slows projects down."
Councillor Nick Davies also took issue with comments, which he believed put staff’s ability into question.
"There is an implication in these comments that people have not been doing as much as they can," he said, adding that it was disrespectful of staff.
The failure not to achieve some of these projects by the election is disappointing said McKeever. This council has launched a number of initiatives but for several reasons, some beyond their control, they have not been able to see them through to completion.
He said: "I am disappointed with the number of projects that aren’t going to get completed this term." |