Candidates in the upcoming municipal election met at Bowen Island Community School on Sunday as the final days of campaign season draw upon us.
Some voting has already taken place in fact, with Advance Voting Day held Wednesday, Oct. 5 at Municipal Hall. But all will be decided next Saturday when the majority of Boweners head to the BICS gym to cast their ballot.
Community members met in that same gym Oct. 2 for the Undercurrent’s All Candidates Forum, where they heard from 19 hopefuls between the mayoral, council, and school board trustee races on the island. Below is video from the event, along with a sampling of answers from each of the candidates.
Full candidate profiles, including many more question and answers, can be found in the Oct. 6 issue of the paper, and on our website Oct. 6 (Mayor & School Board) and Oct. 7 (Council).
School Board
First up were the six trustee candidates for West Vancouver School Board. Lynne Block, Carolyn Broady, Nicole Brown, Sheelah Donahue, and Dave Stevenson are existing trustees seeking re-election, while Felicia Zhu is challenging for one of the school board’s five seats.
“West Van has been doing very well, but there’s always room to improve. I’m closely tied to the current school system with two children in the system. I’m passionate and genuine and caring, so I’m going to work very hard to engage the community and work very hard to build that trust between members,” said Zhu.
“It’s budget,” said Block. “Your school taxes go to the government, they don’t come straight to individual schools… The first year of COVID we had funding federally and provincially to cover the costs. We didn’t have that the last little bit. Our international students that give us the extra monies decreased because of COVID… We also have extra monies that we have to spend on sick days that the government isn’t paying for… So we have to be very careful about how we budget this year,” answered Block.
The budget was also on the list of Donahue, who has been a trustee since 2014. She also listed student mental health as a focus.
“Really what we have to do is make sure we support every student on their educational journey… Our Indigenous students, our students with special needs, ELS students. We have to ensure that every child reaches their full potential,” said Broady.
Stevenson explained “We need every dollar to educate every kid in this community… Some kids it’s an easy task, some kids require more dollars, but at the end of the day that’s what public education needs to do for every single kid, so they get to have the education that’s right for them. And maybe they go on to do some stuff so they can work and give back to the community.”
“I want to highlight the critical role of IT infrastructure across our schools, and the chronic underfunding that is making it so hard for the students to keep up… It is overdue for resolution, and the status quo is unsustainable,” said Brown, focusing on technology.
Mayor
The three mayoral candidates, Andrew Leonard, Maureen Nicholson, and John Turner, followed after, and began by outlining why they chose to pursue the top municipal role.
“The decisions that come out of our Municipal Hall should not be a surprise. For the past several years, I’ve found many council decisions to be opaque… lacking consultation, or worse,” said Leonard, providing a list of concerns he’s had over the past four years including handling of capital and public works projects, a criticized temporary use permit process, and the unfolding of the proposed park at Cape Roger Curtis. “These are just some of the frustrations that have led me to pay attention and seek answers, and have led to me standing before you today.”
The park debate also brought Turner into the mix. “The park announcement kicked it off this summer. I just remembered the last park debate (2011 National Park proposal) was truly divisive, and I didn’t want to go through that again. That’s why I put my name in the hat… The thing I’m concerned about is fiscal management. We’ve got big infrastructure challenges,” added Turner.
Meanwhile Nicholson, a two-term councillor, stressed the importance of someone with political experience claiming the mayorship. “There is absolutely room for fresh perspectives and ideas on council, and I welcome that,” said Nicholson, noting at least four of six councillors in the next term will be new to the role.
“But I’m worried about having someone inexperienced in the mayor’s seat, and the potential disruptions that could cause. In particular we have a lot of capital projects that are completing in the coming years… Those projects require a solid understanding of their timelines, their costs, funding opportunities that are available, staffing, resources, and the impacts of delaying… Unlike the other two candidates for mayor, I have a track record on council. This is not the time for a mayor who has no experience as a councillor, or even experience on a municipal committee,” said Nicholson.
Council
Councillors finally had their turn at the stage, where they also outlined why they were drawn to join the race.
Judi Gedye spoke to Bowen’s community spirit. “When you walk down the street or go into the store there’s always somebody that will say hello, there’s somebody who will do you a favour, there’s somebody who will pay you a compliment. There’s somebody that will look after you… We trust each other.”
“I’m running for council because I believe that Bowen is at a crossroad,” said Richard Wiefelspuett. “Will we develop within our means? Will we honour our natural beauty? Will we protect and preserve the authentic lifestyle that we have made? Or will we move further toward unaffordability, gentrification, and development at a pace and scale simply out of touch with a small island community.”
Craig Macdonald says he thinks Bowen is perceived as a “top-down democracy. Information comes from the top-down, and it doesn’t get down to the bottom. I like the bottom-up democracy. I think that would we need is more input from the people… I don’t think your ideas are getting to council. I think my role is to try and get out and meet people, talk to you, and get those ideas up to council.”
“I’ve served on council for several terms, as well as the Islands Trust, and it’s been an honour and a privilege to do that,” said veteran seven-term councillor Alison Morse, highlighting her deep experience with the municipality through council and committees. “I have a long tradition of community volunteering, and that’s why I’m standing for re-election again, because I want to continue serving the community.”
Tim Wake, a former Whistler councillor, says Bowen “is faced with significant, urgent challenges in the coming term and beyond. Rental housing, infrastructure, and financial resources being top priorities. We need a diverse and dedicated council working closely with staff and our entire community to tackle these challenges. I want to be part of that expertise and part of that council table.”
“I’m a newbie. I’ve been here less than three years, and let me tell you I love this place. I’m absolutely passionate about it,” opened John Saunders. “I was a professional hockey player… I learned a lot about teamwork. You don’t have to be best friends with the people beside you, but you’re working toward the same goals.” Saunders added as a small business owner, he identifies with the challenges people currently face in this arena.
Nicole Thomas Zyczynski said community relationships were her inspiration. “I’ve gotten to know many of you through music and the arts, mainly… This is why I’d like to get to know more of you under a different lens in the community. “I bring people together from different backgrounds and collaborate on a common goal… I feel that those qualities can be employed with you, and council, and staff, to achieve what we feel are common goals on Bowen.”
Sue Ellen Fast, who along with Morse is the only other current councillor re-seeking their council position, said the recent term was a challenging one, “but we got through it, we’ve got excellent staff… I move lots of motions, and I create motions capturing the discussion. I’ve been on tons of committees… I’m in the groove now, I know Islands Trust from the inside, and I have energy and experience.”
Alex Jurgensen, like most of the council candidates, is another newcomer to the political scene. “One of the things I think we can do when it comes to Bowen Island is make sure that we don’t lose diversity.”
“Many folks are in danger of having to leave the island due to things like affordable housing and rising costs of living. And we need to do something to address that.”
“The main reason I’m running for council is to work toward a more effective community engagement and consultation process… Communities that have the ability to engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue are healthier in all their systems, and more sustainable and resilient,” said Robin Burger, who ran for council in 2018.
“I would also like to see more ongoing fiscal responsibility and restraint on council, and ongoing social and environmental protections.” Burger mentioned housing was another major factor in her decision to run.
