Westside Mayoral - General Discussion

[Urbane]

Mayor:
Doug Findlater would appear to have lots of support for mayor and I know he would do an excellent job in that position. He's got my vote.

Council:
I won't be voting for Heather Pilling or Rosalind Neis for various reasons. As to the other incumbents, we'll see how they handle the naming issue. That will be a test of leadership and their ability to listen to the people. Will they be content to make everyone made at them, as does Neis, or will they view democracy a bit differently?

[gouged]

Dont trust Doug myself. Although he is a nice guy he has not real stance on anything. he tends to sit on the fence and then side with the most popular side. I woudl like to see someone with some firm beliefs. OI don't want someone who would bow down the squeekiest wheel. Doug was for amalgamtion then changed sides when that side lost. He was one of only 2 disidents on the naming commitee after the issue became too hot to vote for. I think he needs some competition to drive him out and see where he really stands on his own.

[Churchhawk]

Doug F worries me, too. He seems to go with the flow and doesn't have the courage of his "convictions". However, if Mary Mandarino runs, Doug would look pretty good!

[CountryAtHeart]

I'll be cheering for Neis to get in...

I sure do hope there will be some serious contenders for mayor though. Something about Findlater just rubs me the wrong the way. You know, you get that gut feeling, and I just feel like as though he isn't the right one.

[Urbane]

I'll be cheering for Neis to get in...

I sure do hope there will be some serious contenders for mayor though. Something about Findlater just rubs me the wrong the way. You know, you get that gut feeling, and I just feel like as though he isn't the right one.

Do you have someone in mind? I voted for Bryden Winsby last time but he's been very quiet and I don't think Ensign or Dinwoodie will be running for mayor. I guess it's a fine line for a councillor/mayor between having strong convictions and listening to the people. Both attributes should be there of course, but it's always a balancing act. Findlater seems to be honest, sincere, and knowledgeable to me but we'll see who his challengers are.

[hereiamagain]

You know, I didnt like Neis or what she stood for (continuing the amalg fight) or her tactics in the last election (plumping).

She has proven herself (to me) as a person with an open mind, and that she is not afraid to stand up for her opinions. (ie the travel allowance vs the fixed rate) She thought like a tax payer, as she is - she never seemed to forget that, which I appreciate. I liked what she had to say at the naming committee open to public meeting. I liked her demeanour and classiness at the bridge opening. I think she is a breath of fresh air.

I have attributed her past tactics to inexperience and being counselled by some unsavoury characters - which although they worked, I dont expect she will make those mistakes again.

Having said all that, I will be watching very closely to see what happens on this campaign, but I have no problem saying I was wrong about Neis for this first year. I think she did a great job, and I think she will in the future too.

For Mayor, I hope Bryden Winsby runs again. I would vote for him in a second. Findlater, absolutely not. He is greasy (imho).

[Urbane]

I attended the campaign launch for Doug Findlater this evening. There was a good crowd there to listen to Doug speak about his priorities. You can read more at:

http://findlater.com/

Doug is a wonderful person who worked tirelessly on various school PAC's and has volunteered his time in many other areas. My wife and I will certainly be supporting Doug and we know he'll make an excellent mayor. Good to see several councillors there tonight as well.

[cpt64]

You know, I didnt like Neis or what she stood for (continuing the amalg fight) or her tactics in the last election (plumping).

She has proven herself (to me) as a person with an open mind, and that she is not afraid to stand up for her opinions. (ie the travel allowance vs the fixed rate) She thought like a tax payer, as she is - she never seemed to forget that, which I appreciate. I liked what she had to say at the naming committee open to public meeting. I liked her demeanour and classiness at the bridge opening. I think she is a breath of fresh air.

I have attributed her past tactics to inexperience and being counselled by some unsavoury characters - which although they worked, I dont expect she will make those mistakes again.

Having said all that, I will be watching very closely to see what happens on this campaign, but I have no problem saying I was wrong about Neis for this first year. I think she did a great job, and I think she will in the future too.

For Mayor, I hope Bryden Winsby runs again. I would vote for him in a second. Findlater, absolutely not. He is greasy (imho).

Um.... I think Findlater got in last time due to his supporters plumping. I'm glad that he got in and beat out Mandarino, however, he wouldn't get my vote for Mayor due to his " fence sitting " tactics on the naming committee. I hope that Winsby runs again as well. He had my vote last time and will get it again this time hands down. Neis performed admirably for someone who had no previous experience, so I think she'll get my vote for councilor this time. However, I believe the issue of the police building is coming up. I'll make my decisions on the incumbents based on how they perform. The Westbank Detachment is embarrassing and a new one needs to get built as soon as possible.

[damngrumpy]

Doug should win hands down. The current Mayor is one of those flavor of the month people that got in because some people believed somebody without any experience was a good idea. Rarely does it have positive results. Remember Jessie Vantura in Minnisota. or Arnie in California? Both of those decisions are proving to be not so good. The Westside has to decide what it wants and elect people accordingly. Presently they have a Mayor that wants to join Kelowna and a council that
wants to be the master of its own house. Doug will likely win because I believe the majority still wants to be on its own and not absorbed into Kelowna proper.

[sellpro 46]

I agree that there needs to be at least one challenger for the mayors seat.

If Doug Findlater had an opponent, what would they look like.

[sellpro 46]

you do kow that findlater was initially for amalgamation? He changed his tack whe it was apparent that that side wowuldnt win.

[Darren Schlamp]

you do kow that findlater was initially for amalgamation? He changed his tack whe it was apparent that that side wowuldnt win.

That is not true. Doug was with the amalgamation group throughout the referendum campaign. He was never a member of the Westside Incorporation Team, and he did not change his position during the referendum campaign.

Like most Westsiders, Doug moved on after the referendum, towards building a new community.

[hereiamagain]

Hi Mr Schlamp ( and this is to the other candidates as well):
what do you think of the recent secretive politics from the current council,

a. where five of seven councilors got together to decide the naming ballot issue
b. dismissed the work of the Naming Committee (volunteer community members that COUNCIL selected) on the pretense that they did not follow their mandate (yet if true did not correct this throughout the process), and
c. refused to hear the opinion of an expert who was asked for his help,

to further their own agenda?

and how would you feel if it happened to you? (ie were not included, if a councilor, and if you were dismissed ie as a community member).

[Darren Schlamp]

Hi Mr Schlamp ( and this is to the other candidates as well)

I am not a candidate. I am just sick and tired of seeing Doug getting bashed on this and other threads by people who do not know him at all - people who also do not seem to be able to see both sides of an argument.

I think that the job of an appointed committee is to make recommendations and then get out of the way. A committee is not elected, and rightly has no decision making abilities. The elected Council has the responsibility to make decisions, and elected councillors are directly responsible to the electorate for their actions. In the (offtopic) issue of naming, I fully agree with and endorse the actions of council. Their responsibility is to the electorate as a whole, and the election results on November 15 will show whether they correctly read the mood of the electorate as a whole.

As for how I would feel in a similar situation, ask me how the year 2002 went for me personally as an elected official over a cup of coffee someday.

[hereiamagain]

Thank you for your response.

Hi Mr Schlamp ( and this is to the other candidates as well)

I am not a candidate. I am just sick and tired of seeing Doug getting bashed on this and other threads by people who do not know him at all - people who also do not seem to be able to see both sides of an argument.

What I see is that he created a coup de gras in order to further his own aims, dismissing the opinions of the people who elected him, and also had excluded fellow council members.

It would be a completely different scenario if ALL councilors were involved in the secret meetings, that, I consider acceptable. But he didnt.

I think that the job of an appointed committee is to make recommendations and then get out of the way. A committee is not elected, and rightly has no decision making abilities.

I agree that a committee has no decision making abilities.
However.
The recommendations from the naming committee were from THE COMMUNITY (the citizens - the electorate) and because these recommendations did not follow the councilors agenda, they were rejected.

The elected Council has the responsibility to make decisions, and elected councillors are directly responsible to the electorate for their actions. In the (offtopic) issue of naming, I fully agree with and endorse the actions of council. Their responsibility is to the electorate as a whole, and the election results on November 15 will show whether they correctly read the mood of the electorate as a whole.

You agree and endorse the actions of the five of seven councilors who met in secret, who excluded two of the other council members? Again, if all councilors were involved and the discussions were inclusive of all, then I would have no problem either, but they werent.

As for how I would feel in a similar situation, ask me how the year 2002 went for me personally as an elected official over a cup of coffee someday.

And still you endorse the actions of these five who excluded two council members, and dismissed the opinion of the electorate.