Perry Mack - Council Candidate

[Timi]

I think that if you have questions that you would like answered by any of the nominees, you should direct your questions directly to the individual. I know that he has a website and I've emailed questions, which he's answered.

Asking someone else to speak on behalf of the individual is wrong and you will get misguided information, especially from this "Vince Vega" person! Everyone has an opinion, so if you want the opinion of the nominee, isn't that a good place to start?

Thanks for your opinion - but you got to remember the Vince Vega's opinion is just that. His own opinion. You don't really seem to respect any opinion but your own. I hope your friend Mack isn't like that and will take the opinions of all his constituents into consideration when making his decisions, that is, if he gets in. He's not on my "vote for" list, but he's not on my "do not vote" list. Convince me.

[bullastic]

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Perry over the last few years, and have come to know him as a strong leader and genuine person. From attending the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce events I have become aware of his involvement as a Director of the Chamber and his other significant roles within this organization; this speaks volumes on his committment to supporting our community. He clearly demonstrates leadership skills and this is evident from his accomplishments in his business ventures. These are the attributes of Perry that really stand out to me, and what I feel are essentials for a member of our city council. That's why Perry is getting my vote.

[Vanermi]

Hey Timi,

If you read thoroughly you'd see that I acknowledged Vince Vega's "opinion" at the end of my comment and I didn't discredit anyone's opinion other than his…now yours too

[Timi]

Thanks for your help...I just got off the fence and made a decision.

[TimmyE]

Im also a third generation Kelowna resident and I have been concerned about the quality of the candidates running in this election. Norm Letnick's departure from council has left a huge hole that needs to be filled by someone informed about municipal issues. It's also important to have someone with good business sense, those skills will be needed to manage this city. Perry Mack has proven his success in both of these areas. His reputation as a businessman and his involvement in this community has been extremely positive. Anyone who says that the Kelowna Beer Festival was a failure clearly didn't attend. His current company is also a Business Excellence Finalist this year. This is the resume of a person that I want on City council.

I checked at the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce website and I didn't see his company (Prophet Media Group) as one of the finalists.

[L Meyer]

It was for his other company My Mobi Media Inc.

[Vincent Vega]

Hey Vincent Vega,

You claim the beerfest was not a success? Were you involved in the organization of the Beer Fest Event? No you say, then how would you measure a failure or success of an event if you had nothing to do with it? You can't so shuttie

I would rather have someone working for me that takes risks in order to achieve success and fail, than have someone sit back and focus on the negative reasons why not to take risks like our council currently does. Wakefest for example was a HUGE success however all our city councillors and others like it (Penticton) are too damn shell shocked to figure out a solution to the problems that occur at successful events and deal with them the year prior to the event. I believe Perry Mack is our guy to get in there and change these knee knocking panzies like yourself.

It's always so easy to knock on people you know nothing about instead of looking for the good in people. Why don't you try to get to know him first before making irrational negative comments about him. He is a friend of mine and I take offense to your comments which you are entitled to make, I just felt I had to correct you.

GO PERRY!!

I did go to Beerfest. They advertised it like a Winefest for Beerdrinkers. I was there twice and both times I saw drunks fighting with virtually no security. The concept was good, but very poorly organized from what I saw. It was basically a bar at the curling hall and not what was advertised

[TimmyE]

It was for his other company My Mobi Media Inc.

Fair enough. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Vincent Vega]

I have a few mutual friends who have filled me in on Perry Mack. They say some good stuff about him, so I may retract me opinions somewhat

Its not like me to be wrong, I dont like it

[perrymack]

Hello Everyone,

Sorry I'm late to the forum but the 'live' all candidates forums and questionaires have kept me pretty busy.

Cannan's PR guy - Yes, I handled Ron's media campaign in the 2006 campaign and I consider Ron a close personal friend and probably the hardest working, most trustworthy politician I know. Through Ron, I've met the Prime Minister, Jim Flaherty, and had a long conversation with Peter MacKay. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Conservative Party politics and policies, (and I don't agree with all of them), I feel my relationship with federal politicians would more likely be an asset as a councilor rather than a liability. And I will always stand by my friends.

Rabbits - I have said publically that this issue was badly handled by the city and I have promised more than a few of my friends and their children that if I'm given the opportunity I will handle it differently. The rabbits can't stay, however a live trapping program in the winter with a release or adopt program would be a more civilized approach. You can bet the rabbit scenario will arise again as the source of the problem has not been dealt with - people who purchase rabbits as pets, allow them to breed and then release them into the city when they no longer want them.

Kelowna Beer Festival - There was one skirmish at the end of the second day which was broken up within seconds by security and the offending person was immediately was escorted away. By all measures the event was a success. Kelowna proved we could have 2,000 plus people enjoy a beer tasting and listen to music without starting a riot. I stood at the door and spoke with several hundred people as they left at the end of the second day and there was 100% support for hosting the event again and everyone had a great time. And as someone in the forum said, they came twice. It was a little crowded, we didn't expect people to stay so long. Even the older folks, one of whom came in with the assistance of a walker, stayed for over three hours. We raised roughly $2,000 for the Kelowna Community Food Bank.

I don't feel the Kelowna Beer Festival itself is a major election issue for most people. However the necessity of 'signature events' for the city of Kelowna, like Wakefest, to support the tourism industry is an important issue. We need to bring fun back to the city of Kelowna.

Kelowna needs a host of signature events in order to support a healthy tourism industry. This industry generates roughly $346 million in spending per year to Kelowna, almost 7,000 direct jobs and roughly $91 million in tax revenues which go to supporting education, healthcare, transportation infrastructure etc.
‘Beaches and Peaches’ may have sustained us in the past but in this globally competitive market place our scenery gives us an advantage but it does not make a complete destination package.

The city should have on staff, or assign a current entity like Tourism Kelowna, a City Event Coordinator. This individual will be familiar with the city's requirements for hosting and building, successful long term events. This person or organization should be able to;
o assess the value of an event to the city
o be familiar with all the city's policies which address safety, policing, parking, hours of operation, location etc.
o provide information on local resources (locations, security companies, charities which need fundraising events)
o work to attract and encourage the type of popular events our tourism sector needs

When local, national and international event organizers know we are open for business with predefined criteria, reduced red tape and plenty of local resources, they will come. And then, rather than reduce social services or raise taxes in tough economic times, we'll have the cash and jobs to improve the lives of our most vulnerable citizens.

I know it sounds like a lot of campaigning, but enhancing tourism is one of the things I've been working on as a director with the Chamber of Commerce and an appointee to the board of Tourism Kelowna.

I've posted the Q & A to some the forum's and questionnaires on my site http://www.perrymack.com . I haven't posted all of them as the questions are often repeated. Thanks for all your feedback both positive and negative. I'll be at the college student forum today from 11:30 to 1:30 at the Student Services Building on KLO.

[Chmmr]

Thanks for joining us Perry. I, for one, appreciate you taking the time to clarify these issues! Good luck in the election!!

[nellietheelephant]

Thanks for joining us Perry. I, for one, appreciate you taking the time to clarify these issues! Good luck in the election!!

And I don't.
You are in the business of dressing up products to make them look saleable.
In this instance you are the product.
and you are doing a great job of making yourself look saleable.
Doesn't mean that you are.
Doesn't mean that you would represent us well.
Just means that you do a reasonable job of taking any product that you are paid to sell, and dressing it up and convincing some people to buy it.

You haven't sold me yet.
And I don't share the enthusiasm of others about how great you are because you are on ski patrol.
To me, that just means that you want to ski for free.
Do I know that for fact? well that's why I volunteer!

Nellie

[Chmmr]

Thanks for joining us Perry. I, for one, appreciate you taking the time to clarify these issues! Good luck in the election!!

And I don't.
You are in the business of dressing up products to make them look saleable.
In this instance you are the product.
and you are doing a great job of making yourself look saleable.
Doesn't mean that you are.
Doesn't mean that you would represent us well.
Just means that you do a reasonable job of taking any product that you are paid to sell, and dressing it up and convincing some people to buy it.

You haven't sold me yet.
And I don't share the enthusiasm of others about how great you are because you are on ski patrol.
To me, that just means that you want to ski for free.
Do I know that for fact? well that's why I volunteer!

Nellie

That's your right as a voter to decide who you do and don't want to vote for, that doesn't mean we have to be disrespectful to him, or any of the other candidates that take the time to post here-everyone complains when they do post, and then everyone complains when they don't. I don't know Perry mack froma hole in the wall, but i do think that a little common decency is often lacking on these boards. Who said he was so great because he was on ski patrol?
Oh and nellie, if you know so well about ski patrol, you should know that most of them (not saying there aren't at least a few that do it for the free skiing) do it not merely for the free skiing as you imply, they do it to help the community. If you know so many facts, you should know patrollers have to put in an incredible amount of their time, well before the ski season starts, to train (and retrain for existing patrollers) every year for their first aid requirements. You also know they have to pay out of their own pocket for not only their first aid supplies to start out with, but also their first aid courses every year. So much for the free ride you speak of. If you are a ski patroller as you seem to suggest above, and you only do it to ski for free, and no other reason, well i don't want you near me or any of my kids if we need help because anyone that is in it merely for the skiing is obviously lacking in compassion, because the patrollers that i know, get an awful lot out of being able to help others. This is obvious OT from the subject of Perry Mack and his candidacy, but i would be happy to discuss this on another thread if you feel so inclined.

[nellietheelephant]

"That's your right as a voter to decide who you do and don't want to vote for, that doesn't mean we have to be disrespectful to him . . . "

I certainly wasn't disrespectful to him.
I said that he was doing a great job of promoting himself,

Nellie

[mechanic_virus]

Please list 5 of your top priorities, and how you would deal with each issue if it were completely up to you.