Summerland Candidates for Municipal Elections Nov. 15, 2008

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Here is the list of candidates for Summerland Municipal Elections this year.

Mayor: (2)
Janice Perrino--Incumbent Councillor
Peter Waterman--Incumbent Councillor

Councillors: (13 for 6 positions)
Gordon Clark --new
Lloyd Christopherson -- new
Ken Roberge --Incument councillor
Lorraine Bennest -- Incumbent councillor
Jim Kyluik -- new
Amie Harbor -- new
Bruce Hallquist -- Incumbent Councillor
Sam Eila -- new
David Finnis -- Incumbent Councillor
Walter Ukrainetz -- new
Sandy Stewart Brown -- new
Barbara Thorburn -- new
Nancy Johnson -- new

Candidates are invited to inform the public of their platforms and readers are invited to make comments within the rules of the Castanet management.
Posted by:
Association of Citizens for Summerland

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Elect Amie Harbor to Summerland Municipal Council!
Do you want a Council that will work as a team to address our economic, environmental and social needs?
Do you want a Council that will listen to the community, respect the direction of the Official Community Plan and avoid a patchwork of amendments?
Vote Amie Harbor
on
November 15th!
It will be my approach on Council to respect public process and ensure balance among our shared values of promoting a healthy economy, supporting our agricultural sector and respecting our natural environments.
I am committed to achieving:
attainable housing for families and seniors
a fiscal plan that ensures new development is not subsidized by existing taxpayers
an improved transit link to neighbouring cities
accountability and a workable solution for our water treatment plant
Please take a moment to review my experience and commitment at www.amieharbor.blogspot.com.

Thank-you for reading this one-time message and if you wish, please forward to other interested Summerland voters.

Respectfully,
Amie Harbor
Summerland Municipal Council Candidate
Contact Me
phone: 250-494-7513

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David Finnis is looking for re-election

I'm seeking re-election to Summerland Council and you can find out more about my platform and some issues facing Summerland by checking out: http://davidfinnis.blogspot.com I can be emailed at [email protected]

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Peter Waterman is running for Mayor of Summerland.
Please check out his website at http://www.peterfwaterman.com

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Letter to the Editor: Penticton Herald (printed Nov 12/2008; Summerland Review; Penticton Western News (see ad by Martens Orchard)
Dear Editor,
I get a chuckle out of some of the election signs around Summerland that tell us the candidate will take a “common sense” approach to Council if he or she is elected. Webster defines “common sense” as practical understanding or sound judgement. Take a look around. Who do you know that has real common sense? Someone who buys land in the ALR with the hopes of making a fortune when it is excluded? A Councillor who accepts a “free” lunch from a developer? A Council that completely ignores petitions signed by thousands of people?

Common sense is an extremely rare commodity. In my life time I have known perhaps two or three people who showed common sense; who thought before they answered a difficult question; who were knowledgeable on most topics because they read prodigiously; who asked questions if they didn’t know the answer; who basically followed the ten commandments; whose life was governed by the golden rule.

A number of previous Councillors and Mayors said that they too would use “common sense” to govern our town. There are so many examples of a lack of sound judgement over the years it really is hard to list them all. The following are found on the online website of the Municipal Council meetings.

The previous Council under Mayor Johnston started work on a new OCP. They hired a professional consulting team, but nothing was accomplished as they voted against the report. The last Council under Mayor Gregory hired another consulting firm, which worked with groups of local people to find a solution to the long awaited OCP. Very recently Gregory’s Council took a vote on it. Councillors Perrino, and Hallquist voted against it. Why? In another case, Hallquist and Perrino voted to move Rattlesnake Mt into our Urban Growth Area (no kidding!) to accommodate a developer. Common sense? This motion was opposed by Gregory, Waterman, Bennest and Finnis. Here’s another one. It was moved by Perrino and Roberge that the Strafehl property (one of the best agricultural blocks in Summerland’s ALR) at Victoria and Turner be included in our Urban Growth Area. Opposed by Gregory, Bennest, Finnis, Waterman and Hallquist. Apparently Hallquist felt that if the Strafehl property as well as that huge area along Blair would not form part of the Urban Growth Area, then he would have to oppose it. Here’s more. It was moved by Finnis and Waterman to integrate the Agricultural Plan into our OCP. Hallquest and Perrino voted to oppose it. Why? Well, despite significant time (and taxpayer money) on the part of another professional Consultant, and input by the Agriculture Advisory Committee and many local farmers, Perrino said, “the plan does not reflect the realities of farming in Summerland.” Hallquist’s “common sense” rationale---, “the farmers…do not need any more rules and regulations.” In other words those “farmers” who were looking forward to removing their land out of the ALR would be now be out of luck. However, a motion to adopt the Agricultural Plan as part of the OCP was support by Mayor Gregory, defeating the opposition of Hallquist, Perrino

The cost of the changes to the OCP of 1996 over the last number of years has to be well over $100,000. This is the cost to the taxpayers of Summerland for what some Council members might consider to be a “common sense” approach.

Let the electorate decide whether Hallquist, and Perrino are showing “common sense” in their approach to municipal government.

Frank Martens