Rosalind Neis - Council Candidate

[doorknocker]

Rob,

Your answer seems a little out of character. A little histrionic. The writer did not vote for 7 new councillors and mayor but four. Of course the 7 councillors/mayor voted in last year had not walked the walk in a councillors or mayor's shoes either so I suppose they were not qualified.

How about another example of a politician who has not walked the walked, Barack Obama. Only 4 years as a Senator! Not much history there either. Give people credit for doing their homework and choosing their representatives . That 's what a democracy is.

[occasional thoughts]

Forgive me, I'm trying to make one simple point. We voted for 7 "new" people in 2007, and now look at the clamour over some of them. Do you think that 7 "new" people elected today will be any different a year from now than the current crop? I think not. Some will be struggling, some will be vilified. The forces on people elected to public office to act the way the 7 from last year did are incredible. We don't know how they will react to the learning curve, the pressure on them. And there is another key thing: we don't know how a single one of the newcomers will act on land use and development issues.

We have a winner in Rosalind Neis, but as I've noted before, she's imperfect, she's behaved like a politician from time to time, she hasn't fought a single decision to hold an in-camera discussion by Westside staff that we know of, and so on.

And NB to parachute: I gave a clear indication on a thread a couple of days ago that I hoped that Neis topped the polls, and that Ophus and Zanon were close behind. The rest of your guess shall remain a guess.

[CountryAtHeart]

I believe I have solid credentials in the dismay movement over several key items of apparent non-transparency by our outgoing council. FYI, I voted Wednesday for mayor and council; 4 "old-timers" and 3 "newcomers".

I'm aghast if not frightened by the naivity I'm seeing expressed here. You can not attribute such powerful integrity to so many unknown and untested individuals without them walking the proverbial mile in the shoes of a mayor or a councillor. Look at world-famous reformer Cory Aquino of the Philippines; look at that priest who almost lost his life ousting Papa Doc of Haiti, look at Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe -- all shining people who became quickly corrupted in office. We will not be well served if we have 7 new members of council on November 16.

I don't see too many people saying they want to oust everyone and start with an all new council. Ms Neis will be back and I am sure a couple others. People voted in the first council on faith. Now seeing that some have not lived up to the challenge, the people are looking elsewhere.
Personally, I would rather vote for the inexperienced person who has common sense and who thinks along the lines of my own concerns and priorities rather than vote for a person who has the fist session experience but not my trust nor faith.

[brightstar]

I gave a clear indication on a thread a couple of days ago that I hoped that Neis topped the polls, and that Ophus and Zanon were close behind. The rest of your guess shall remain a guess.

rturner...I tend to often agree with your opinion....this one I only partly do. I ABSOLUTELY think Rosalind Neis should be on our council. She deserves the support of the community.

As for Mr. Ophus, I must disagree. He will not be getting my vote. I have not been impressed with his actions to date. I believe that his motives are self-serving. He would really have to prove himself trustworthy in my eyes to secure my vote. There is a good chance, I suppose, that he will return to council, perhaps his ways will change and by the end of the next term, I will feel differently. BUT, at the moment, I have to vote on his service to date, and like I said, he doesn't make my list.

I would love to see a council made up of: Neis, Greenburg, Strocen, Wynsby, Mandarino. I know I've only listed 5 and that's just because that's all I'll be voting for. I think these candidates would make up an amazing team of people....no "old boys club" here...just a fresh new start for us which is what I believe we need.

It will be an exciting evening on Saturday...hopefully we'll see change. "Yes, we can!"

BTW...enjoy your vacation!

[Bestside]

I'm frightened if not aghast by the naivity that is being expressed here attributed to the integrity of the known and tested individuals who have already walked the proverbial mile in the shoes of a councilor.
When they fail the test then the solution is to throw the bums out otherwise you just get more of the same.

Rosalind Neis is gold for a council position. If Neis gets good support from all the areas of Westside other council members will start showing her some respect.

Zanon failed the test big time - To Cap News Judie Steeves question "Should parkland be open to future development?" Zanon responded "It could be open for housing the homeless or accessible housing or trading for another piece".
Steeves wrote "In my mind, once designated as parkland, parks have to remain parks, or we may as well not bother ever setting aside land for parks". Zanon must be set on that position as Steeves also wrote that Zanon "sat firmly on the fence on most of the questions".
Zanon lost my vote with that. Zanon's idea is totally absurd. Scoop our parkland? Trade it to a builder? What a slippery slope that would be. Time for Zanon to retire.

After the Incorporation vote both Knowles and Findlater attempted to persuade the Ministry to name the municipality West Kelowna rather than Westside.
Knowles has said Westbank is not his first choice. Knowles will likely vote for West Kelowna, but his action on a council dealing with the issue might not be that way. Westbank is his base.
Findlater said his son is going to vote West Kelowna for the name. Findlater telegraphs his intention through family just as he did prior to coming down on the side of amalgamation. I bet Findlater votes West Kelowna and then says he voted Westbank...

However, some of the candidates sitting in the wings have backgrounds that should give people pause to think about as well.

Mary Mandarino is obviously a very smart person. She knows how to play people yet she seems to absolutely need to get her way. When she has an opinion she seems to be unwaivering. I doubt she is done with the amalgamation agenda. She has had a history that should be examined before making a decision. She has also said she would favour restricting the size of a single family home.

Greenberg is ex FBI... schooled in American justice. I don't know about that...
We just went through a scandal in Ottawa at the very top... I think we need 100% civilian oversight to the full extent over our police matters. A good example to be cautious is right on this thread with the retired cop who shoots first and asks questions later. He put 11 bullets into Mayor Neis and then met her for Q+A.

[hereiamagain]

how do you feel about community projects, ie "barn raising" (thanks Jim) to create much needed municipal buildings, and community service by those who sin against the community...? would you support something like that?

the managers that we have in the municipality office are (potentially) up for a 16/22% raise. Since $$ is so tight in the municipality, why are we looking at raises now (as they were just hired) and would you support these raises? What in your opinion would pose an acceptable situation for the raises?

[inquisitive]

Ms. Neis seemingly has sufficient support to win her bid for a seat in the council chamber.My perfect storm would consist of two incumbents re-lected (including Ms. Neis) for the sake of continuity and fresh faces and ideas taking over the balance of the seats.
An imperfect storm would consist of Mr. Findlater assuming the mayoral role with the other five seats being retained by the incumbents, plus Ms.Neis in her new role.
OMG! This could happen if campaign spending does what its spenders believe to be the route to re-election.
Can we now take a look into the future - three (long) years - their warm seats awaiting them - obviously they will interpret their recapture as a mandate from the public to "carry on as you did before". Same old same old. Only this time it would - 6/1, 6/1, 6/1 ad finitum.
It's a grim picture from where I sit.

[rosalind neis]

to: hereiamagain

I am not sure what you mean about "sin" against the community - I certainly would not want to sit in judgment of what someone may or may not consider a "sin".

As the municipal raises - If I am elected to council - I will be asking that council not accept the pay raise that we approved early this year due to the economic change we are now facing, and the fact that people in our community are losing their jobs as we speak.

I would hope that this action by council would set the tone for our staff to do the same - lead by example is what council should be doing.

[hereiamagain]

Hi Rosalind, thank you for your message. All I can say is wow.

We need more people like you on council. I hope our council for the next three years are made up of people who have a tax payer mentality.

On another note, have you seen this website? http://taxes.schlamp.ca/

Needs and wants need to be measured out, and just as a household requires careful planning for expenditures, so does the municipality especially when the majority of funding comes from the people who live here. You have said this many times, and I agree (I am sure 95% do). Based on your time on council, and exposure to actual numbers, how accurate would you say this website is in calculating services etc?

[canadman]

Hey Rosalind! Good luck tonight... All the best!

[Bestside]

Congratulations Councilor Neis on topping the polls.

Your success sends a great message.
Thankfully you will/should be a Westside representative on the CORD!

Great Job!

[inquisitive]

Congratulations, Councillor Elect Neis,
Our family wishes you great success in your three-year term...........and the fortitude to prevail amongst the re-elected councillors. During the campaign several of them made some statements regarding "openness", "more openness", and one or two more objectives they devined from the mood of the thinking and vocal electorate. Let us hope thay were not merely, "motherhood" statements.
We wish you good spirits, good health, and success in every endeavour you undertake on behalf of your constituents

[CountryAtHeart]

Congratulations!!!!!

According to the people, the way you approach the business of our community is greatly admired. I know I love your common sense approach and I hope the other councillors take note of what the people expect.

Again congratulations, and I wish you much success.

Sky

[brightstar]

Rosalind, you got my vote as I promised you would. I look forward to three more years of your service on council. Continue to represent the people and ensure that honesty, fairness and transparency exists!!! Thank you for your service as our Mayor.

[fairweather]

It's reassuring to know you'll be there, prepared to speak out against establishment when necessary, and thinking out of the box. You've gone the extra mile for us, more than once. Thank you again.