The Tribune asked candidates running in the municipal, regional, and School District 27 election a few questions about themselves and their platforms.
We asked the following:
• What position are you running for?
• Why are you running for it?
• What do you see as the top three issues to address in your community?
• How do you propose to tackle them?
Candidates in the area, including those who have been acclaimed, were invited to participate for free
and were given a maximum word limit of 275 words to answer the questions above.
The following are the answers we received from participating candidates:
Laurie Walters
1. Position — city councillor.
2. Why are you running?
I want to build on the experience I have gained as a City councillor during the past three years and “kick it up a notch!” I have a clear understanding of governance, process and budgeting. I want to build on the momentum of moving forward with the objectives presented in the City of Williams Lake Official Community Plan.
3. What are the top three issues that need to be addressed? The top three issues to address; further crime reduction, job creation and retention, and maintaining fiscal responsibility.
4. How do you propose to tackle these issues?
With crime reduction we need to continue doing what we have been. When this mayor and council came into office in 2008 Williams Lake was the crime capital of Canada. We made it our top priority to work with the RCMP and other community partners and, as a result, the crime rate has dropped dramatically.
My job as an employment counsellor gives me direct insight into labour market trends.
A key element of job creation lies within our university. Supporting and growing Thompson Rivers University allows our youth to stay in the community and prepares them to work here.
The demand for trades continues to grow as does our tourism and service sector.
We need to work towards capitalizing on job opportunities in these industries and take advantage of our city’s location as the major service centre to the region.
We need to identify a better formula to reduce industrial tax rates so that our community attracts further industry which in turn will bring jobs to the community.