Meet Your Council Candidates
Capacity Crowd Jams All Candidates Meeting
Around 150 local residents gave up a sunny Sunday afternoon to attend yesterday's All Candidates meeting — a sure sign of a well-engaged electorate in the Village.
Mayoral candidates Michael Broughton and Ron McLaughlin were both present.
Joining them were the eight candidates running for a council seat: incumbents Neville Abbott and Jaime Cunliffe, and first-time candidates Eric Balac, Carmon Leeson, Ehsan Monfared, Leslie Nolin, Adam Solheim and Chris Stevens.
The two-hour event was held at Lions Bay Community School. A detailed timetable of proceedings was made available in Friday's Village Update, including an opportunity for residents to submit questions in advance, as there was no open mic available to the audience. Questions were also gathered in a box at the back of the room.
Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell, who is currently also Chief Elections Officer, said he was looking for a neutral moderator for the event, and
Squamish-based facilitator Catherine Rockandel took on the role.
Rockandel made it in plenty of time for the set-up, despite having to make her way past a motorcycle accident on the Sea to Sky.
Prior to the event, Rockandel told The Watershed she "didn't follow the politics" in Lions Bay, and had not met any of the candidates before.
All the candidates were given time to offer brief opening and closing statements, and in between were presented with questions that none of them had seen prior to the event.
The tenor of the meeting was generally positive, with all the Council candidates keeping the tone collegial. A few sparks flew between mayoral candidates, particularly when topics arose with regard to the most recent Council term, in which both men held seats as Councillors.
Many of the questions addressed infrastructure and other future planning, and the candidates were united in prioritizing continued access to water for residents. Other topics addressed included finding a respectful balance between Council and staff roles, wildfire preparedness, communication both between Council members and staff and with residents, salary increases, budget and taxation plans. One question asked the potential Councillors how they would handle the possibility of a "homeless camp" being set up at the beach park.
Rockandel ran a tight ship, holding candidates to designated times and frequently cutting off those who ran on too long. She alternated questions between the mayoral and Council candidates, often offering two separate questions within the large group of Council hopefuls.
Candidates were told they would be provided with all the questions asked at the event, as well as those there was not enough time to address, in order that they might provide more complete answers on their election sites.
A video recording of the event made by The Watershed will be available on the Village of Lions Bay YouTube page this week.
Election platform information for all the candidates can be found by following the links below.
Mayoral Candidates: Michael Broughton Ron McLaughlin
Council Candidates: Neville Abbott Eric Balac Jaime Cunliffe Carmon Leeson
Early voting day is Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Lions Bay Village Hall from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Election Day is Saturday, Oct. 17, at Lions Bay Village Hall from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
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