Residents of Harrison Hot Springs are being asked to go back to the polls next Saturday, May 12. The by-election was spurred on when a Supreme Court judge ruled Richard Shelley was not eligible to run for council, due to complications with his role as a volunteer firefighter. A by-election was called in January, and nine candidates have stepped forward. Some are from councils long ago, some from councils more recent, and others are newcomers altogether.
The Observer asked them four questions about themselves and their visions for Harrison Hot Springs, in advance of the by-election. Click through at the bottom of each page to see the following questions.
Question Two: Why have you chosen to run in this by-election?
John Allen:
Because I am very concerned about the continued deterioration of the community and I am passionate about protecting democracy and fulfilling our OCP vision of a great little village. Council has deliberately created deep divisions for political purposes and has destroyed the open government we once had, replacing it with secrecy and cronyism. Everyone’s civic rights need to be protected. I can help do that by insisting on the proper procedures, public participation and by opposing abuse and waste which has become the norm.
Andrew Baziuk:
Last November, I stood for a council which would care for electors. Our own rules must be followed. I will be working to open communication lines between the citizens of the village and council. There should be no decision making behind closed doors. I will insist that bylaws receive proper citizen input. There should be no rushing through agendas or having council meetings at strange times. I believe there is value in public scrutiny.
John Buckley:
I feel very passionate about this village. I believe I would be a definite asset to council given my previous experience in public office as a Deputy Mayor. I have new ideas, a common sense approach to problem solving and a strong sense of fiscal responsibility.
Arnold Caruk:
To serve the people of Harrison for the benefit of the citizens of Harrison (Harrisonians), not necessarily for my own personal benefit.
Marc Ferrero:
I chose to run in this by-election and get involved after learning very early in the new year about not only abuses and squandering of public monies but also abuses to our public system from past council. Having recently retired I had planed on using the next three years to both learn and be more involved, this by-election offered a unique opportunity to do it sooner than I had anticipated.
Leslie Ghezesan:
Stop the reckless spending and the financial terrorism!
Bob Perry:
Having lost the 2011 election by just a few votes and with the prior six years experience as a councillor, I still have lots of ideas to bring to the table to stimulate the Harrison economy. When I served as a councillor previously I only missed one regular council meeting in six years and represented “The Village” either as Chairman Vice Chairman, Director, Member or Liaison on fifteen separate committees, all promoting “HARRISON HOT SPRINGS.”
Andreas Sartori:
I chose to run in this election to help balance residential and commercial interests as well as to promote open democratic government with no tax increases in the near future. There needs to be more public input in important issues.
I believe in the” will of the people” and that their opinions matter and filed my nomination papers to help our major and council run this village in a fair and democratic way as expected by the voters.
Richard Shelley:
Harrison voters elected me to be their voice on council in our November Municipal Election. I vowed to protect our citizen’s interests and work hard as councillor for our Village. This has not changed. I remain dedicated to serving our community. There are no timing issues with my volunteer status on our fire squad as previously exploited by an unhappy candidate. A judge recently ruled me to be a true volunteer and fully qualified to hold office if elected! Our Village will not have their choice for councillor removed again if I am elected!
See Question 1: How can tourism improve in Harrison despite a gloomy global economy?
See Question 3: Question 3: What is one thing you’d lobby for if elected?
See Question 4: How do you envision Harrison Hot Springs in 20 years?
