Matt Cherry is one of three candidates vying to fill Revelstoke’s vacant council seat.
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What are the three most important things you want addressed immediately if you win the seat?
I want to address our housing issues, our perpetually increasing taxes and the perceived lack of transparency and communication to our community.
READ MORE: Matt Cherry running in Revelstoke’s byelection
What have you done to contribute to your community in the past two years?
In line with my first platform priority, I have been managing the Revy Rentals page on Facebook for over six years, which is now the primary go-to for house hunting for anyone looking for long-term rentals in Revelstoke. Throughout this time, I have personally housed hundreds of tenants, spoken and provided advice to many others as well as landlords, and have taken the time to ensure the community is kept safe from rental scammers by investigating and bringing awareness to them publicly, as scams can be extremely detrimental to anyone.
Over the last few years, I have donated clothes and small furniture items to the women’s shelter, the Legion’s bargain basement and the Revelstoke Auxiliary thrift store after large rental clean-outs.
How do you plan to engage with residents?
I plan to make myself available to the community whenever possible. I plan to continue to engage on social media (Facebook mainly) as well as talk to and visit local businesses in town and meeting with anyone who wants to sit down and have a chat. I can always be reached via email, phone, social media, Zoom or in person.
READ MORE: Forum snippets from each candidate vying for Revelstoke council
What is your biggest conflict of interest and how will you handle it?
A few residents are concerned that my background and investment in the housing industry is a conflict of interest, however, unless a matter is brought forward that would directly benefit a potential project of mine and not the greater good of the community, then I do not run into any direct conflicts of interest. If a matter as such were to arise however, I would, by law, need to recuse myself from further discussions or any votes on it. I would also always seek legal advice prior to any matters where there is potential of a conflict of interest.
What is your position on the proposed gravel pit near the Jordan River and other areas of environmental concern in the region?
Ultimately the job of councillor is to represent the community, listen to the community’s input, and making choices with their best interests at heart. In addition to this, the councillor should always be keeping the vision of the community plan in mind when making any decisions. Relative to this question, according to the community plan, Revelstoke’s vision is to “pursue a sustainable mountain community by balancing environmental, social economic and cultural values within a local, regional and global context.”
Aside from any potential benefits to cheaper materials, the issues of environmental instability that will have a long-term effect on the proposed area should be of greater concern and I do not feel that we should exploit natural land and resources for a capital benefit.
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