Glenn Hicks plans to ask hard questions.
When the veteran radio personality takes the stage on April 25 to moderate an all candidate’s forum at the Prestige Lakeside Resort, he’s not planning to let anyone get away easy — regardless of party affiliation.
The event will be sponsored by the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce.
“Glenn is somewhat provocative, so he’ll certainly get the questions out that people want to hear,” chamber boss Tom Thomson told the Star.
“Some people may even say he’s combative, but in reality he’s being equally provocative to all the candidates so it’s always a well-rounded type of interview which provides more engagement.”
Each of the five candidates have been invited to the event, which will have room for an approximately 200-person audience, and it will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Prestige. The candidates will be invited to address the audience before submitting to the grilling.
Incumbent MLA Michelle Mungall will be sharing the stage with the Green Party’s Kim Charlesworth, the Liberals’ Tanya Wall and independent candidates Tom Prior and Jesse O’Leary.
Hicks formerly hosted the mayoral and federal election forums, making a name for himself as a relentless interrogator, but he said his ultimate goal is to “have a great conversation.”
“Enough people in this town know that when I’m being provocative, it’s kind of a tongue-in-cheeky naughty thing, because I want the live audience to enjoy a quality conversation they can’t get any other way — it’s like six people having a chat in the kitchen, or in the pub.”
Hicks has “literally scores” of topics he plans to hit with the candidates, including health care, education and infrastructure spending, but one question that’s repeatedly coming to the forefront is the affordable housing crisis.
“People are asking the question: should the province be getting more directly involved in building housing?”
When it comes right down to it, Hicks wants to know how the candidates see themselves.
“Do they see themselves as part of a bigger political machine, or are they simply a Nelson-Creston advocate that happens to have an office in Victoria? That will be amongst the questions I put to them.”
