New West candidates tackle range of topics at all-candidates meetings

Candidates vying for six seats on New Westminster city council are vowing to bring more diversity and balance to council and tackle issues such as traffic and school construction.

Twenty of the 21 candidates running for council in the Nov. 15 election attended a recent all-candidates meeting hosted by the New Westminster Downtown Residents’ Association.

John Ashdown, who ran for council in 2011, said he’s running again because he wants to bring balance to city council, control overspending and hold down taxes for business and residential taxpayers. He also wants to serve as an “opposition” to what he sees is an attempt by labour-endorsed candidates to monopolize council.

Marge Ashdown said she’s an independent candidate who wants to bring balance and respect back to city hall. She’d like to help address transportation, budget concerns, development, business issues, high school construction and pedestrian safety.

Jim Bell said he’d support free parking on weekends to encourage residents to support local businesses. He would like to see a two-lane bridge, not a pedestrian walkway, built from the Quay to Queenborough.

Bell, who is running for city council and school board, believes the city has a role to play in ensuring a new high school is built, saying the city once owned the site where New Westminster Secondary School is located.

“How in the world they got conned to building a school up on 10th Avenue, I don’t know. I want the city to give it back to the school board because we are not going to get $100 million from the provincial government. That is just a dream,” he said of funding needed for the school project. “It’s time to be realistic.”

First-time council candidate Tracey Block cited traffic calming, clear communication from city hall and safety as being concerns.

“New Westminster has been well served by its past council, with some members on board for more than a generation, but the time is right to welcome fresh energy, experience and ideas,” she said. “Recently Mayor Wright spoke of a future balanced council. I also urge voters to look for balance in the number of female and male candidates they elect. Given that there are only male candidates running for mayor, the only opportunity to elect females for the next four years is on council.”

David Brett, president of the Queen’s Park Residents’ Association, said he’s been very involved with issues such as traffic and the Pattullo Bridge replacement.

“I really invested myself, and I think that’s one thing I bring to council,” he said. “Something else I think is important to council is someone with a strong business background. I bring that.”

With a master’s degree in business administration and jobs such as raising money for technology startups, Brett hopes to bring his diverse business background to council.

Former councillor Calvin Donnelly said he served on council for 18 years and would like to be re-elected so he can help the city move forward.

“I am an independent candidate. I think we need some balance on council. Everyone talking about balance but I understand what balance is all about because I have been on council,” he said. “I know the decisions are fairly difficult. We have to balance ourselves to come up with something we can live with, not only us, but the residents of New Westminster.”

Catherine Cartwright, president of the McBride-Sapperton Residents’ Association, is seeking a seat on city council so she can help address issues such as traffic.

“I want a hand in ensuring that as we become a big city we remain at heart a small town built on community. My main issue and concerns are traffic. Solutions cannot wait until the Pattullo Bridge is built. “

A small business owner, Cartwright said he’d advocate for lower taxes and a core review of city services. She also wants to help the city manage the development that’s taking place in New Westminster.

“We are inviting thousands of people to live in the downtown core on a truck route. To be a truly livable city we must find a way to separate truck traffic from where people live,” she said. “Community amenities must keep pace with our population.”

New Westminster native Mike Folka said he supports responsible and sustainable growth. He’s not making a lot of “big bold promises” to lower taxes, increase services, fix the transportation problems and foster a better relationship with regional partners, but he promised to bring a passion and desire to solve the problems that matter to citizens, to listen to residents concerns and work to find sustainable solutions and to advocate for residents, including those who are marginalized or can’t speak up to ensure their voices are heard.

Vancouver resident Raj Gupta promised to work at addressing property taxes, reducing bus fares for seniors and students, bringing down costs for businesses, and creating more housing,

Incumbent councillor Bill Harper said New Westminster has gone from being a “poor sister in Metro Vancouver to a rising star”. He said the city has been innovative and creative in its planning and has worked to reclaim the waterfront and revitalize the downtown.

Harper said he’s been an advocate for building an intelligent city that includes a significant fibre-optic network in New Westminster. Not only will this be a keystone to bringing a new digital economy to New Westminster, he said it would also allow for improved community engagement.

Patrick Johnstone, who was New Westminster’s 2013 Citizen of the year, said he has a long history of serving on city committees and volunteering for community groups. As a scientist, he said he would provide a science- and evidence-based approach to policy and do his research and due diligence when considering issues.

“If you don’t know who is going to show up after election day, a good tip is who has showed up before,” he said. “I have showed up at council for 10 years.”

Tej Kainth, executive director of Tourism New Westminster, said she’s spent most of her life promoting her hometown.

“I don’t just love this city, I am in love with this city,” she said. “I will work hard to continue making it a vibrant healthy one. I am a collaborator. I thrive on creating community connections, and positive ones too.”

A big believer in community engagement, Kainth said she is running as an independent candidate.

“I will be using five senses on any decision I’ll  be making. Will it make financial sense? Will it make business sense? Does it make community sense? Does it make social sense? And most of all, will it create a sense of pride? Will New Westminster residents be proud of the decisions that council will be making?” she said. “I want to bring that fresh new perspective, I want to create this new energy on council, I want to be able to spark the vote, I want to bring people out Nov. 15.”

Sapperton resident Gerry Liu said he’s running because he wants to “make a difference” in the city where he was born and raised.

When incumbent councillor Jaimie McEvoy voted in his first civic election in New Westminster at the age of 19 years, he said all the candidates said they were going to solve the city’s traffic problem. McEvoy, who co-chaired the city’s master transportation plan committee, said New Westminster’s 66,000 residents make 22,000 vehicle trips each day.

“We are more than doing our share,” he said about accommodating regional traffic. “We need to work on the traffic issues, and we have been. I am proud of some of the things we have accomplished. I say some of the things because I never become complacent. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Independent candidate Scott McIntosh said he’d be dedicated to listening to the community’s concerns and finding solutions. A concrete construction foreman in the City of Vancouver, he hopes to bring some of what he’s learned in that city to New Westminster City Hall and provide input into some of the things that have and have not worked there.

Queensborough resident Gavin Palmer said New Westminster is in gridlock with commuter and truck traffic and he’d like to help the city resolve the issues with input from its neighbours.

“New Westminster is number two in taxing its residents,” he said. “We must streamline the delivery of city services and improve efficiencies in operations to hold the line and reduce taxes.”

Four-term councillor Chuck Puchmayr recalled the days when New Westminster had a high crime rate, many homeless people on the streets and issues with prostitution on 12th Street and drug dealing downtown.

“Fast forward and I see a city that is really on the move,” he said. “We have just built a $43 million civic centre with destination casino funds. We just built a beautiful Pier Park – we have won 10 awards, international awards as well.”

Puchmayr said New Westminster is “the place to be” and he hopes to continue working on the community’s behalf.

Mary Trentadue, a first time candidate in New Westminster, said she’s an experienced city councillor, having served a term in North Vancouver. Locally, she hopes to deal with traffic, manage housing and bring more arts and culture to New Westminster.

“I’m running in New West because I believe I bring a voice to the table that needs to be represented. We do need more women on council and we do need more small business owners,” she said. “That’s why I am here. I want to be able to represent those voices. And I want to be able to do the kind of work I think is so important as a councillor. I understand how processes work, I understand how to collaborate with people.”

Lorrie Williams, who has served on council since 2002, is proud to have contributed to a more affordable and accessible city. Along with continuing to deal with traffic, she wants to help increase the supply of rental stock.

“People of all incomes should have the opportunity to live in our wonderful city,” she said. “Developers have to be advised to include more three-bedroom units to make housing more family friendly.”
Williams, chair of the Wait for Me Daddy committee, said she’d like to continue working on “some exciting plans” for the project that are planned for 2015, including a memorial march. An animal lover, she also wants to work towards the establishment of a new animal shelter in Queensborough.

New Westminster businesses man Harm Woldring said he wants to work with city staff so they’re doing their best work for citizens. “We pay the best salaries, supposedly get the best people , so then we should get the best performance as an end result. My customers know that I set high standard for myself.”

Woldring said he supports transparent, accountable and responsive government. One thing he’d like to do is make improvements to the city’s website.

“We want to be an intelligent city. Have you tried to find anything on the website? Google it – you can find anything. Three or four months, there you go. Four days to find the 2014 budget on our city website. Why do we want that?” he said. “Participation is aided by access to information.”

Mike Kadioglu was the only council candidate who was a no-show at the Oct. 30 all-candidates meeting.