The need for communication and consultation was expressed by all Cremona mayor and council candidates at an election forum held Oct. 9 at the village’s community hall.
“It seems all of us agree on one issue -- the need for all of us to get along,” said councillor candidate Sonia Temple during her opening speech after hearing six out of nine candidates’ opening speeches.
Cremonaites will be voting in a mayor and four councillors during the Oct. 21 municipal election, after having gone nearly seven months without any elected functioning council at all.
Municipal Affairs took over administration of the village in March when two of the three elected council members along with the chief administrative officer resigned.
At the time the village was, and still is, under a viability study called for by the majority of village residents to determine whether it can continue as a village or its corporate status be dissolved and it becomes a hamlet within Mountain View County. The remaining councillor at the time, Karel Beckman, was relieved of his duties shortly after Municipal Affairs took over.
Beckman is one of three mayoral contenders in this month’s election. Elizabeth (Betty) Bell -- elected to serve on council from 2007 to 2010, including a stint as mayor -- is also running for mayor as is Tim Hagen, a 22-year resident of the village.
During the forum, mayoral candidates were the first to give opening remarks.
Hagen used his three minutes to say he wants open, honest two-way communication as opposed to “fight, argue, scream or yell,” which is what some council meetings had become before Municipal Affairs took over.
“I believe the village is viable,” said Hagen.
He also talked about lower village administration costs saying “I think everyone has that on their minds.”
Beckman outlined his previous council platform of open communication as well, pointing to his demands to bring back The Village Voice, a newsletter informing residents of council decisions.
He wants to revisit flawed bylaws and create income-generating business opportunities.
Bell used her opening remarks to talk about how Cremona is a vibrant community, how she wants to keep open communication with residents, and how the village needs to plan for the loss of Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) grants in 2014.
The floor was then turned over to the six councillor candidates vying for four council positions.
Restaurant owner Joseph Ching Shi said he wants to bring harmony back to the village by opening communications. He said he wants to review property taxes, look into a car-pooling system to replace the tri-city transit, and build a pro-business environment.
“Vote for me, you are voting for yourself,” Ching Shi said in conclusion.
Self-employed mechanic Derald Anderson said his biggest concerns as a councillor contender is addressing the lack of communication between council and residents. He said he wants to continue working on the growth of the community.
Robert (Bob) Reid gave kudos to a past councillor, those involved with bringing about the dissolution petition, and the current appointed administrator of the village for their work to better the community.
He wants to renew “our once vibrant community” by offering incentives to bring in more businesses, continuing with the sidewalk program, paving streets, and lessening taxes.
Seven-year resident Sonja Temple said she is looking for a family-friendly future for Cremona which includes working together and growth, adding continuing with the recent sidewalk program and street paving was a great idea.
Margaret (Meg) Bigelow said her background in management has taught her how to work as a team which she said is important for the next council to do.
Being a resident for about three years means “I have not been a part of history so I am impartial,” she said, adding how she would solve problems by consultation with the community.
The last councillor contender to give opening remarks was Jennie Thompson, one of the organizers of the petition asking Municipal Affairs to investigate dissolving the village’s status.
“I believe the world’s problems are solved in coffee shops all over Canada, if politicians would only listen,” she told the crowd.
She said she believes in council being accessible and willing to listen and voiced her confidence in the residents of the village.
“This village has done some amazing things.”
When the floor was opened up to questions, not one question went unanswered including several that forum workers said they felt were inappropriate that were directed at Beckman and Reid.
When asked, all candidates said they would work to maintain a good relationship with Mountain View County.
Ideas on how to grow the community included Thompson and Reid’s suggestions on providing initiatives, Bigelow’s suggestion to work with the chamber, Anderson’s ideas on creating business and promotional plans, and Ching Shi’s suggestion to expand public transit.
“The most important thing is to change the land-use bylaw. They’re very restrictive,” said Reid when asked what can be done for struggling businesses.
Many candidates also mentioned promoting shopping locally.
About 50 people attended the forum, including acclaimed Mountain View County councillor Patricia McKean as well as Didsbury’s CAO Roy Brown and the incoming two-month interim Cremona CAO Luana Smith.
When someone commented from the floor that there were less people at the forum than at other venues in town that evening, candidates suggested ways to get more people involved in the village’s affairs.
