The last of them are in.
On Friday (Oct. 14), anyone running for city hall in the Nov. 19 municipal election had to have their nomination papers in to the chief electoral officer. Squamish has 23 residents running for council and three shooting for the mayor's seat.
With 20 years' background in creating and growing businesses, Squamish council candidate Jeff Cooke wants to tackle city hall in the same manner.
"My experience is in building businesses," the Garibaldi Highlands resident said. "I think we can grow Squamish in the same way."
Cooke is president and owner of Bark Busters Canada, a company started eight years ago that now holds claim to being Canada's largest dog training company. Before that, Cooke was a marketing manager with Kraft Foods and Kellogg's, specializing in new business development.
Job creation is one of the biggest issues currently facing Squamish, he said. Cooke said he sees the district taking on the role of helping existing business grow, while attracting new business to town. A portion of the equation lies in encouraging new, self-employed professionals to Squamish, he said. With advances in technology, more and more companies are allowing their employees to work remotely, Cooke noted. That means people have the option of choosing where they lived based on the community and its resources.
"I think it is important to invest in Squamish's 'brand phrase' for tourism, but more importantly it attracts people who want to live here," he said, referring to Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada slogan.
Inevitably Squamish will grow, Cooke said, and the district needs to grow to address upcoming infrastructure needs. If the population grew by 10 per cent, then the municipality would draw in 10 per cent more revenue without raising taxes, Cooke said.
Cooke currently pays approximately 15 per cent in property taxes, a trend that he says can't continue upward.
"It is not going to work by simply increasing taxes on people," he said. "People's salaries aren't going up by 15 per cent."
Like Cooke, Sarah Braebrook said she has what it takes to provide "good management" on council. The Squamish resident of 18 years is running for a council seat because she said she understands the need to facilitate development efficiently.
"I am not issue-driven," Braebrook said. "I understand budget issues and I have an understanding of corporate responsibilities."
For the past two years, Braebrook's time was consumed as a primary caregiver to her sister, who had Alzheimer's, and later busy dealing with bereavement issues. With that complete, the independent financial advisor said she's ready to enter the political arena.
Braebrook has an Honours Degree in political science from the University of British Columbia and is completing a Master's in business administration. Braebrook has served on the boards of Castle Rock Family Housing, the Howe Sound Women's Centre and the Squamish Library and has been a member of the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, the Royal Canadian Legion, Rotary, St. John's Parish Council and St John's Mews Society, which was established to attempt to develop low-cost seniors' housing.
Braebrook holds a commission in the Canadian Armed Forces - training through the reserves as a logistics officer and serving attached to the regular armed forces as a finance officer.
"I hear people saying that they are not represented on council," Braebrook said. "I can help them."
Why should Squamish continue down the wrong path if it's not working? That's the question being asked by council candidate Chris Wallace. What he's referring to is the Squamish Oceanfront development.
"My biggest issue, the most important issue is the Squamish Oceanfront lands," he said.
The foreshore area represents significant revenue-generating and job-creation opportunities, the Squamish resident of 17 years said. But as it stands, the district is gearing up to sell off the land to developers who will build more unneeded housing, Wallace said, adding that the entire Mamquam Blind Channel waterfront is already held by private developers who are committed to condo projects.
"I don't agree with the current plan," he said.
The district should maintain ownership of the land and lease it out for light industrial uses, Wallace said. Such a site with deep water access is rare, he said. As the federal and provincial governments push to generate more shipping trade, Squamish could benefit from diverse water-dependant industries, Wallace said.
"This is one of the biggest reasons I am running," he said.
Wallace is general manager for the Big Sky Golf and Country Club in Pemberton. He has worked in the golf industry since 1991 and helped develop Furry Creek Golf Club. He sits on the board of directors for both the National Golf Course Owners Association and the British Columbia Golf Marketing Alliance.
The father of three teenage daughters said he has a lot of experience in the tourism industry, along with a good business sense. For the first time in his busy career, Wallace said, he has time and energy to dedicate to city hall. Wallace said he's always been interested in politics, now he hopes to get involved from the inside.
Terrill Patterson, Geoff Dyer and Larry McLennan also submitted their nomination papers for council seats last week. Patterson has so far declined to be interviewed, and neither Dyer nor McLennan responded in time for The Chief's press deadline. Look for a story about their candidacy in the Oct. 28 edition.
