With nominations closing at 4 p.m. Friday (Oct. 10), the official list of candidates running for municipal council during the Nov. 15 election includes Greg Gardner, long time council watchdogs Terrill Patterson and John Erickson facing off for the mayor's chair, with 18 others competing for six council seats.Erickson was a surprise mayoral candidate, submitting his papers late in the day Friday, and six of the 18 council candidates also waited until late in the nomination process to file their papers.Erickson said he's running because he "can't take any more of that crap coming out of council."He called the town's lawmakers "a bunch of doughheads working the system for his own ends," but was reluctant to reveal how he would govern."There's no sense in telling you now," he said. "The big guns would just cut you down."In what has become tradition, Patterson waited until minutes before deadline to file his papers. Afterward, he said he feels confident he'll nab 25 per cent of the vote, as he has always received, because "25 per cent of the people are ticked off.""Fifty per cent are swing votes, that's what you've got to get," he said.Patterson is running on a platform of transparency at city hall."No more secret meetings," he said. He also said he could've balanced the budget over the last three years without raising taxes.Businessman and current councillor Gardner lists numerous issues as his platform, including balanced growth, homelessness, food security, affordable housing and fiscal management. He criticizes the district's current lack of a 2010 committee, saying "one should be established immediately."Newly introduced to the race are Deb McBride, Jorli Ricker, Larry McLennan, Alan Forsythe and incumbent Jeff McKenzie, who until filing, refused to state publicly whether he was vying for a second term. Also surprising is the addition of Ron Bahm Sr., who in early summer, said he was considering a run at the mayor's seat.Bahm, a construction manager, said he changed his mind in the belief he'd have a better chance of getting elected. He has said he'd like to tackle ongoing problems such as a lack of affordable housing and crime. "Making sure that all our resources are here to get addicts into the flow of things, to help them get off drugs and get the support that they needand that goes hand-in-hand with the property crimes."McKenzie, a small business owner and former Chamber of Commerce director, gave a brief statement on why he was running: "I'm running for the same reasons last time I ran for council, I feel that I am a consummate volunteer for the community I've been involved with before." and this is the ultimate in volunteering is being a councillor and helping out the community in any way I can."In an advertising flyer, McKenzie lists his positive characteristics, including "tells it like it is," "effective - gets things cone," and "running independently. McLennan, an accountant, has run unsuccessfully in past elections and traditionally has, as a high priority, fiscal responsibility. Just a few weeks ago, McLennan was still undecided, but decided to run "to address what I consider a very serious matter.""Without competent fiscal management those 10 per cent tax increases could continue or get worse. If elected I will propose that council remuneration be decreased by 10 per cent and frozen for the next three years."McBride, a computer tutor and long time resident, is well known to current council through her regular appearances at public hearings in opposition to development encroachment on the estuary and viewscapes."I am entered in the municipal election forcouncillor as a natural step from speaking in opposition to Squamish council atpublic hearings," she said.Ricker is a single 31-year-old independent film producer who grew up in West Vancouver and has lived in Furry Creek for the last five years. He's never run for political office before, but said he was compelled to seek a seat to try to implement ideas for boosting the local economy and business interest. "I'd like to start up a different type of community fund, something quite a bit different than the Squamish Foundation that currently exists. Rather than having residents ship their money off for investment, keep it in the community." He said he's also like to see a community bank that would adopt mechanisms allowing entrepreneurs and businesses to receive capital and funding.Alan Forsythe, the former publisher of the Sea to Sky News, said he's running to address social and economic issues."Forsythe is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, affordable housing for families, improved transit options for seniors, support for and the promotion of the district's recreation opportunities and greater communication between local government and residents," he states in a news release.Residents can take the opportunity to meet their candidates during their own meet and greets, and through three formal meetings.
