Chris Coleman Q&A Plus News

Before we get into this, a couple of notes: We have just decided to allow comments, although several stored comments have been deleted because they were pretty offensive.

Beyond that, there are just about 2 weeks left before the election, so GET READY TO VOTE. Remember you get to vote for eight councillors and one mayor as well as 3 CRD directors (more on this later) and the school board. For this reason, you might want to make a list to take with you to the polling station and really give it some thought rather than just show up and start ticking boxes. Lots of people we've talked to will sit down with other civic-minded friends (or hopefully friends who are new to voting) and discuss who to vote for on November 19th as a group, which makes the selection process less tedious.

Moving right along... Chris Coleman is running for his fifth term on Victoria Council. Chris received 6102 votes in the last election, or 5.95% of votes cast. His CV includes a number of boards and commitees across a wide spectrum of local issues, so Vic Votes can't really pin down one issue that Chris is all about. His website is here and here are his survey answers:

Q: Why are you running and why should I vote for you?

A: I have 12 years experience in the municipal governance model, and have a good track record of working with diverse interests in seeking common solutions

The skills that I bring to Victoria City Council table are:
- an aptitude for meeting with people & listening to their problems;
- an ability to weigh various (often competing) perspectives; and,
- a desire to find solutions that make our community better & safer for everyone.

I would like you to support me in being re-elected to Victoria City Council & elected to the CRD Board.

Q: What issue is most important to you and why?

A: If the noble goal is to continue building a "sustainable", but affordable community for all, then one of the cornerstones has to be a range of housing options. Of particular interest to me are initiatives that address options for:

1) young families entering the housing market;
2) Seniors, particularly those on fixed incomes; &,
3) homeless citizens.

Q: What's something people don't know about you?

A: Not many realize that I sit as one of 75 elected members on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities National Board (only 8 members are from BC, and I am the only one from Vancouver Island). We advocate on behalf of all cities & communities with the Federal Government on a range of issues, lobbying for:

- a national "Housing & Homelessness Strategy",
- a national "Transportation Strategy",
- broad programmes which allow Canadian communities to address the "Infrastructure Deficit",
- the municipal interest in the nation's "Immigration Policy",
- the role of cities & towns play in "Climate Change Adaptation".

Of this work I am very proud.

Posted in: Candidates,Council,Election2011,Interviews,News