By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 18
A failed candidate for mayor vows to keep watching activities at Vernon city hall. Tony Stamboulieh, who placed fourth in the six-person race, says he will remain an active part of the Vernon Taxpayers Association. “I will continue to do this,” he said of speaking out on issues of concern. Stamboulieh received 787 votes compared to 2,728 for Wayne Lippert, 2,363 for Juliette Cunningham, 825 for Rick Thorburn, 538 for Steve Campbell and 148 for Floyd Edwards. “The beauty of democracy is that those who have taken the trouble to vote get the government they deserve,” said Stamboulieh. “Vernon certainly deserves Mayor Lippert and his team. And I wish them well. They will need all of their collective wisdom during these coming critical economic times.”
Stamboulieh doesn’t believe his showing in the election is a sign that the public doesn’t support the taxpayers association. “They (residents) have always supported the issues and concerns through petitions massively,” he said. “But perhaps local elections here and across the province indicated apathy. After the federal election, perhaps people are tired.” It has been suggested by Stamboulieh and the association that city hall hasn’t been open and transparent but Lippert disagrees.
“The mayor’s office has been more accessible than in the past and we need to keep concentrating on it and letting people know what the city is doing,” he said. Lippert says there is a need to educate residents about how city hall operates and some of the provincial legislation it must follow. “I want to make sure that people know that there are no secret meetings. All meetings are posted but there are in-camera meetings where there are issues that must be in-camera,” he said. Under provincial law, the matters that are to be discussed in private or in-camera meetings are labour, legal and property.
