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The NDP's Mark Olsen is today's featured candidate in Vernon-Monashee. Olsen says it wasn't hard to get involved in the race. "Anyone that's concerned about what's going on should get involved and I thought it was a good idea for me to try and make a difference. People I've talked
to are tired of an government that's arrogant and out of touch with everyday people. I want to take people's concerns forward." The long time School District 22 employee and current school bus driver and CUPE local 5523 president says travelling the riding he's hearing some basic concerns. "The two I'm hearing is the job creation and job losses, particularly in the forest industry, along with the Lavington glass plant closing down and other employers, and also the funding in education and the subsequent layoffs that will occur from that." Olsen says what may become a larger issue's the selling off of BC's rescources, like to private power companies. Olsen has lived in Vernon since moving here from the coast in 1986. He and his wife raised two daughters here and are now the proud grandparents of another young Vernon citizen.----------------------
The featured candidate in the Vernon Monshaee race today is Liberal Eric Foster. The Lumby mayor, North Okanagan Regional District chairman, and Charles Bloom forestry program instructor says the campaign has been dominated by one issue. "Pretty well everywhere where we go, people talk about the economy, and all the other issues that come up, are all wrapped around that. As long as we can weather the storm through this global economic downturn, and come out the other end strong--and I think we should--then we'll be able to get back on track." Foster says he's also hearing about the need to address school funding, which he says he will take to Victoria. Foster says the transition from eight year MLA Tom Christensen to himself, has been smooth. "I know a lot of the folks around here, or they know of me through my local government experience, so I've got a pretty good handle on a lot of the issues. I'm getting great reception going door to door and meeting with the business people downtown, that sort of thing." Foster doesn't think residents are tuning-out the election, saying the people he's talked with are interested, and concerned about the economy.
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Kiss FM kicks off profiles of the Vernon Monashee election candidates with Huguette Allen of the Green party. The rural Lumby resident, who got 17 percent of the votes in last year's federal election, says people are nervous about the future. "Insecurity of the future is the one thing that links all the people together and of course a lot of families are really concerned, about their own job, about the future. Climate change has not disappeared, it's still there." Allen, a Montreal born business consultant, says the Greens will work towards solutions instead of trying to destroy the other parties. "What I bring is a choice for people to elect someone who will work with whatever party is in power to advance solutions that we really need. I don't think we can wait another four years of just in-fighting and (doing) nothing." Allen believes she can do better than her strong showing federally. "This time it's quite possible all of the swing votes that have gone back and forth between the Liberals and NDP the last few elections may just come our way, so I am very hopeful that I can do very well in this election, perhaps even win it. The Green candidate in Okanagan Vernon in 2005, Erin Nelson, placed fourth with 6.9 percent of the votes.
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KISS-FM continues with the profiles of the six candidates running in the Vernon-Monashee riding. Today, it's R-J Busch, of the Re-Federation party. Busch says he decided to enter the race, feeling the Interior was being overlooked by the legislature. "Few issues have been taken care of over the last eight years with the current MLA, and I figure we need to have somebody to actually step up for us here, and get some of our major issues looked after." The retired military worker who lives in Coldstream says other issues include water and highways, in particular the strip between Vernon and Kelowna. "We've had a lot of deaths on there, and finally they're (BC government) doing something just because there's been a stimulus package that's come in, but they've never been there to address any of those issue for us." Busch says the party's fielding 23 candidates this election, up from five in 2005, and he is setting his sights high in Vernon Monashee. "In all honesty, I think we've got an awesome chance of actually winning. People are getting tired of the same issues not being dealt with here." Busch , who has never run for political office before, feels the government should be responsible to the people other than every four years at election time.
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Today's featured Vernon Monashee candidate on KISS-FM is independent Gordon Campbell. The meat-cutter from the Armstrong area says he was talked into another run by, among others, federal NDP candidate Alice Brown. "I wasn't going to because sometimes after you reach a certain age you wonder if you're flogging a dead horse, but I had enough people ask me, and the biggest help was Alice of the federal NDP Party who asked me to keep chugging along for a 'none of the above' on the ballot." Campbell says he's appalled by the waste in government..and says winning isn't important. "What's important to me is how many people will pick up on the fact that they are not able to say no, and how many people, for no good reason, realize that non voters are ostracised. Why is it it that I can just say no to everybody (all the candidates) until I have the information I need to make an informed decision?" Among his issues are a desire to see photo radar return. "We went to all that expense years ago to put the program out there, and (currently) a lot of people that would like to drive the speed limit are bumped up so they have to speed, and that piece of legislation at that time, slowed everything down on the highway. It was a pleasure to go to town and know that you didn't have to speed so you weren't being fingered or pushed on, or looked at like you were just driving too slow." Campbell also ran in the 2005 BC election and came in 5th out of 7 candidates with 945 votes (3.5%).
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