From the Silver Creek Community Association's Candidate Q&A series, question 6 of 7 During the campaign, have you heard something from a resident, another candidate or a community organization that challenged one of your assumptions or caused you to reconsider your position on an issue? Please tell us what you heard and explain how it affected your thinking. If your position did not change, did it help you understand the issue or another perspective differently?
Responses
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Dennis LaPierre
While during my visit with the Gardom Lake group seeking to have Mallory Ridge become a park, despite my expressed full support in that meeting, I erroneously used a confusing choice of words in a posting about it. It was not what I meant. My position did not change. The group has my full support and what I intend to do about it should I be elected is to approach Regional District staff and become fully apprised on exactly what next steps the Regional District needs to take to completely resolve the matter and have the area protected and designated as a park.
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Jon KozuskaI can say that 1 thing I didn't do was make assumptions, my approach was never to assume anything, rather, listen instead. If you listen, ask questions, and speak to people, you will certainly come to understand their issues. Making assumptions is a recipe that's doomed to fail. Each forum and each time I met with people throughout this campaign, it was always the same process: Don't assume to you know. I look at every conversation as a lesson, and knowledge is valuable. Experience is great but it doesn't grant you superiority.
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Melanie BeckettYes. Going in to the election, I had read a lot about the issue with Spa Hills online, and I was pretty certain that I wanted the composting facility shut down, and that was the best answer. After it was suggested to me by a couple of local people that I actually tour the facility and discuss the issues with the owners/managers, I made an appointment to see it personally. Although I continue to sympathize and understand bylaw infraction complaints, and I think they definitely need a solution. There is much more to the issue than I first realized, and I would like to come up with a more collaborative approach to the problem.