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Chamber has questions for candidates

Twenty-three individuals indicated they are prepared to dedicate their next four years to public life.

In the past year, Summerland residents have had many discussions around topics such as Agricultural Land Reserve land, community culture, downtown revitalization, the new library and a host of other issues.

When the nomination period for municipal elections closed last Friday afternoon, 23 local individuals had indicated that they were prepared to put their money where their mouth is and dedicate their next four years to public life.

Two of these candidates have already been acclaimed and we will all be well served by Linda Van Alphen and Julie Planiden as our school trustees.

We wish them well in their work.

The remaining 21 people must now earn our votes as we select a mayor and six councillors.

Anyone who has attended a council meeting knows that these people must work hard and come to the table prepared to deal with issues that may be exciting but are much more often routine.

With district income and expenses approaching $28 million this year, there is a lot to talk about.

Many of these issues affect businesses differently than households so this year the chamber is asking council and mayoral candidates to answer a series of business related questions.

We will be posting their answers on our blog on Wednesdays and Fridays in the lead up to the election.

By the time you read this column, the first responses will already be posted and if you follow us on Facebook you’ll know when new answers are available.

We believe these questions and answers will give readers more insight into each candidate’s perspective and get them thinking about the unique needs of the business community.

If you’re interested in the business community of Summerland, we hope you’ll read them too.

The chamber wishes to thank all candidates for their time and willingness to serve our community.

Good luck to everyone.

We always appreciate your feedback.  Please contact me at president@summerlandchamber.com or Christine Petkau at manager@summerlandchamber.com.

Arlene Fenrich is president of the Summerland Chamber of Commerce.  All of the members of the board of directors serve as volunteers.