Age/occupation: 49, CFO at Egami Creative Group
Having run twice for provincial office, Dennis Marsden is no stranger to the campaign trail. But there is one characteristic about running for municipal government in Coquitlam that the 49-year-old Thermal Drive neighbourhood resident said he is particularly enjoying: independence.
"We are not tied to a party line," he said of his council campaign. "I am an independent. I am able to listen to what people say and respond to them."
One thing he said he keeps hearing while canvassing door-to-door is that people are paying too much in property taxes. Marsden believes there are ways the municipality can limit spending and increase revenues, noting that the city's investment reserves could be generating larger returns.
"We need better rates of return on our assets," he said. "The returns the city is getting are less than a client with $500,000."
Another area where Marsden said he has heard complaints from voters has to do with the Evergreen Line and the development surrounding the stations.
Parking and construction issues have caused a lot of concern in the business community and he believes the city needs to do more to mitigate the impacts.
He also thinks that while the focus on the Evergreen Line has been on the few blocks around the individual stations, people who live in the surrounding neighbourhood are being ignored.
"We need to make sure they are getting some of the attention," he said.
