A constituency assistant for Port Coquitlam NDP MLA Mike Farnworth, Coun. Glenn Pollock hears about a lot of concerns in the community- so much so that councillors Dean Washington and Brad West often kid Pollock about being the go-to man for complaints.
Still, "I get back to people," Pollock said. "They may not get the answer they want to hear but anybody who calls me, I'll meet with them about anything."
Since being elected in 2008, the union-backed councillor has heard plenty about garbage collection and the Fremont connector. There are still a few issues to be worked out with solid-waste and recycling pickup, which is now handled internally in PoCo, but Fremont remains a big one.
Pollock likes the Cedar Drive option "although I'm open to what the residents tell us," he said, adding, "I don't foresee the traffic volumes from Burke."
Many Burke commuters will take Coast Meridian Road or a new Lincoln Avenue link over the Coquitlam River to get to the Evergreen Line in Coquitlam Town Centre, Pollock suggested.
And unlike some other PoCo candidates, Pollock doesn't believe Coquitlam should cough up funds for Fremont as it will serve a regional purpose when built. His main goal is to get surety for the area residents about where Fremont will land.
Pollock also doesn't think PoCo needs to hire more Mounties to improve the city's traditionally poor cop-to-population ratio, although he said, "You can never have enough. It's a balance of how much you want to pay in property taxes versus what you need."
As for the next four years on council, the lacrosse coach and member of the Tri-Cities' collaborative health table envisions PoCo will "look great. We going to work on the trail system, the rec centre, another synthetic field and we're going to have a great active place to live in."
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