Who are you supporting for council?
[Long pause.] I'm dismayed with how divisive this is becoming for a council that needs to work together in the next term, so I'm reluctant to talk about that. I'm supporting the ones that aren't running as a slate.
Who are you being funded by?
Individuals, companies. I don't have knowledge of the exact names. The only one I'm turning down money from is the unions we have to negotiate with because I've always felt it was too much of a conflict.
What groups do you have endorsements from?
Currently, the Coquitlam firefighters' union.
What do you think is the main difference between you and your opponent?
Certainly, one of the main ones is independence. I really value that Coquitlam has avoided the party politics by and large, although this time, there is a distinct slate. Secondly, the proven results. Barrie's been on council a long time. He's not one to initiate policies or champion issues, whereas I feel that's an important role for council members. I have taken many issues and pushed aggressively for solutions.
Why is he criticizing your leadership abilities?
I'll leave that to him.
How have you united council?
The results are evident. We have more unanimous votes on issues. We have more consensus-based decisions. We have greater public consultation. And really, until this election campaign, Barrie ended the vote with all of council on almost everything.
You use Facebook often to let the community know about your mayoral activities. But you've also used the social media site to lash out at opposing councillors. Do you think that's appropriate?
I think social media, like any media, has allowed us to communicate and dialogue. I'm told that I use social media better than other local politicians. I recall an instance when all of council was frustrated by someone's decision to vote the opposite of how he felt for political reasons. I've made no apologies for my distaste for the petty politics.
Why isn't there more interaction with Port Coquitlam and Port Moody city councils?
I want to see more of that because it's not just more constructive but it's invaluable in trying to advance the sub-region's perspective at Metro Vancouver and with the province.
You are a director for Coquitlam on the Metro Vancouver board. From a regional standpoint, why are this city's priorities always on the backburner?
It is a question of both size and influence. I've gone to great lengths in the past three years to improve Coquitlam's relationships in the region. It has worked. For example, the barriers for the Evergreen Line - a stalemate that has existed for 20 years, largely because of poor relationships - have been removed. We did that with the October vote. There are other regional issues that Coquitlam can take a bigger role in but only if we ensure that we work on our influence and relationships.
How confident are you that the Evergreen Line will be built in the next five years?
100%. All of council agrees. We've now removed the last barrier. The province has passed the legislation, supported by all parties. It is moving ahead with procurement. The environmental and engineering [work] is complete. The funding is all in place.
Residents have been very vocal this term, especially at public hearings. Why is that?
I really appreciate when the public is engaged. We have tried to engage citizens more than in the past. The webcasting of city council meetings and public hearings allow the public to really participate in a much greater way in the decisions the city makes. When the public comes out for a six-hour public hearing on the homeless shelter, that's good news. I want those meetings to be respectful but I also want them to be full of back-and-forth on the choices that have to be made.
The Ipsos Reid poll showed that residents are at their saturation point for property taxes. If you're re-negotiating the collective agreement with the union, how do you keep taxes down, if re-elected?
It would be different if the union hadn't received an increase in this past year. Or the past five years. But with a 4% CUPE wage increase for each of the last three years of my mandate, that was my biggest financial challenge at a time when no one in my community was getting a 4% raise. Whatever CUPE gets is our inflation rate. It has been frustrating, especially when the same people who voted against the budget voted in favour of the [CUPE] wage increase.
The cyclical reviews by management were effective but the cost-cutting and restructuring in some departments were very stressful on staff. How do you keep the morale up at city hall when you undertake these exercises?
That is ultimately one of the biggest management challenges. I believe in management wandering around. I talk to our staff and I know the stresses that the review processes create. It's necessary. There's no question. I think the citizens agree that we make sure we're doing the right things in the right way because every household does the same thing. They budget carefully. I'm an incredibly thrifty person. At the same time, we have some incredibly dedicated staff. The way that you move any organization forward is listening to the rank and file on their ideas.
You're at a lot of events that you don't have to be at, especially on weekends. Why?
I've lived all my life in Coquitlam and I passionately believe in this community. I wanted my first term as mayor to do an outstanding job and I think we did. I'm told I did.
Things like $50 million saved in capital projects - I can point to each of those dollars and say, "That's a result of an initiative that I introduced." We now have our construction properly controlled. We're ahead of budget and on time with our projects. We're creative and we've embraced environmental initiatives that have won us awards. I have a lot that we can be proud of, these last three years.
But a great deal of work is only partly done, and so I'm looking forward to completing much of what we've started and to move forward this city that I grew up in.
This is your race to lose. What will you do for employment if you're not re-elected?
I had a better job than this before, with much shorter hours. My wife pointed out that last year I finally made the same salary in absolute dollars as I made in 1994.
