Mike Horn - City Council Candidate

My one and only promise is to bring critical thinking to Council decisions. By being thoughtful at the beginning of the process, the City can avoid creating problems and disputes. By looking at the issues from different points of view, we can get the most out of the opportunities presented to us. It is easy for any group of representatives or staff members to talk to each other but we should also do the harder work of getting residents and service consumers involved in the process. When we work together we can focus on the solutions rather than the problems.

 My two main issues are: Parks and the environment: Nanaimo's greatest asset is it's rich and beautiful location. We've inherited a great city and it's our duty to take care of it. Some of our parks are very well managed while others seem neglected. I have learned that some parks are being neglected while the City waits for developer fees to spend on them. This creates an incoherent and haphazard policy of park planning. We need to even out the parks budget and create a vision for the system, independent of development trends. Georgia Park sits above the seawall and deserves attention regardless of what happens to the empty lot beside it. Colliery Dam Park is the cities best swimming hole and the community around it was outraged at the rushed proposal to empty the lake. We need to communicate better with park users and not take them for granted. Major changes to park boundaries and design need to be authorized by proper referendums. The Cities public art program should continue and empty totem pole stands ought to be refilled with newly commissioned poles. The Park Warden program needs new recruits to discourage illegal camping. Minor issues with a park, like overflowing garbage cans, can be addressed more quickly if the Department offers a phone app for that. 

Support for the Downtown revival. For over a hundred and fifty years we have been building and improving Downtown Nanaimo. Together we can continue this legacy and have the Downtown core serve many purposes. Businesses and Governments are investing in the area again, so the City should provide a strategic vision which the money can follow. Changes are coming to the Port Authority lands and we need to make the Cruise Ship Terminal a worth while enterprise. There should be events planned to greet every Cruise Ship that arrives next year. Perhaps The Port Theater can help us with that. The building of one or more new hotels must be managed carefully and a locally owned hotel should get the chance to manage the Convention Center. It's the Cities job to maintain streets and services while keeping the sidewalks clean and safe. I will make a presentation to the Nov 3 Council meeting recommending a morning cleaning program so that store owners don't have to shoulder that burden.