Mayoral candidate François Nantel dreams of promoting New Westminster venues for short track speed skating, drawing the Strong Men Competition downtown and hosting Little League championships at Moody Park.

Inspired by our riverfront location and maddened by traffic, mayoral dark horse Vance McFadyen would divert truck routes to the city’s perimeter and dreams of connecting Front St. to the new Pier Park & Quay with a vehicle and pedestrian ramp, thus eliminating the need for train whistles in the most irritable location.

Incumbent trustee Casey Cook believes New Westminster is on track in terms of programs of choice and the number of support programs offered, however he believes more planning is needed to improve decision-making, including strategic, communications, performance management and transparent budget management plans.

Improving communication with parent advisory councils, teachers and the community at large is a priority for trustee candidate James Pepa.

If elected, trustee candidate Jonina Campbell says she would initiate a task force aimed at improving physical and mental wellness, which would include initiatives to get more children walking and biking to school.

Trustee candidate MaryAnn Mortensen sees a lot to like in our school district, including a wide selection of programs of choice and many dedicated teachers and staff, but the biggest issue she sees is how decisions are made a the school board table.

Jim Goring wants to explore how New Westminster can better engage children and teachers in the future.

Brenda McEachern Keen would like to improve the structural readiness of our school district to improve its ability to take advantage of new opportunities for students. She’d also like to see improvements in project management of new school construction.

David Phelan wants the New Westminster School Board to keep the focus on creating the best education system possible, protecting what we do well and being aware of emerging trends in education that can help us improve, such as the introduction of School Learning Gardens, partnerships with community organizations such as the Royal City Farmers Market and new technologies that can support learning.

Trustee candidate Glen Richmond would like to see more play space for students, fewer portables and a return of the School Liaison Officer program.

Communication with the public and respectful dialogue among trustees are two areas where our school board needs improvement, according to veteran trustee Michael Ewen.

School trustee candidate James Janzen was the first to respond to the first Tenth to the Fraser all-candidates trustee candidates survey. The most important education-related idea or issue to James is ensuring choice for children and parents in public education.

School trustee candidate Lisa Graham supports proactive public engagement to better inform stakeholders, believing “meaningful discussion is informed discussion.”

Improving livability in New West is one of Cal Donnelly’s priorities. Some of his ideas? Taking trucks off the Pattullo Bridge during daytime hours, upgrading recreational facilities and improving the City’s communication with citizens.

Council candidate Chuck Puchmayr believes the best economic development is providing a safe, clean city – along with creative approaches to counter the impact of big box stores that hurt downtown cores.

All candidates were asked to share one ‘blue sky’ idea they would bring forward if cost was no object. Jaimie McEvoy offered five, and justified by saying, “That’s just the amazing thing about New Westminster. We refuse to accept the apparent limits as the end of what we can accomplish. And as a result, we often succeed.”

Council incumbent Bill Harper would like to see the City make better use of technology to improve access to information and make City Hall more citizen-friendly.

Traffic is among city council candidate Vladimir Krasnogor’s top concerns, and he’d like to see the City take a fact-based approach to solving gridlock by analyzing traffic patterns.

Born and raised in Sapperton, Gerry Liu would like to see more support for residents’ associations in New Westminster, a new state-of-the art community centre, and would oppose a waste-to-energy incinerator in our community.

The economy, transportation, affordable housing and environmental considerations are on Dr. David Noshad’s mind. Noshad believes younger citizens need more attention by city council, that increasing the city’s revenue by other means than taxes is the best way to fund needed improvements, and would hire consulting firms to provide scientific analyses of complex issues to help council make more informed decisions.

Betty McIntosh says she is ‘friendly to all’ and would continue to listen and work for the people in New Westminster. She supports continued social media outreach via councillors and City staff, and would like to see City staff propose new ways to improve efficiencies in government.

Council candidate Susan Wandell shares her ideas to improve New Westminster, including more support for the arts, reaching out to disenfranchised communities, attracting light/green industries, and asking the electorate to guide spending priorities when they vote at each election.

Jonathan Cote admires what he calls New Westminster’s ‘incredible sense of place.’ If re-elected, Cote would like to improve economic development by attracting new industries and commercial office space, improve residents’ participation in public consultation, and reduce truck traffic through the city.

New Westminster’s infrastructure deficit is a big concern for incumbent councillor Lorrie Williams. She’d also like to see planning begin for a new sports complex in the city.

Council candidate Gavin Palmer wants to see more of what he calls a ‘can do’ attitude among City staff, more support for Residents Associations and an approach to civic management modeled after private enterprise, reducing subsidies and moving to a user-pay a fee-for-service approach.