Malcolm Parker 2017: Mayoral interview

T8N Magazine sat down with Malcolm Parker to discuss several issues in the 2017 election. 

t8n: You announced your candidacy months later than your opponents. Why did you wait until now?

Parker: There are two things I always ask myself when I’m running for an election: Why am I doing it, and can I be committed to it? If I can’t give myself good answers on that, then I know I shouldn’t be doing it. But now I understand why I’m running. I strongly believe that I’ve got the skill set that the community needs. I’ve got the experience of having been on council. I’ve got really strong business experience. When you look at running a city, with the size of a budget like that, you need someone with those skills. I think I’ve got that skill set. The second part of that is when I look at how this council has performed these last four years, I can see that it’s been very dysfunctional. They haven’t worked together as a team. If you ask the public, that dysfunction is one thing they’re seeing. So, we need someone in there without baggage who can get the city rejuvenated again.

t8n: Much of the conversation surrounding this election has focused on the library, arena and pool plebiscite—issues you haven’t addressed. You have, however, spoken to the need for improving infrastructure and roads. Why is this the issue you’ve chosen to address?

Parker: One of the things I learned while I was on council was that the number one issue that all municipalities have is their infrastructure. When we talk about infrastructure, we’re talking about roads, bridges, parks, buildings and all those things that really matter to the community. If you want to keep the community a place where people want to live, work and play, you’ve got to upkeep that infrastructure. If your roof begins to leak are you going to spend the money to fix that? Or are you going to go out and buy yourself a new toy? That’s why I focus on infrastructure.

t8n: You’ve stated that your financial plan for the city isn’t about cutting costs; it’s about a need for being more cost-effective. What isn’t working with the current financial plan, and what would you change?

Parker: What I would like to do is sit down with the city manager and look at the budget. I’d like to get a good feel for it and find out what things in the budget are necessities. We can even work toward changing the way we do our budgeting. I think we can find some opportunities to cut back. As a council, we need to set priorities and then go back to the city manager with clear areas of focus. t8n

Click below for our interviews with:

Cathy Heron Cathy Heron 2017

Cam Mackay Cam MacKay 2017