By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Darcy Olsen

Oct 9, 2018 | 2:40 PM

NanaimoNewsNOW reached out to every municipal candidate to present an easy-to-read and informative guide for our readers to help with the upcoming municipal election. All candidates were asked the same four questions, which are presented here without being edited. 

Biography: Having raised both my children in Nanaimo I understand the struggles families face today; finding a safe home, good paying jobs, affordable daycare options, and a way to get to work. We need to attract new investments, good jobs and create a progressive vision and plan for Nanaimo. We need to bring back investors who decided to invest in other communities, promote clean industry, and support our tourism and arts and culture sectors

My background is in consulting, small business and various levels of government administration. I served previously as Director of Community Relations for the Nanaimo Clippers. I am a firm believer that you need to participate and volunteer in your community to truly be a part of it. I will work to restore faith in Nanaimo through cooperative interaction in governance, engaging in open communications with constituents, and a dedication to honesty and transparency.

Question 1: Describe, in detail, what you view as the most important duties associated with the role of being councillor/mayor?

The role of a councillor is to provide respectful leadership to create a healthy prosperous Nanaimo for all our citizens. It is important to obtain citizen input and with the assistance of the CAO to develop policies for social, economic and cultural development. A councillor needs to be willing to work in a respectful, collaborative environment with Mayor, Council and staff that allows for the values of individual stakeholders to be heard when discussing the issues of the day.

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I am rooted in the community and bring a diverse skill set to the table. With a strong work and volunteer history with municipal, provincial and federal governments, I have advocated for local citizens and non-profits, researched policy and fulfilled representational responsibilities. Previously, under my own consulting business, I worked to bring neighbourhoods and developers together to create complete communities that satisfy the needs of seniors, families and businesses. As the Director of Community Development for the Nanaimo Clippers (2016-17 Season), I shared my knowledge of volunteerism with the young hockey players. Their volunteer reach in our community had the Nanaimo Clippers nominated for the first time with the Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce.

Question 2: Describe your vision for Nanaimo beyond the next four years

Mayor and Council and the Economic Development department need to create a vision and plan. The structure needs to include consultations with committees, businesses and citizens to guide economic growth. We need to:

• Create a positive atmosphere to attract potential investors
• Recognize the success of our local businesses
• Attract outside investment with incentives that will create new jobs and attract young professionals
• Bring back those investors who have decided to invest in other communities
• Create clean industry
• Support tourism
• Support arts and culture

We are attracting immigrants from all over the globe, we should be developing relationships with the organizations that represent the diverse face of our community. While the unemployment rate has generally gone down, there is a stubborn pocket of poverty in our city where we have had no success. We need help from the Province with a poverty reduction plan and work with Nanaimo’s non-profit organizations and use their knowledge and skills to improve the lives of people who experience poverty. As Council, we can create conditions so that people can access:

• A home
• Employment
• Transit
• Childcare spaces in their neighbourhoods
• Council also needs to implement the ideas and actions identified in the Homelessness 2018 report.

Question 3: If you were making a lit of your top three strategic priorities for the incoming Council to focus on over the next four years, what would they be and why?

1. Rebuilding experienced staff and morale at City Hall:

Our city staff have had unnecessary turn over this last term where we have lost experienced management, people we have invested in with training and years with Nanaimo, and a member of Council. We will need to work to regain the trust of those who have stayed on and encourage growth within our city well looking to fill positions of experienced management helping us rebuild.

2. Rebuilding Partnerships:

Rebuilding Community Partnerships will be an important initial as these relationships have deteriorated over the last 4 years. We will need to rebuild relationships for collaboration and a healthy successful city with Snuneymuxw First Nation, Chamber of Commerce, Nanaimo Port Authority, Vancouver Island University Island, and the Airport Commission.

3. Rebuilding Committees:

The current committees need to be immediately dismantled an than restructured. Restructuring should only take place after extensive consultation with citizens and stakeholders with the help of city staff. Three committees that come to mind that need to be immediately brought back are the Economic Development Committee, Environmental Committee and a Downtown Revitalization Committee. City committees are the direct voice of our community and need to be sought and respected.

Question 4: What is your strategy for dealing with the intense pressure and scrutiny placed upon elected officials, especially from those who may not agree with your decisions or viewpoints?

Working as a council means behaving in a collaborative manner with respectful dialogue. Elected officials, city staff and citizens alike will not always agree and that is part of democracy. I will ensure that I listen carefully to different viewpoints and accept the outcome of votes, even if not in my favour, as that is what being a member of a group making decisions entails.

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