Editor:
Your question of the week (Coast Reporter, Oct. 10) is whether the Vital Signs report is an important tool for local government. Absolutely — and what timing — right as the municipal elections kick off.
Consequently, acting as a private citizen, I have booked space for two non-partisan all-candidates forums so that voters can ask candidates for mayor and council in Sechelt what they would do if elected on Nov. 15.
A mayoral all-candidates forum is on Monday, Oct. 27, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt, and a council all-candidates forum is on Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Sechelt Activity Centre.
Both forums will start off with questions to all candidates about the issues raised in the Vital Signs report, released last week and summarized in the Oct. 10 edition of Coast Reporter.
How do these issues affect Sechelt residents? What can elected officials do at the municipal level to help create solutions? (For the full report, go to www.sccfoundation.com, click on Vital Signs 2014.)
Following this, there will be opportunity for voters to raise questions from the floor. Candidates will have no more than three minutes to answer, so they’ll have to be on their toes. And as moderator, I will ask for respect and decorum from all present.
Space is limited, and there are no reserved seats. Voters who have already made up their minds on who they will support are asked to leave room for electors genuinely curious to learn more about individual candidates.
Sue Jackel, Sechelt
