Oliver Daily News on the prowl this Sunday morning and found the new Mayor-Elect Martin Johansen in a quiet neighbourhood in the Meadows – outside dealing with his truck. He lives in a brand new home with his wife and son.

I asked are you happy? He said he was. I asked why he did not show for the election count. He said he preferred to wait and see the results on line.

What is this new politician thinking?

Johansen: I want to start by asking a lot of questions. Is the promise of two new RCMP officers a real thing? Is there paperwork on that. Will that increase the cost of the present policing costs – 30 percent at the moment.

“I want to know more about the public safety issue and what the people want to do about it and what can the municipal council do. We need a co-ordinated approach and I would want to get the players together – a Public Safety Committee to review the problems and come up with a unified approach.”

“The Town of Oliver needs a citizen’s survey of at least a couple of thousand responses…. to see what is important to them.” I sense there is a real disconnect between the locals and the elected officials.” Are the taxpayers getting value for the money they spend on taxes?”

Affordable housing will become a central issue Johansen says as many cannot afford suitable housing for their needs and are spending well above the national average for housing – meaning they have less to spend on other things.

He wants a look at the town’s strategic planning process. He will lead a discussion with council in the days ahead on priorities. Johansen says the budget process is about to begin so it is important to know what you want to do before beginning those talks.

Source ODN

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Out of the gate, he says his biggest priorities will be to get to know the other councillors — including three re-elected incumbents — and advocate for a “citizens survey” to take the pulse of the town.

“To get an idea what the people are thinking. I feel there is a bit of divisiveness in the community, by the way the vote unfolded.”

He envisions the survey would focus on issues like quality of life, value for taxes and budget priorities.

Because Oliver is under 5,000 people and on the provincial RCMP contract, town hall has limited say on how policing is delivered. Regardless, the mayor-elect says he will push for the creation for a “coordinated enforcement committee,” that will get RCMP and other stakeholders to one table.

“Getting some data on what the problems are and where the problems are, thinking ahead to budget, which isn’t that far away,” he said, musing about private security, increased bylaw or even CCTV cameras.

“I’d like to get some feedback from the people out there on the streets living it every day,” he added.

Source Castanet