Jillian you seem like a nice (somewhat naïve)person and I think that you would do better to get on a city committee related to transportation issues. Our streets have sinkholes and potholes and we can’t remove snow to save our lives. I don’t know if carpooling, walking and biking are the most important issues facing the city in the next four years. There are transportation issues to the extent that our bus service is a reflection of our ridership. Good luck with your campaign and nice to see someone who is taking a modest approach to spending.

You tell her mr oneup482

She maybe smarter than you think, sitting on a committee that no one pays attention to or gain some experience running for political office. Excellent to see younger generation taking an interest,,, go girl

Public transportation is key. Higher ridership would equal more cars off the road, which equals less strain on infrastructure which equals longer life.

If public transportation isn’t your ball of wax then carpool. At minimum there should be two in a car, 4 is better.

Its all related.

The no. 1 question I will be asking all councillor candidates is how they will reduce our property taxes with the new recycling program that has been “forced” upon us by the province. If they don’t understand this question, then they do not deserve our vote.

No such thing as reducing property taxes in this town Ibear. They could reduce taxes but they would have to add a snow removal tax line and the added costs to administer the new tax would be about five percent

Ibear and Slinky, tax reduction is a very possible option for Prince George. The problem currently is non-enforcement of many of the existing bylaws that are in place. Looking at various revenue streams that are not being embraced currently could in fact reduce the home owner’s tax burden. It’s 2nd and 5th term counselors who clearly haven’t done anything to effect change in the system over the consecutive terms they warmed a seat in chambers. Toss the lot out and start with a new cast to see if we can get some forward thinkers with moxy and motivation to effect logical changes in how out City is managed and run. Send them a message, we are sick and tired of the petty childish crap we have been fed for the last few terms, buck up and do the job you’re elected to do, or you are history. Enough being “nice” about how counsel runs our city.

Professional: “counsel, 2nd and 5th term counselors”

I think we have a city council and councillors. Counseling is related to the law or legal profession. I could be wrong but I don’t think so.

News to most, but I think this city needs more people like Ms. Merrick on council. Time for new faces AND new ideas.
You’d have my vote Jillian, but I don’t live in the city.
(doesn’t stop me from airing an opinion, privilege of the old!!)
metalman.

Professional, that’s a very good idea.

Not sure that there are many people in Prince George, or in any other City for that matter that would give up their car to ride a bus.

As far as car pooling goes I doubt if anyone on this site actually car pools. We don’t need to elect a Councillor to get into the car pool business. If it is such a great idea, perhaps Merrick and other supporters of the idea could start to pool next week. If you are not prepared to do it yourself then don’t suggest that others do it.

Car pooling has been a failure in most Cities. If you drive on the Freeway in Vancouver you will see that the HOV lane which can only be used if you have two or more passengers in your car is always very close to minimum utilization. Why?? Because everyone is driving their own car to work that’s why.

Transportation is not an issue that will get much traction in this town.

On a more positive note, perhaps Merrick could expand her platform to include having an internal audit of City spending, borrowing, etc; With that type of a platform I would vote for her in a New York minute.

I think it’s great to see a young face join the race. Although transportation isn’t the number 1 issue in our city IMO, it does need drastic improvement. A better transit system could also help attract new students to UNBC from other cities. Palopu, I’ve read previous articles that were about Jillian, and she walks or rides a bike to work. So she is prepared to do it herself.

Best way to reduce property tax… STOP URBAN SPRAWL. PG is the 2nd largest municipality in BC (second to surrey), and we are definitely not 2nd in population. Time to see densification. It would ease the burden on the city for sewers, storm drains, and snow removal while increasing our property base. Council approving the 1 acre subdivision in Blackburn was a huge fiscal mistake.

She has my vote.

To address you concerns oneup482, Our infrastructure deficit is the #1 concern of our city, but every other candidate thus far is running on this platform. Instead of repeating this, I look forward to supporting the best motions put forward (after all, it takes more than one councillor to move anything), and at the same time, shedding light on other issues that are being neglected. I’ve spent many years chairing various transportation groups in town, and was a major contributor to the city’s Active Transportation Plan and Transit Futures Plan. I am personally responsible for installing more bike racks in public spaces than the city itself. Unfortunately there is no transportation committee within the City of PG that I can join, so the next best option is Council.

lbear, the new recycling system is entirely paid for by the businesses that produce of packaging and waste. There are no property tax implications involved.

Palopu, to address your concerns I, I do practice what I preach. I don’t own a car, and I walk, ride, bus and carpool to get around, even during the campaign period.

To address the rising tax concerns, A better transit network would improve housing options in the city and reduce pressure to expand our sprawling roads network (and parking needs). Our taxes are rising quickly because our foot print is too large. The only way to reduce taxes is to attract more people to the city without increasing the need for new infrastructure – the only way to achieve this is through densification, and alternative transportation option are a key part of that.

And a quick thank you for the feedback, and your the time you’ve taken to read and comment on the issues. If any of you would like to contact me directly, you can email me at newjillenium (at) gmail.com or look me up in the phone book. Thanks