Four candidates are vying for the mayor’s chair in Cache Creek, and the Journal sent the same questions to all four candidates, asking for their replies.
John Ranta is one of the Cache Creek mayoral candidates.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself (i.e. background, previous experience in local government). Former 35-year Greyhound driver, during which time I served in many union positions including B.C. provincial union rep. for the Amalgamated Transit Union. Elected mayor of Cache Creek in November 1990 until October 2018 (28 years). Served as Director of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) for 27 years and several years as an elected member of the executive of the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) up to and including UBCM president.
2. What do you see as the biggest issue facing the community and how do you intend to tackle it? Population erosion is the biggest issue, which can be addressed by identifying and attracting jobs for our present and future residents. A factor which has contributed to the population erosion is the recent significant property tax increases and annual utilities cost increases for water, sewer, and garbage services. Those increases combined with the unattractive appearance of the highway corridor, park, and closed pool all add to the challenges faced by Cache Creek.
When I left office in 2018 there was $3.2 million in a fund called the Landfill Legacy Reserve. Apparently most of that reserve fund has been spent and many people wonder what it was spent on, because there have not been significant visible projects undertaken during the past four years.
3. What type of development would you like to see in your community, and what steps would you take to attract it? The landfill industry for decades has provided jobs in the community as well as revenue. Presently, we are only receiving a small portion of the 750,000 tonne annual authorized input amount. There is a linear relationship between input tonnage and jobs, so it makes sense to contact other regional districts with the goal of having them potentially utilize our capacity in order to enhance revenue, create jobs, and lower tax and utilities costs. Further economic diversification can be attempted once we maximize the jobs in existing businesses and industry, which history shows is the best way to grow jobs in any community.
4. If elected, what is the most relevant skill or experience you can contribute to council? Leadership and experience are the skills that some have suggested are missing in the present council. My previous success in Cache Creek, the TNRD, and UBCM have prepared me to lead Cache Creek into a bright, thriving future filled with opportunities for the entrepreneurial spirit upon which the community was founded. As mayor, I will work with council to reopen the pool, identify and eliminate unnecessary spending, improve the appearance of the park and highway corridor, re-establish respectful council meetings, and always be available with open communications.
General voting day is Saturday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cache Creek Community Hall. There will be advance voting in Cache Creek on Oct. 5, 11, 12, and 13 (at the Cache Creek village office; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 11-13) and Oct. 7 (at the Ashcroft Hospital and Health Site, 3 to 4 p.m.). For more information, go to https://cachecreek.ca/elections-2022.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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