On Oct. 20, Prince George residents will pick one mayor, eight councillors and five school trustees. The ballot will have two mayoral candidates, 13 councillor candidates and 11 school trustee candidates. There are also 15 candidates running in the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.
PrinceGeorgeMatters has sent out a list of questions to those vying for a seat in public office.
Name: Cameron Stolz
Running for: City councillor
Age: 50
Number of years lived in Prince George: I was raised in Prince George. I left after graduating for four years for work, then came back to Prince George and have been here ever since.
Current neighbourhood: Westgate
Occupation: Owner, Great White Toys – Comics – Games
Reason community would recognize your name: I’ve owned Great White for 28 years, involvement in various volunteer organizations, involvement with my children’s activities.
What is the most important issue facing Prince George, and how do you propose to deal with it?
There are many important issues facing the City of Prince George. The one I have focused on is our basic infrastructure: our roads, sidewalks and buildings. We need roads to drive on that aren't a hazard to our cars. Sidewalks provide safety to our children on their way to school, to friends or to the park. Sidewalks are also used by runners, joggers, seniors, and are absolutely required by those with mobility aid devices.
We need to restore the funding cuts to our roads and sidewalks as well as properly fund them. I will work diligently on finding solutions for these issues.
How should Prince George address the issue of crime in the city?
Crime continues to be an issue in our city, though there have been some improvements. I think we need to be more proactive in involving the citizens of our community to help keep an eye out for each other through programs like the Block Watch.
The other challenge that officers face is increasing amounts of paperwork involved with each "incident" they deal with. I believe we could free up officers to focus on real problems, by having additional support staff for them.
What is your specific reason for running?
None of the incumbents who are running are small business owners. I believe that you need to a diversity of opinions to have good, respectful debate on issues and come up with the best solutions possible. As a small business owner and employer, I feel I can bring that different perspective.
Where can the city spend less?
Stop giving the senior exempt staff average raise increases of 10 per cent a year.
Where should the city be investing more?
The city should be investing more in our infrastructure, so that we don’t end up with more sink holes that take months to fix. We need to fund our roads so that rural and residential roads are fixed. That we have sidewalks that allow our children, seniors and joggers to enjoy their community. We need to address buildings that are at the end of their life such as the Elks Centre and the Rolling Mix Coliseum.
What new business or feature would you like to see in Prince George?
I would like to see a better park and trail system along our rivers.
Next time you’re walking in the woods and you come face-to-face with a Sasquatch, what do you do?
Take a selfie with him/her!
If the next city council does something film-worthy, who would play you in the film?
I think the best choice would be Bruce Willis. We have about the same amount of hair, and my wife thinks he’s really hot.
Complete the sentence...
When I’m not at home or at work, you can find me:...visiting with my dad, or going for coffee with friends.
The most random, yet interesting fact about me is: I have an actual placer mine with my dad where we mine for gold, just like on Gold Rush. (Though we have more success than Todd Hoffman.)
My favourite beverage is: Depends on what’s going on. Water by default. Wine with a good meal. Single-malt scotch relaxing with friends. Bailey’s and coffee on a cold morning.
For Christmas/Hanukkah/the gift-giving season, I would like:...to spend it with all of my family enjoying a huge turkey dinner.
The best park in/near to Prince George is: The Ancient Forest
If Prince George didn’t exist, I’d be living in:...a state of sadness.
When I need some pump-up music, I listen to: Greatest hits, '80s Rock
