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Election 2018: Q&A with Nicole Cherlet

Candidate for Revelstoke City Council
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Current job/career: Owner, Big Mountain Kitchen & Linen.

Why do you live in Revelstoke?

There’s a sense of togetherness in smaller communities compared to the anonymity in larger cities. Ten years ago, our work at a backcountry lodge had dried up during the financial crisis, and my husband and I found ourselves looking for a new home. The balance of industries and the influx of ideas and travelers from Tourism made Revelstoke an appealing place to try. We came for a winter season to start, but fell in love with the support we found in the community the next summer as we started our first business together.

Why are you running for council?

I’ve been heavily involved in the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce and the Local Food Initiative for the last five years. Attending events and learning more about governance, I’ve come to realize that my voice and ideas would better serve my community from the Council Table.

We live in interesting times; the next decade will be telling for the future of our society, not just Revelstoke. I want to do more than contribute to the conversation, I want to contribute to the decision making process.

Why do you think you are qualified for the job?

I have a background in restaurants, resorts, sales, education and coaching. I believe in the power of effective consultation, and strategic automation, and I’m not afraid to discuss opposing ideas to find common ground.

We need passionate, kind, forward thinking people on our Council as we take on the challenges that come with rapid growth and world wide change.

What do you think the city should do to fund current and future infrastructure needs?

I have a few ideas, but I’m expecting to be learning a lot if I get elected.

The travelers coming through our city are taxpayers, but not to our core infrastructure. The numbers we’ll soon receive from Telus Insights will help us gauge their impact on our systems, and give us data to bring to senior levels of government and our own Tourism Infrastructure Committee.

Measuring usage rates with water meters will allow us to set goals for conservation and charge owners appropriately for utilities. A home with a small family should not pay the same rates as one full of tenants or short term rentals if the usage rates are different.

What do you think the city should do to address affordability for the average citizen?

The city needs to make affordability a priority in action, not just words.

On housing, we need to update our OCP and Zoning Bylaws to reflect modern opportunities for all walks of life. We need shovels in the ground to build more housing, affordable and otherwise.

Affordability involves more than just housing, however. Transportation, Food Security and Social Issues all become very pressing when you’re struggling to pay your rent, mortgage or property taxes. We need to make sure that all of our city services and amenities are attainable for lower wage earners and those on a fixed income.

What other issues would you want addressed if you were elected?

The new council and our City Hall need to be brave to move forward. Our community is full of intelligent, caring people who can help come up with solutions to our challenges, if they only knew what was going on.

We need to measure the progress of each city department with clear, meaningful metrics. This will allow us to see problem areas that need to be addressed, and celebrate the progress as we do the work.

I’m excited to be a part of the team that gets to tackle this. Revelstoke can be a leader in our province and country as we show how our community can live in balance with our roots, our natural environment and our visitor.