Name: Colin Haime
Age: 50
Occupation/background: Chartered accountant; university professor and facilitator, CPA Canada; Lantzville mayor, eight years.
Why are you running for public office?
I have been a lifelong advocate of involvement in the community and believe my skills as a business owner, accountant, facilitator and goal-oriented leadership style are ways that I can serve as the Lantzville mayor.
The progress of Lantzville over the next four years will define Lantzville as a community and my experience and knowledge will be utilized to lead the community to achieve the goals and objectives contained in the Official Community Plan and at the same time bringing the community’s finances under control.
What three priorities are important to you and how do you plan to tackle these issues, if elected?
A water agreement for all Lantzvillagers. While the basic ideas behind the recently signed water agreement are acceptable, the exclusion of hundreds of Lantzville residents to the benefit of developers is not. The priority is to revise the agreement, with Nanaimo’s permission, to focus new connections to those Lantzville residents with water challenges before developers and then concentrate development in the village core instead of the Foothills.
Protecting the vision and lifestyle of Lantzville. The community plan is the framework for the future of Lantzville. The changes that a developer demands in that framework could result in a Lantzville we do not recognize or desire. My priority is in protecting the vision by considering decisions in relation to the community plan created by Lantzvillagers.
Introducing a transparency/accountability policy for council. The water agreement is an example of the extremes Lantzville transparency and accountability has gone to. Council has a moral and ethical obligation to conduct the communities business in public and with disclosure to the residents. My 60-day priority is to introduce a policy whereby Council is required to release in camera documents and hold town hall meetings where residents can openly discuss areas of concerns and issues of the day.
How do you plan to manage taxes and spending?
Spending needs to be managed in a conservative fashion with increases at or below inflation and each dollar of spending scrutinized to determine if it is necessary or not. For the first eight years, Lantzville finances were managed based on the theory of a small permanent staff and contracting out of services. A core style review of the organization is required with recommendations to return Lantzville to the previous conservative spending.
What does it take to lead Lantzville? Describe your leadership style or co-working style.
Lantzville needs goal-oriented leadership, focused on the residents at all times, who does not wait around for others to come up with ideas. The council team from 2003-2011 shows that my leadership style of being goal-oriented and focused on the residents gets results with infrastructure built and strong financial management.