Name: Ian Thompson
Age: 56
Occupation/background: I have lived in Nanaimo for 23 years, have been married for 32 years to my wife Carol and have three adult children and three grandchildren. For the first 13 years I was the general sales manager for the radio stations in Nanaimo. Presently I am a real estate agent at Remax of Nanaimo
Why are you running for public office?
I have always worked to make Nanaimo a better place for everyone by volunteering my time with numerous organizations including as past president of both the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation and the Rotary Club of Nanaimo North. I see public office as the next step in doing what I can to keep Nanaimo moving forward.
What three priorities are important to you and how do you plan to tackle these issues if elected?
Keeping taxes at a reasonable level. I am in favour of a core review so we can ensure the money we are currently collecting is used in the most efficient manner possible.
Involve the community outside of council meetings; I believe that council needs to ask for more input prior to making decisions. I suggest roundtable discussions where we listen more than we speak.
I believe the South Downtown Waterfront Initiative will have the biggest impact for Nanaimo. I believe the city should set up a separate operating organization like the NEDC to ensure a plan is followed that we can all be proud of.
How do you plan to manage taxes and spending?
A core review will tell us what we can do to spend our current taxes more efficiently.
What do you think it takes to lead Nanaimo? Describe your leadership style.
My style involves co-operation and confidence. We need to ask for input and listen more than we speak. As a real estate agent I work on a daily basis to bring buyers and sellers together, event though they don’t agree. I can work with a wide variety of people. I also have the confidence required to be on city council. My job will be to make the best decisions for all of Nanaimo rather than trying to please everyone.