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Candiate Profile: Tim Thatcher

Unlike many people in Rossland,I was fortunate enough to be born and raised here.My wife Karen and I raised two sons and we have a granddaughter growing up here . Rossland has always been known to have quality schools, abundant recreation opportunities, a great sense of community pride, voluntarism , and a decent relationship with big sister down the hill. These are the qualities we should all be proud of and strive to maintain.

I have worked at Teck for 37 years,33 of them in the Fire Dept.and the last 14 as a Captain. I have been with the Rossland Fire Dept. for 23 Years , Assistant Chief since 1994, spent 32 years on the Red Mountain Ski Patrol, 8 years on the Rossland Ambulance and served 8 years on the board of directors for the Warfield Credit Union. Golfing, fishing, curling, skiing,  growing vegetables in my greenhouse are some of my past times.

The Columbia-Washington proposal is the biggest project facing council in the upcoming year. What can the city afford, how much and what type of streetscaping should be completed? Rossland’s tax base is primarily residential, considerations must be made.The planning that is required is immense, insuring the clinic’s, drugstore and grocery store are accessable for our seniors, that all affected businesses have a reasonable length of time to plan for inventories and disruptions.

K to 12 education in our community is something we should all be fighting for. Council must work hard with the groups in the community and maintain pressure on the school board for this cause. K to 12 allows us to have our own identity and is important for attracting new families to our town.

Discussions should continue with our regional partners on Recreation and the Liquid Waste Management Plan. I think access to the Trail Aquatic Center is important for young families and seniors, as is a solution for LWMP. But at what cost? I believe a solution can be worked out, but it has to fair and equitable for all parties concerned.

To attract new businesses and light industry, we have to insure zoning is place and bylaws are updated regularly. We don’t want to be left behind when the economy rebounds.

Development Cost Charges should include any cost the city has occurred. No tax money should be used in a private development. Developers should bear the brunt of their infrastructure costs.

Private investors should be sought to build more senior housing.

Council has done a decent job in the past and there is a lot more work to do. To get the job done, there has to be co-operation and respect amongst all members of council ,as well as being shown to city staff.

I put my name forward for council after many years of contemplating , now is the time. I know there will be a large learning curve, and I am willing to commit the time.

Thank you for your consideration. Please vote on Nov. 19th.

 Please view all the candidates' profiles here, on our Election 2011 home page.