Meet two candidates - one will be Rossland's next mayor
By Rossland Telegraph
Our candidates for the position of mayor are Lisa Kwiatkowski, an incumbent council member, and Janice Nightingale, who served on a previous council. Their responses to the questions below are presented, not in alphabetical order, but in the order received.
Janice Nightingale:
- Why do you want to be the Mayor? What motivates you to take on this role?
My experience as a councillor for the city of Rossland was overall very positive. I became a councillor to bring a balanced, data-based perspective to council, and to maintain the social fabric of the community that had been historically so strong. As I learned more about the workings of the city and the role of council, I was very fulfilled both personally by the constant learning for myself, and by the way that good local governance can make a direct and positive difference to the lives of our community members. The role of mayor is the next logical step, and I was very disappointed that personal issues did not allow me to continue in 2022. I am motivated to lead the council and city by my love and appreciation for the community I have lived in since 2004, and the opportunity to create an environment that will continue to attract and retain a diverse group of community members that enrich the social environment for all of us.
- What skills do you have that you think make you better able to perform all the functions of Mayor?
I have a long history of successful management, relationship building and negotiation in the private, non-profit, volunteer and public realm. My career with UPS showed me that measuring activities and outcomes lead to better decisions about future direction, and how those decisions are best implemented by the people who provide the services directly.
My recent work with CFIB (Canadian Federation of Independent Business) expanded my understanding of how upper-level government policies affect local governments and businesses, and how effective advocacy can be.
My 17 years working with the Smokettes on their annual fund-raising tournament showed me the incredible value that our community groups provide to the social welfare of our city and area, and of course as a councillor for the City of Rossland I applied those skills to work with a group holding diverse perspectives to reach consensus decisions, though good and bad times, on behalf of our community. I am ready to lead the next council to be as successful as they can possibly be on behalf of our community members and ensure that Rossland receives the supports it needs from other levels of government.
- How do you think council should deal with the constant tension between keeping taxes reasonable and keeping services and amenities operating at adequate levels?
In the spirit of being open to other perspectives, which I will certainly bring to the table as a leader, I would like to think about what we get for our taxes in Rossland.
We get a bill every year for our municipal tax portion, along with some other charges for other tax authorities. Our bill is fully transparent, applied equally to all property owners. Residents have access to our local government, we can walk into city hall, we can attend council meetings to share our issues, our decision makers are buying broccoli in the grocery store beside us. We get clean water, removal of liquid waste, clear roads, arenas, pools, recreation programing, playgrounds, bike and hiking trails, arts and events facilities and much more. We can see the direct results of our tax bill.
Perspective comes from looking at how we are taxed by other government levels. Most of us have some type of income, be it wages, salary, pension or other supports. On your most recent statement/payslip, notice the deductions taken off to support provincial and federal government programs. Then multiply that amount by the number of pay periods in a year (26/12/4/1). Don’t forget we also pay sales taxes!
I have done the work to determine that Rosslanders get very good value for their tax dollars comparatively. We need to make decisions that support the community, fiscally and socially.
When council approves a 5 year budget plan, that amount required is for revenue. There are other sources than the current residential property taxes. There will be new revenue from growth, from grants, from borrowing and from fees and charges. The full burden of required revenue will not necessarily, nor should it always, fall on our current residents.
- If Rossland must lose some service or amenity, which do you think are the least essential and would be willing to vote to cut or eliminate? Which amenities do you think provide the best value for the greatest number of Rosslanders?
Local governments by definition are service organizations. My approach has always been to maintain the levels of service, the facilities and amenities that have provided lifestyle and attracted and retained our community members over the years. People choose to live in Rossland because of the lifestyle for themselves and their families, and city amenities and services are a big provider of that lifestyle. Every amenity that the city provides is important to people in our community, and essential to our continued livability and quality of life. My personal opinion is that I would like to keep them all, and I will work to find creative, financially reasonable and responsible solutions that allow us to do that. Leading is not about creating benefits for some at the expense of others, it’s about finding ways to create “win-win” solutions that serve the whole community.
- It is not within Rossland, but if it happens it will affect Rossland, so what are your thoughts about the proposed open-pit mine on Record Ridge? What would be your position on it as Mayor?
The proposed open pit mine on Record Ridge is not in Rossland, so unfortunately, council and the city have no direct ability to control the outcome. However, as with many other issues council cannot control directly, it will affect our community, and we have a large group of community members who are concerned about the possibility of this kind of industry and how it will affect the health and recreational experience in our area. My approach with all issues that concern our community is to continue to build relationships with the Provincial and Federal departments who have the responsibly to ensure that the processes they have put in place to protect the community and our environment are rigorously followed, give direct input to those departments on alternate options and to provide a strong voice for our community to express their concerns and opinions.
- Please give your opinions on climate change and municipal efforts to curb it. Do you think municipalities have an important role? What would you like Rossland to do?
I have lived long enough, and am observant enough, to see that our environment is under stressors that we didn’t previously face. Putting protections in place to reduce the impacts on our community is a primary function of city planning. Managing the risk of fires, floods, and other increasingly severe weather events must be on the radar. In the day-to-day decisions within city operations, balancing choices with the lowest environmental impact at reasonable expense is a big way that the municipality can minimize their carbon footprint. Regionally and provincially, supporting initiatives that reduce our overall carbon footprint is another way that we can support the environment through policy. The City is well placed to lead by example. The citizens of Rossland have embraced reducing their carbon footprints and living in a way that supports the environment. It’s one of the societal approaches that makes Rossland so attractive to live in. I do believe we should not create policy or regulation that could exclude any of our community members from participating or create undue hardships.
Lisa Kwiatkowski:
- Why do you want to be the Mayor? What motivates you to take on this role?
I’m running for Mayor because Rossland deserves steady, experienced leadership. Over the last four years on City Council, I’ve been part of the decision-making and planning that is setting our community up for the future – and if elected, I’m ready to lead that work from Day 1.
When I fell in love with Rossland and decided to build my life here, a big part of it was the sense of pride and community that radiated from everyone here. Whether it’s how often the joy of shopping at Ferraro’s comes up at dinner parties, how connected people are to the trails and nature right outside our front doors, or how many of us volunteer in multiple roles – this community is special, and it’s an honour to serve it.
What motivates me is a belief that leadership matters, now more than ever. It will be the difference-maker in our resilience, viability and pride for generations to come. The depth and diversity of my executive leadership experience, my commitment as a community volunteer, and the continuity I bring between Councils are what I’m proud to offer.
- What skills do you have that you think make you better able to perform all the functions of Mayor?
While Mayor and Council are elected positions with a non-traditional job interview, at the end of the day this is a $25M organization with all the complexity that comes with it. And while we have an incredible professional staff at City Hall who keep us running year-round no matter who is elected, leading decision-making here requires both a broader perspective and experience. Direct experience with how things actually work, how decisions get made in this ecosystem, which legislative processes govern us and how they interact with other levels of government, how budgets are built and governed, partnerships, risk management, team leadership and culture, communications, and more.
I’ve been engaged in Rossland-specific dynamics for the past four years. Since 2022, I’ve sat on Council’s Administration and Personnel Committee, taking part in Union negotiations on behalf of the City.
I also bring more than 20 years of executive leadership. I was CEO of a national multi-sport service organization (MSO) for 7 years – funded by Sport Canada. I have served on local, provincial and national boards, including as Chair of Motivate Canada, and eight years on the Board of Sport BC, including time as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee.
I believe leading a community is very much a team sport. One of a Mayor’s core mandates is knowing how to get the best out of every member of the team: fellow elected officials, staff, and the community members already contributing to Rossland’s vibrancy.
That’s the job I’ve spent my career developing the skillset for, and it’s the one I’m asking you to hire me for in continued service of Rossland.
- How do you think council should deal with the constant tension between keeping taxes reasonable and keeping services and amenities operating at adequate levels?
I think we should deal with it openly, bravely, and collaboratively. That tension is not unique to Rossland, and it’s certainly not going to get simpler over time. What I’ve learned the last four years is that we can never communicate too much, and engagement must start early and earnestly.
We are elected to do the heavy lifting of planning and guiding necessary decisions on behalf of our neighbours, but election night is not when those conversations stop – it’s when they just get started.
Having a vote in the decisions affecting this community is also not where the real ‘power’ is. A vote is a byproduct of the processes, conversations, perspective, and empathy each member of council chooses to engage with.
Rosslanders are smart. We live in a wild new global reality, that no one has all the answers for. I believe Rosslanders respect leadership that is sincere, transparent, thoughtful, and kind – leadership that will help us all find our way through together.
I believe my track record in this community, together with the decisions I’ve been a part of over the last four years, has reflected those qualities, and I look forward to bringing them to the role of Mayor.
- If Rossland must lose some service or amenity, which do you think are the least essential and would be willing to vote to cut or eliminate? Which amenities do you think provide the best value for the greatest number of Rosslanders?
I’d be doing a disservice to my beliefs about the role of Mayor and Council if I answered that question directly today. This question is what Council grapples with agenda by agenda, and it’s shaped by the conversations, data, and processes that guide us. The conversations, data and processes are evolving and evolving rapidly. Priorities and strategies also evolve with each Council.
Here is what I do know: Council makes decisions on service levels with the data and insights it has at the time. Good governance engages stakeholders early and often in that discussion and prioritization. And as a leader, I’m confident we can – and should be open to – revisit decisions and policies over time as data, perspectives, our community, and the landscape around us evolve.
What matters most is electing people with the skills and temperament to steward the issues our community faces with humility, integrity, and sincerity. What’s best for me personally isn’t necessarily what’s best for all Rosslanders, or what’s reasonable within the constraints we work under. We’re elected to make decisions together, as one Council, in the interest of the community as a whole.
- It is not within Rossland, but if it happens it will affect Rossland, so what are your thoughts about the proposed open-pit mine on Record Ridge? What would be your position on it as Mayor?
I’ve made my position on this clear over the last four years, voting in favour of every opportunity we’ve had as a municipality to advocate loudly on behalf of Rossland and our region for full integrity in the provincial legislative and regulatory processes that govern projects like this.
When this question was asked of me four years ago, I didn’t anticipate the speed and lack of rigour we’ve since seen provincially. My position hasn’t fundamentally changed, but I’ve been humbled by that.
Most recently, I spent a week at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention with Mayor Morel and Councillor Provencal, meeting directly with three Ministers – Forests, Health, and Tourism – to push for more political oversight of the proposed project and to raise its potential for irreversible, devastating impacts on our environment, human health, Indigenous cultural sites, and our sensitive tourism economy.
As Mayor, I will continue that advocacy alongside our community and regional partners on an issue that weighs heavily on the hearts of so many of us.
- Please give your opinions on climate change and municipal efforts to curb it. Do you think municipalities have an important role? What would you like Rossland to do?
Climate change is real, and Rossland is feeling the enormity of its impacts. For a community whose tourism economy and way of life are built around mountains, snow and trails, this isn’t abstract for any of us – and municipal action is essential for both mitigation and adaptation.
This Council built on the 100% Renewable Energy Plan by unanimously adopting the Integrated Climate Action Plan. The voices of our elected officials, experienced staff, the expertise of our Sustainability Commission, and the community organizations already allied in this work are core to that shared progress and resilience – and as Mayor, I’m committed to continuing to nurture those assets and relationships.
Our community has also seen strong participation in the FireSmart program – a grant program we directly advocated for at UBCM this September, and will continue to fight for.
Learn more about me and my platform at www.rosslandlisa.ca or on Facebook “Lisa Kwiatkowski for Mayor of Rossland”.
You can reach me directly at rosslandlisa@gmail.com.
