Age:
48 Actual, 35 in
Whistler Years
Website:
www.electsharpe.com
Occupation:
Twenty
years in sales and marketing in Whistler (OK... I bartended at Merlin’s, Joel’s
and Club 10 in the early days). My lifestyle addiction is now serviced by
acting as a real estate professional for Remax Sea to Sky Realty
Last books read:
The
Four Agreements
by Don Miguel Ruiz and
How to Forgive Jerks Who
Attack You Personally
by Heezry Tairyn
What music are you listening to these days:
John Mayer, Feist, Coldplay, but more Eagles and
Neil Young recently as I am trying to learn the guitar, and they provide that
best songs needing the fewest chords.
Favourite recreational pursuits:
Skiing, skiing skiing... biking...“masters league” hockey. Recently
retired from stop/start sports... Slowpitch C and Squash.
1. Why are you running for council?
I love this town and I am aware that there are a number of big
issues before the community right now. I feel that I am the right person to
work with a team of people who are prepared to make tough decisions for this
community. I have a strong background in the resident housing community and I
see that as an enormous issue that requires attention.
2. Given that revenue from development is declining and the
municipality is more dependent on hotel tax revenue at a time of economic
uncertainty, how do you propose the municipality balance its budgets the next
few years?
Fiscal Reality, short term:
The community needs to understand that we may have some tough
times ahead financially. We need to come together and acknowledge this fact. We
need commitment from our citizens to participate, each in their own way, to
solutions. While I would love to have the luxury of enjoying some economic
optimism...
In the short term we are likely to be adjusting Budgets and/or
raising taxes.
Long view, Diversify the economy:
This is not a quick fix. We need to talk as a community on how
we see our future. Is there value in a higher learning centre here in Whistler?
Should we broaden our tax base through further development? Is the existence of
our bed cap still warranted? What can we do to maximize our arts, culture and
heritage tourism using our incredible community buildings, in our world of
shrinking budgets? We need to have ALL options on the table for discussion and
the new council will need to hit the ground running.
Olympic opportunities:
Work to ensure that we are firing on all cylinders (as well as
a fully charged battery) when it comes to maximizing our exposure to the
millions of sets of eyes that will be focused on Canada, Vancouver and most
important to us, Whistler in the coming 14 months.
Having recently attended a Tourism Whistler, Chamber of
Commerce presentation along with a Whistler-Blackcomb report, I feel that all
branches of our marketing military are focused on the task before them.
3. What other important issues does Whistler face in the
next three years?
4. What needs to be done to address those issues?
Seasonal housing is a critical element in our long viability as
a seasonal resort. We have free land and a business community that has shown
that it can work with government towards solving this crisis.
EmployER housing would be a quick fix for those
businesses that have the ability to purchase existing resident housing stock. This
would require a policy change from the WHA.
Resident-restricted housing: we need to do all we can to see
that Rainbow and Cheakamus Crossing are brought to market in a fair and
transparent manner. Government needs to honour its commitment to all partners
in resident-restricted housing and provide a level playing field for all.
We need to review the function and policies of WHA and ensure
that they are doing all things possible to preserve Whistler s most valuable
asset, that being the owners of resident housing, as they make up 30 per cent
of the employee’s in our community.
Day care: Whistler is currently suffering from a lack of full time qualified day care workers. A needs assessment based on populations described in the 2020 document suggest that by 2014 Whistler will be short over 40 required spaces for full time day care. This is a financial drain on our community and an obvious strain on families. We need to recognize this to be an immediate problem and continue to work with the business community and all levels of Government to find solutions.
