I went to the DNV all candidates meeting and here are my thoughts - I am new to the District and was impartial heading in.
Jordan Back - impressive and engaged. Answered the questions well and seemed personable with a good track record.
Mike Little - seemed to have a balanced approach to the issues and gave mayor vibes in a good way. Presented well and was thoughtful. I liked how he was focused on transportation issues that come along with accelerated development. Traffic is a fucking nightmare in my area and he has a moderate approach to development.
Mathew Bond - seemed nervous and didn’t present well. His opening remarks were disorganized and he didn’t come across as ready to be mayor. He also seemed to lose the crowd when he talked about how we need more housing and development in north van, without addressing the traffic gridlock in our neighbourhood.
Catherine Pope - I was excited to see her as I grew up watching her on TV but holy shit was she unprepared. She giggled through her time at the mic and at one point answered a question with “everyone gave great answers. Wow. I don’t have anything to say” giggled and sat down. Yikes.
Herman Mah - seems like he has great experience and thoughtful responses to the questions.
Trey Bell - I also liked his responses to the questions and he seemed focused on protecting the environment. His dad ran the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre for years.
Lisa Muri - was a fucking badass wow. Every response I swear the crowd cheered for her no bullshit responses. She seems to know the District inside and out and I understand why she’s been elected for the past 20 + years. Loved her.
Peter Teevan - I have seen him active on various local FB pages and he is engaged and present in the community. He flagged a pilot project in the community that could have been a disaster for local traffic. I liked him but he could be a wildcard on council.
Jim Hanson - he went above and beyond for our neighbourhood who had an issue and just hearing their story I want to vote for him. He seems very committed to the community and listening to constituents.
Ellison Mallin - memorable in that he was every comfortable on stage and cracked a number of jokes. Kept referencing his well-known mother but I have no idea who she is. I liked his responses to the questions given his age and relative inexperience. He was well spoken and had done a lot of research.
Harrison Johnston - presented well for his age and had novel ideas. Not sure if this role is for him but he has a bright future ahead of him I’m sure.
Thomas Tofigh - he comes across very educated (multiple degrees) but his answers were mostly platitudes without real substance. I did feel bad that due to the language barrier and lack of time to respond he didn’t communicate as well as the others on a number of responses.
Betty Forbes - Someone told me to read up on Pidgeongate. Yikes.
Greg Robins - Kind of unmemorable.