CHRIS WILSON
Age: 45
Occupation: entrepreneur
Coquitlam resident: 24 years
Campaign funding: unions, businesses and developers
Current city committees: Celebrate Coquitlam
Council meetings attended this year: 2
Chris Wilson may have run for the NDP in the provincial election but, for the civic campaign, he said he has broad support. "I think it shows balance," he said. Wilson wants a council seat because "I love our city. I want to make a difference." A former Olympian, Wilson said he's a hard worker and can work with individuals and groups to come up with innovative solutions.
On the doorstep, he said he's primarily hearing about high property taxes. "They don't feel like they're getting value because [taxes] are going up faster than the rate of inflation," he said. If elected, Wilson said he plans to tackle next year's budget by "trying to be more creative in delivering services. I think we need to co-operate more with Port Coquitlam and Port Moody and share services. We also have to be really disciplined in what we can do."
On Riverview's future, Wilson said most people "feel the same way I do. We need to save it. We need to try to protect the buildings and use them for some component of mental health treatment, repurpose the buildings and protect the grounds so they become the Stanley Park of the Fraser Valley."
Contact: 604-341-0241 (phone); [email protected] (email); www.chris4coquitlam.ca (website); Chris Wilson (Facebook); @chriswilson630 (Twitter)
