Thank you

Thanks to all who voted for me on election day. I would also like to thank Claire Thompson for setting up this page, it was an important part of increasing public awareness of myself, Thanks Claire.
I will be watching our new council and will be doing my part to keep them focused on our communities needs, I encourage everyone else to do the same.

James Palanio

Survey

Thanks to all for contributing to this survey. This is a great way for you to tell me what is important to you. Right now the results are indicating open government is the top concern of respondants, with the current staffing levels of our fire halls and affordable housing right behind.

Again thanks for contributing. I will do my part to ensure your voice is heard.

James Palanio

PS: Remember to vote on November 15

Election Survey

Two weeks to election day

Hello, all.

We are at the final two weeks of the election. I do hope everyone has read the information we've provided on myself, and what I feel are priorities of the community.

Please send any questions to my email address at jamespalanio@shaw.ca or post a blog here for all to see.

Thank you,
James Palanio

P.S. Please remind everyone to get out and vote. It is very important to send a message to the current council that we want a new voice.

Bio

I was born at Penticton regional hospital on July 22, 1966. After graduating from Penticton Secondary School I attended Okanagan College in Kelowna where I recieved my diploma in Business Administration.

I enjoyed growing up in Penticton, especially the summers. My family and I, along with a few other families and relatives spent our summers at the beach swimming and water skiing. In the winter, our same group went snowmobiling and tobogganing. We’d have campfires and cook hot dogs and roast marshmallows while drinking hot chocolate.

We always seem to be busy, whether it was water skiing or snow skiing. The nice thing about was that it was never a long drive to get to your play area of choice. I’ve always thought that was one of the best things about Penticton, our recreational areas are literally just minutes away.

Throughout my working years I have worked at various jobs in Penticton, from construction to accounting, and sales. I am now the realtor/broker and part owner of Century 21 Lake 2 Lake Realty Ltd.

I am the Vice President of the Penticton Triathlon Club and a director on the South Okanagan Real Estate Board. I am also very active with Ironman Canada as a volunteer, responsible for the Homestay Program, as a supporter through Ironclub, and a three time finisher of the race.

I enjoy many of the outdoor activities that the Okanagan offers including; running, cross-country skiing, swimming and biking. I am also kept busy with my three (and a half) year old daughter, Olivia, who is involved in dance, gymnastics, and has also started pre-school this year. My wife Laura and I were married in Penticton on the Sicamous, an amazing icon for the community, on July 5, 1997.

My bid for Penticton city council has come out of the frustration I hear from members of our community. I too, have felt this frustration and feel I can be a new voice in City Hall, a voice for Balance, a voice for Common sense, and a voice for Priorities. In this day in age, we must be more fiscally responsible while still maintaining services based on the communities priorities.

James Palanio

How To Receive Up-dates

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How To Leave A Comment

If you haven't commented on a blog before, here's how you do it on this blog. At the end of the blog post there is a comments link which you need to click.


or it may look like this

Then you are taken to the comments window. Follow the image below as I go through the steps. Step 1: if you'd like to be notified of follow up comments--particularly useful if you've asked a question ;-), check the 'e-mail follow up comments to' and ensure that your correct e-mail address is there. Your address will not be posted with your comment. Step 2: Once you've typed in your comment, you need to choose an identity. If you do not have a Google/Blogger account, you'll probably choose 'Name/URL'. What you type in for your name really depends on how you want to be recognized on-line. I usually give my full name, a lot of people just give their first name, and still others use a 'handle'. Step 3: click on 'Publish Your Comment'. You're done!

James' Views On Community Concerns

From what I've seen, the biggest concern among Pentictonites as we approach this election is the fiscal competence of our current city council. Along with many members of the this community, I feel that council has made some mistakes that have cost this city an extravagant amount of money, which in turn will cost us future services. Below is a list of reasons why I am running in this election and why I feel I can help to improve our city.

SOEC
The biggest blunder of our current council was the handling of the event centre. Unfortunately, the process was flawed from the start. Delays cost dollars. The lack of proper blueprints has lead to additional costs, costs of which as a community we can not afford. Oversights like the over-sized door would not have happened had the plans been done right from the get go.

The current labour environment is not a new constraint. It was there when the bidding process began and should have been anticipated.

Photo by TonZ
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License

Munson Mountain Land Purchase
This property should be sold or leased. It is not prudent to let it just sit there as an expense without revenues.

Multi-plex -- Indoor Soccer Facility
It's simply not good. The city got involved when it should not have done so, and we now have a complex that is much delayed and apparently, leaking!! Once again things like incomplete diagrams and plans because of bad advice from the current council have plagued what should have been a terrific project. The $150 000 the city thought they were saving by hiring an inexperienced company to provide the roof for the project has now been lost by costly delays.

Affordable Housing
We must encourage affordable housing. I would suggest some sort of tax breaks or deferrals to encourage affordable housing. There has to be a mixture of town homes, single family homes, and apartment style. The city must be a partner in this process. The past council has been too focuesed on high rise luxury condos as a "one-size-fits-all" solution to housing in our community.

Spending
Priorities are needed. We must only spend what we can afford, because we only have a limited amount of money available. Priorities should be the safety, health and wellness of our citizens. We need more infrastructure to encourage active use of our parks, and we can work with community groups to help raise funds for such things. Parks are great, but we need to promote their use. We need things such as better maintained tennis courts and ball diamonds, a return of the covered tennis courts, more basketball courts, walking and biking paths etc. Things that will help us all build an active lifestyle. We should help service groups secure funding from other levels of government, but only if that funding is put to uses that benefit the community.

Photo by striatic
Attribution License

Fire Protection
I understand our current level of staffing for our fire department does not meet current WCB standards. I feel this is unacceptable and a serious infraction of safety standards to our fire department and a safety issue for all the citizens of Penticton.

Open Government
I feel we should reverse, if passed, the current council's attempt to put forth a bylaw allowing the removal of the names of those making and seconding a motion, from the official minutes of meetings. I feel the members of the community need to know where their elected officials stand on all issues.

Contact Me
For thoughts, comments or questions, please call me at 250 4881668, send me an email at jamespalanio@shaw.ca , or leave a comment here and I will do my best to answer your questions.

Yard-signs and Other Ways to Help Elect James Palanio

Please contact James Palanio at 250-488-1668 or jamespalanio@shaw.ca if you would like some signs to put up in your yard, or if you would like to get involved in the 'Elect James Palanio' campaign.