Candidates keen on election trade show

Twenty-two candidates have confirmed their attendance at the first-ever Penticton Candidates Trade Show set for Tuesday, 4-7 p.m. at the Lakeside Resort.

Those who confirmed as of Friday at 4 p.m. were: Mayoral: Jason Cox, Andrew Jakubeit, John Vassilaki

City council: John Archer, Julius Bloomfield, Karen Brownlee, Glenn Clark, Daryl Clarke, Joe Frocklage, Lynn Kelsey, Jake Kimberley, Doug Maxwell, Christopher Millin, David O’Brien, Marie Prior, Frank Regehr, Judy Sentes

School board: Shelley Clarke, Teresa Hebert, James Palanio, Barbara Sheppard, Tracy Van Raes

Organizer James Miller anticipates “a few stragglers” could possibly book on Tuesday morning. The event, where citizens may collect literature and speak one-on-one with candidates, is free to the public. The candidates are being charged a nominal fee which, Miller said, may result in some candidates staying away. At the conclusion of the trade show, a special debate featuring the three perceived front-runners for mayor — Cox, Jakubeit and Vassilaki — will be held from 7:30-9 p.m. Questions will come from the two-person media panel of Joe Fries (Penticton Herald) and Colin Dacre (Castanet). Miller is to moderate.

Live streaming of this debate will be available on Castanet.

The debate will be broken into the economy, public safety, parks, and the future of Penticton.

“We have some dramatic introductions, but after that, it’s all business. This forum is all about issues, not personalities or past voting records. We hope the public finds it informative,” Miller said.

Sponsors of the debate include The Herald, Underwriters Insurance, the Lakeside Resort, and Castanet. The trade show is being co-sponsored by The Herald and Lakeside.