Poll on new city hall grabs voters’ interest
High advance poll turnout suggests near-record number of Westsiders could vote in referendum
Far more interest is being shown by Westsiders in the city hall referendum than was demonstrated in the 2014 civic election.
Three times as many people have cast ballots at advance polls than was the case two years ago.
And if that trend holds true for general voting day on Saturday, the total turnout for the controversial city hall referendum could be the highest of any vote held since West Kelowna was incorporated in 2007.
Veteran political observers aren’t surprised by the high level of interest being shown in the referendum compared to most civic elections. They say it’s a single issue that’s relatively easy to understand, carries a high cost and taps into old community divisions on the Westside.
“People don’t get the chance very often to directly vote on something that affects their taxes,” Eain Lamont, a former Westside regional district director, said Wednesday. “I’m positive that the cost of this project is what concerns people, and it’s what’s driving people to the polls.”
But Len Novakowski, another former Westside regional director, says he believes the strong interest shown so far by voters reflects, at least in part, a determination by many people to see the city hall built as planned.
“Support may have been growing belatedly, but I firmly believe that, now, most people want to see this project go through,” Novakowski said. “The Yes side has to get out its vote, and I think that’s what we’re seeing with these big advance poll numbers.”
Novakowski and Lamont are on opposite sides of the city hall debate, which revolves around the municipality's plan for a $14.7-million complex on Elliott Road in downtown Westbank.
Lamont believes the proposed building is too costly and should have been planned for a more central location in West Kelowna, closer to the neighbourhoods of Lakeview Heights and Rose Valley that he used to represent on the regional board.
Novakowski, who lives in Glenrosa, says the proposed city hall is a well-researched initiative that would give the municipality a much-needed facility at reasonable cost to taxpayers.
The West Kelowna Residents Association recently dissolved owing to a lack of new members, but past president Mike Trenn says there’s no shortage of community opinion regarding the city hall referendum.
“Of all the issues that have come up since West Kelowna incorporated, this one is much closer to people and matters to them more than most capital projects,” Trenn said. “A city hall that requires a lot of borrowing, that’s something people can wrap their heads around.
“It’s a specific issue you can talk about with your neighbours, whatever side you’re on,” Trenn said. “That’s not so much the case with a civic election, when there’s a lot of people running and the issues are maybe a little more esoteric.”
The City of West Kelowna said 1,544 people voted in Tuesday’s advance poll at the Westbank Lions Community Hall. Last week, 1,597 people voted in an advance poll. The city has an estimated 26,000 voters.
This Saturday, polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Const. Neil Bruce, Glenrosa middle, George Pringle and Mar Jok schools.