Andre Blanleil, a well-known community leader and business owner of Andre’s Electronics has come out in strong support for Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran’s re-election bid.
“Andre is one of the many committed leaders in our city who believes in a smart, well-thought-out, fact-based, and balanced approach forward for Kelowna,” said Basran. “I’m honoured to have his endorsement as I seek a second term as mayor.”
Blanleil, who served on city council for seven terms under three different mayors.
“Colin is very inclusive and great at representing Kelowna. He’s willing to listen to people. I think that gives him the ability to get input from a cross-section before making a decision.” Blanleil said. “Colin has the ability to reach out to different levels of government and work with people. As a municipal leader, this is key to getting the support we need for infrastructure projects completed in Kelowna.”
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“Under Colin’s leadership, council has done a good job of making sure there is a real cross-section of developments – from rental properties to high rises. Council’s job is to facilitate a variety of housing units and I think they’ve done a good job of that, in fact, the best they can with the tools they have,”Blanleil said.
“The Journey Home Strategy launched under Colin’s leadership is innovative and all the steps that have been put in place – they don’t happen overnight. Council has created a plan to tackle homelessness and the problems that spinoff from it.”
When it comes to taxation, Blanleil emphasized that he is a big believer in keeping tax dollars low, but big projects like the new police headquarters make it a challenge.
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“In the last 4 years, council has needed to take on the cost of the RCMP building which was a massive build. It’s a project that previous councils delayed for several years. So, when you take a look at the tax increase, this project has taken up a large portion of it along with the costs for safety and security – RCMP and firefighters.”
“With Andre’s experience previously sitting on council for over twenty years, he understands the challenges we face. I’m proud that despite tax increases we’ve been named one of the top three best fiscally managed cities in British Columbia,”said Basran. “Looking forward, I’m committed to supporting a strong, progressive vision for all of Kelowna. I think it’s a vision which business leaders like Andre embrace because they want our community to prosper for generations to come. With voters support on October 20, I am committed to carrying out this vision over the next four years.”
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