Benny Ogden is running for New Westminster City Council, and he answered my questions!
1. There are two types of people in the world: people who like simple pop-culture “what type of cheese are you” quizzes that they can then share on Facebook, and people who don’t. Sadly, I don’t have a quiz for you but this is close enough: are you an order muppet or a chaos muppet? Which muppet are you?
Dr Teeth, while not loud or in-your-face, he is comfortable surrounded by anyone, including both Animal, and Zoot.
2. When was the last time you visited City Hall? What changes would you propose to make City Hall more welcoming? When was the last time you attended a City Council meeting? What changes would you propose to make City Council meetings more welcoming? Sorry, I guess that was kind of four questions.
I haven’t been able to spend very much time at city hall
3. Buy Low Foods recently shut its store in Uptown, leaving a hole in the market for grocery stores. What will you do to ensure that there is proper competition among grocery stores and a Save-On Foods opens in that location, restoring the competitive marketplace that the Competition Bureau foisted upon us in 2014?
I would be hesitant to interfere that way into the market. Buy-Low failed because it couldn’t compete with both Save-on and Wal-mart so close by. I see no reason to force another business into that position.
4. New Westminster has a number of advisory committees, task forces, and working groups. Upon being elected, which one would you like to chair the most and why? No need to restrict yourself to an existing one either, if you feel strongly that a new one needs to be formed (that you’d obviously chair) feel free to answer that!
Environmental Initiatives. We need to find ways to encourage people to creatively look for ways to encourage people to do things for the environment.
5. What is your favourite neighbourhood, and why is it Brow of the Hill?
I live in Brow of the Hill.
6. The process leading up to and including the public hearing for the temporary modular housing in Queensborough was… challenging, to say the least. This question is only for the non-incumbent candidates: on the final motion to amend the OCP and rezone the property to allow the temporary modular housing, how would you have voted? Please note that you may describe why you would have voted a particular way, but you must say whether you would have voted in favour of or against the motion on the table.
I would have voted against it. It was just simply too divisive to the local community.
7. Who would be on your sasquatch hunting team?
Scooby Doo and mystery Inc. – Those guys find everything.
8. How do you propose engaging with renters, new immigrants, and youth?
I really don’t know. That is a really complicated issue. One idea could be to advertise in the local paper for them to meet with me at a local coffee shop.
9. With absolutely no apologies to Chris Campbell, what would your entrance music be? Please note that if you dare pick We Built This City by Starship you are hereby banned from ever running for public office ever again.
That answer is only too easy. Elected by Alice Cooper.
Thank you Benny!