By Mike Archer. When Dan Bue announced his intention to run for City Council in November’s municipal election, he mentioned his 18 years experience running multi-million dollar companies and/or charities and said he knows how to balance a budget.
This week he told Abbotsford Today “I feel that I can bring a new and fresh approach. I am a facilitator both in my work as a counsellor, as well as in my business style, which means that I am interested in problem solving to create solutions.”
We asked him one of the questions we will be asking all council and mayoralty candidates – “What do you know about municipal government?” Bue responded, “It operates under the Municipal Act of BC and there’s a city charter that also regulates what the City can and cannot do. Civic government’s main purposes are to pass bylaws and liaise with federal and provincial governments to achieve better policies for the City.”
We asked Bue what the concept of social responsibility means to him and Bue told us, “First of all, that I am accountable to the voters and, secondly, that I must also follow my social and moral convictions. I will always try to do the right thing, even if it might not be popular.”
Asked to list, in order of importance, the top five issues he think the City of Abbotsford faces, Bue said:
- Homelessness
- Property taxes (fiscal responsibility)
- Environment
- Business development
- Transportation
Bue went into some detail about his experience and why he thinks it matters to voters. “I have 18 years experience running million dollar plus businesses, which included work with disadvantaged persons including: foster children, brain injured persons with rehab needs, and senior care.
“I operated an online, environmentally-conscious business called Green Earth Alternatives Inc. for eight years because I believe in protecting the environment. I have been a resident of Abbotsford for over 30 years, so I know this city well.
“I also know the role that charities play in Abbotsford and I’m a director of several charities, including MEI Schools locally,” he said.
Bue says the single most important personal quality he brings to the table as a public person is compassion and that he has no personal or professional relationships to anyone involved in politics, the public sector or a business or group which relies on the City of Abbotsford which could put him in a conflict of interest?
While he believes councillors should understand how to balance a budget he describes the City’s financial situation as “satisfactory.”
On the question of homelessness, Bue believes the City should show compassion and dignity for the marginalized and believes the court cases which the City is defending in the BC Supreme Court against the Abbotsford Chapter of the BC/Yukon Drug War Survivors should be left to the courts to decide, adding, “And I hope that an equitable decision is made.”