Rhett Nicholson
Graduate of the Art Institute of Vancouver - VEF
Small Business Owner (Sue's Copy Place)
Previous political experience:
Board Member Downtown Business Association
President of the Mission Optimist Club
Community involvement:
Local Business (Sue's Copy Place) 20 years
Creator & Organizer of Missionfest Downtown Street Fair
Creator & Youth Adviser for the Junior Optimist Club of Mission & the CBC recognized Magazine "Optimix"
Organizer Safe Halloween Trick or treating Downtown Mission
Marketing Rockin' River Musicfest
Volunteer Canada Day
Volunteer Adopt - a - Block
Volunteer MAC Children Festival
Volunteer Riot of Reading
Volunteer Fire Safety Week
Volunteer Street Hope (Feeding the Hungry)
Volunteer BC Day
Volunteer Youth Week
Family with 2 Young Children
Website: RhettNicholson.com
Email: info@RhettNicholson.com
Social media: www.facebook.com/VoteRhett.
Issues:
Mission voters have a chance this election to really impact the future of Mission. With a large demographic of young families and seniors, Mission needs to focus on the overall safety, economy and spirit of our community. Politicians need to recognize the needs of our community-the hot button issues that effect all of us.
Public safety - Our current status is, below par. We need to listen to our expert staff and let them do their jobs. Our family parks are in disarray and are clearly a low priority. Meth labs are popping up due to the lax by-laws created by our current council. The overall disconnect of our community leaves us fending for ourselves. If elected, I will work hard to repair relationships with staff, re-engage the community to take pride in our public spaces & stand up for them. We need to find money, even if we have to reach out to our local service clubs to rebuild our parks in order to show our children & grandchildren we care and what it takes to be apart of a strong community. Last we need to revisit the bylaws related to illegal property activities and make sure our city is protected and our citizens are safe.
The Local Economy - A strong economy will bring new investment. This will start with branding Mission. Mission has so much to offer. Let's make it the tourist destination to our neighbouring cities. We already have a strong base for tourism. It's already started but now we need to organize it, package it & promote it. Why drive from Surrey all the way to Kelowna or Whistler when we can offer the same thing in a third of the distance. If we build a strong business base, we will build strong businesses. Investors want to invest in a strong economy, with leaders willing to work with them. We need to shed our current label of in-fighting government & being hard to work with. With my education and experience I believe I am a clear candidate to lead Mission to a new, brighter and more profitable future.
Community - As an experienced community activist, I know the challenges we face. Realistically, we are actually in good shape. The trick is coordination. We have some of the most amazing community leaders. You can tell by the amount of festivals our city boasts. We have strong service clubs, churches & non-profits already working hard for us. We need to co-ordinate these efforts & branch out. Connect with our new neighbours here to enjoy the affordable properties. If we can't take the people to the community let's take community to the people.An example would be set-up festivals and events at local parks and school gyms all over Mission. This will give us an avenue for education, participation and a chance for inclusion.