After a decidedly quiet campaign, Uptown Rutland Business Association president Todd Sanderson hit a high note Wednesday, fielding as many questions at the only all-candidate’s forum of Kelowna’s byelection campaign as Mission favourite Kevin Craig.

The pair proved the most popular draw in the open forum where candidates answered questions from a room packed with roughly 150 residents.

Running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, the chartered accountant said he believes the downtown CD-21 development zone, for whatever flaws it may have, is really the best option for everyone from city residents to the downtown property owners directly affected—even if they could get more money for their land without it.

“They’re not happy about it, but they’re in agreement with the bylaw,” he said of those landowners, noting they’re some of the most influential people in the city.

These people are longtime Kelowna families, including names like Bennett and August, he said, adding they’re people who are committed to the area and see the potential the plan brings.

As a former president of the Downtown Kelowna Association, Sanderson described himself as someone with first-hand knowledge of the failed attempts to redevelop the downtown core, mentioning schemes to use tax increment financing, revitalization zones or a downtown development corporation which failed to see any growth materialize.

“In my mind, this is the best idea so far,” he concluded, before turning over the mic.

Craig, meanwhile, continued to prove a crowd favourite, after narrowly missing a seat on council in last November’s election.

At one point he offered to stay and answer questions after the forum so others might have a chance to speak, while continuing to play on his youthful perspective.

Pointing out that some 50,000 residents in Kelowna fall between the ages of 40 and 60 years of age, meaning the city is facing a serious demographic problem in its immediate future, Craig suggested Kelowna has to make retaining young people a top priority.

“Year after year I’ve seen waves of students graduating and then going to the Torontos, Vancouvers and Calgarys to find adequate employment,” he said.

“When you look at the future of the local economy, I think we have to assess where we will see growth and where we will not see growth.”

Michael Neill, of Mosaic Books, complimented new Kelowna resident and former mayor of Claresholm, Alta., Ernie Patterson, for being the only candidate he’s noticed talk about developing jobs for that next generation.

But he still opted to lob his only question of the night Craig’s way, asking him what he thinks of making the city’s plans to transform the old KSS site into a development called Central Green rather than using the five-acre plot of taxpayer-owned land to develop a technology hub, as Patterson has suggested.

“That’s certainly an area where we need to explore,” Craig said, acknowledging the tech industry’s potential.

But he could not be deterred from supporting the development, which to Craig’s way of thinking has the potential to support many industries with its mixed-use buildings.

Patterson was pitching the need for a mixture of jobs within the local economy in sectors from tech, to business, to health care, saying there is a potential for federal grant dollars if the city wants to look at using the Central Green site for industrial purposes.

Always boisterous Matthew Reed, who recently won the NDP Kelowna-Lake Country chapter presidency and was caught cheering when fellow candidate Andy Uitvlugt suggested the answer to Rutland’s transit woes would be to implement light rail, stole some attention for his stance on moorage.

“I’m one of the few people who is not for pleasure crafts,” he said. “I don’t really like boats in my water.”

Currently at the forefront of the local anti-HST campaign, Reed told the room the new tax is a local issue as much as a provincial or federal one, for it will end up costing municipalities a lot of money.

Candidate Vern Nielsen stated he does not believe purchasing more park land is as big a priority as maintaining the green space the city already owns, while Mark Thompson told the crowd he believes the answer to Kelowna’s political woes is to move to a ward system to build stronger representation.

For her part, candidate Valerie Hallford left her mark by suggesting “city council needs to take back power from the bureaucrats and consultants.”

She believes city council should be consulting residents more often with referendums and public consultation.

The comment served as sharp contrast to three-time council candidate Mary-Ann Graham’s pitch for office.

“It’s very important that the person you choose on Saturday can step into the role without causing disruption,” she said.

“I know what to do and where to go. I will not slow things down, but will ask the tough questions.”

But by far the loudest applause of the night followed what might be called Rocky Mix’s opening number.

Speaking in rhyme, Mix mixed it up one last time with a perfectly timed three-minute introduction in which he asked people to consider his name come Saturday’s vote, promising he would learn from the general public “what, when and how” things need to get done if they choose his name on the ballot.

jsmith@kelownacapnews.com