Submitted questionnaire

Brady Rogers

Entrepreneur

This is the candidate’s public questionnaire. It is not a ForChange recommendation. The committee’s recommended candidates are published on the Candidates page.

01 · Why are you running for Kelowna City Council?

I wonder this often. I don't like politics, meetings, or having to be places at certain times. But unfortunately, I've realized there is likely some good I can do as a councilor, so I have a duty to give it a shot. I biked these streets as a kid, and now as I see Kelowna growing and changing, I want to help make sure that growth benefits everyone, not just developers and land owners. Like any city, Kelowna has plenty of issues - homelessness, traffic, rapid growth - and I don't pretend to have all the solutions. I simply see a need for someone to ask hard questions, seek real understanding of the issues we face, get to know the people with authority, and find answers that actually make a meaningful improvement to our community.
02 · Issue #1: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

To be honest, I don't have much of an agenda. It seems unrealistic to think that as a councilor I would be able to step in and suddenly change the world. Real solutions start with asking good questions until you find the root of the problem. And that's what I want to do. One big one in Kelowna is, of course, homelessness. I see all kinds of news and political initiatives about it, yet I have to wonder: do we actually have a plan, or is it just headlines and political posturing? What does "solving" homelessness look like to us? Is there someone in charge with the experience to truly set a course and make a difference? I don't know, but I'd like to. And if there isn't, then we've found the real starting point for addressing the issue.
03 · Issue #2: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

If I had to define another specific issue I'd like to dig into, it's development. Development is inevitable in a city like Kelowna, and that's ok, but I have to wonder if the city and it's citizens are seeing enough real benefit from the money flowing in. Are those benefiting the most from rising land value and taller buildings contributing their fair share to infrastructure? Is traffic congestion really inevitable, or are we simply not expecting enough from developers in terms of roads and transit? Again, I don't know. It's hard to know from the outside. But I'd like a clearer picture so we can decide, as a city, if we're happy with the way we're progressing.
04 · Issue #3: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

Lastly, I'd like to understand who truly owns the city and what their interactions with city management look like. I think the general public should have a clear understanding of what's going on in the city, who's benefiting, and how the city is ensuring it's happening fairly for everyone. Kelowna is an incredibly beautiful and wealthy city, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I believe that all of us should benefit from a rising tide - especially those working the hardest, building our culture, and making the city what it is.
05 · What experience, skills, and community involvement do you bring to the role?

That depends what becomes relevant to the work I end up doing. As an engineer, I'm a very effective researcher and problem solver. As an entrepreneur, I've built a business that helps address the plastic pollution problem and keep wealth local. As a community member, I've run youth clubs and much more. But I thing the main thing I can offer is the ability to ask clear-headed questions and not stop until I'm satisfied that I understand.
06 · How will you approach council decisions when priorities compete for limited resources?

My instinct is usually: why are resources so limited for something that's a priority to an entire population that's paying taxes? That's often a good question to ask before accepting resources as scarce. That said, resources are of course often limited, and not everything important can be priority one. In that case, my interest is in what provides the most benefit to the most people, especially those struggling the most to survive. To me, it's not so much a question for me to answer as it is an opportunity to provide transparency to citizens and let them speak.
07 · How do you work with people who see an issue differently than you?

It's tough because they're usually wrong. Jokes aside, one thing engineering taught me is that everyone, including yourself, believes they have the answer, and sometimes (often) you're the one that's wrong. My default is to go back to the common goal, determine the criteria we want in a solution, and find ways to evaluate answers objectively. At the same time, I also learned the most effective way to solve problems together is to get along personally and respect the people you work with. When we build genuine trust and rapport, defensiveness goes down, egos stand down, and we have room to actually hear each other.
08 · What else should voters know about you?

I barely want to do this.

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