It’s very rare that local residents get to sit less than two feet away from the Mayor of their community and discuss issues that are near and dear to their heart.

But that’s exactly what happened Tuesday afternoon at the Lakeside Trade & Convention Centre where a group of more than 25 candidates running for mayor, council and school district trustee participated in a “candidates trade show” between 4-7 p.m.

The three leading contenders for the mayor’s chair – incumbent Andrew Jakubeit and challengers John Vassilaki and Jason Cox – attended the trade show as did the majority of the 24 candidates running for the six seats on council.

Photo Credit: NowMediaIncumbent Penticton Coun. Campbell Watt said he thoroughly enjoyed participating in the unique candidates trade show held Tuesday afternoon and evening at the Lakeside Resort & Convention Centre.

All three mayoral candidates then engaged in a 90-minute debate on key issues immediately following the trade show.

Incumbent Councillors Judy Sentes and Campbell Watt participated, but incumbent Max Picton was not in attendance.

Rick Riddall, who has called Penticton home since 1990, said he has been heavily engaged in the political process during each municipal election during his adult life and has never seen another event where he could get up close and personal with those running for public office.

“I think it’s great, really great,” said Riddall. “I’ve asked a number of questions and I’ve got some answers that I really wanted to hear.”

Photo Credit: NowMediaLynn Kelsey, one of the 24 candidates running for the six seats on Penticton council, talks to a local resident during Tuesday's trade show.

Riddall said it’s relatively easy to get in touch with and communicate with an incumbent councillor, but being able to meet newcomers to politics and discuss their policies and platforms was invigorating.

“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “I’m here to say hello to some good friends who are running again, but I know these people, so I want to meet the others. That’s why I’m here.”

Darryl Sanders, who is running for a seat on council after running during the last election in 2014, said being able to meet residents in such an intimate setting is appealing.

“The one-on-one is what I like because you can directly answer questions from people,” he said. “When you’re being hit with certain questions in a big forum like last week, all the candidates can’t give appropriate answers off the hip every time.

“A lot of time we don’t have the right information in a big forum, but  the incumbents will and it’s not really fair. I like this much better.”

Photo Credit: NowMediaPenticton's Matthew Baran said he enjoyed meeting numerous candidates running for elected office at Tuesday's trade show .

Matthew Baran, said he learned a great deal about the candidates at the trade show and enjoyed the process very much.

“It’s always good to be able to interact with most of the candidates who are running,” he said. “It’s good to see the ones who are prepared and you can differentiate who is prepared from those who aren’t and those who are prepared, to me, will be prepared for the job they’re running for.”

Baran said he would much rather attend an event where residents can meet one-on-one than a large forum with two dozen candidates who simply don’t have the time or option to provide details answers to important questions.

“This is how things should be set up,” he said. “I think I met every candidate but five tonight and there were no big crowds, so I could sit as long as I wanted to ask questions and get answers.”

Baran said municipal politics is very often the most important level as decisions made at the local level have tremendous impact on the daily lives of residents.

“Municipal politics is the tier of politics that is tactile for every citizen,” he said. “You don’t always feel what the provincial government does when they shift and move around. With the federal government, you don’t often hear anything unless it affects your taxes.

“But municipal government is really different because it is completely tethered to how we live as a business owner, organization or resident in the city.”

Baran reiterated that being able to meet face-to-face with those running for office provided a great opportunity to determine which men and women are best for the job as members of Penticton council.

Photo Credit: NowMediaFormer Penticton councillor Katie Robinson is shown talking to local residents face-to-face at Tuesday's candidates trade show.

“That happened tonight with one of the councillors … hearing how one of them presented an argument and articulated that argument to me,” he said. “It means they have an understanding of the issue we were discussing and even if I don’t agree with it, you have to acknowledge they do have an understanding of it and maybe even a greater understanding than I do.”

Incumbent Coun. Campbell Watt shared the same enthusiasm for the trade show format as Baran.

Photo Credit: NowMedia

“This has been tremendous. I’ve loved it,” said Watt. “I think it has much more impact than all the forums we’ve been asked to attend. I think people have an actual ability to make important decisions.

“Many of them are choosing between two, three or four of the candidates and this event has allowed them to talk about what they really want to know. A random question at a forum with more than 20 people doesn’t really touch on that.”

Allowing newcomers to the political process to sit beside incumbents and have equal access to members of the public is also an effective tool to allow them to get their message to voters, said Watt.