The three men considered the strong favourites to win the majority of votes in Penticton’s mayoral race in next Saturday’s municipal election were asked to gaze into their respective crystal balls and envision what the future will look like in the City of Penticton.

At a debate featuring incumbent Andrew Jakubeit and chief challengers Jason Cox and John Vassilaki Tuesday evening at the Lakeside Resort & Convention Centre, the three frontrunners were asked questions about the City’s future.

Cox said being able to attract more people to live in Penticton is by taking advantage of the City’s greatest assets, which is the great weather, friendly people and wonderful community assets and amenities.

Photo Credit: NowMediaThe three top contenders to win the mayor's race in the City of Penticton – including Jason Cox (left), incumbent Andrew Jakubeit and former councillor John Vassilaki – were asked question's about the City's future during a 90-debate Tuesday evening at the Lakeside Resort & Conference Centre.

But you also have to have good-paying jobs, low crime, great social infrastructure, a functional transit system and “things that drive the economy that make this a great place to live.”

Vassilaki said the City needs more balance as there’s a growing seniors’ population, but “very few young people and young families moving into the community.

“The way to get those folks to move here is we have to create a friendly city with high-paying jobs … otherwise we won’t get those young families to move here,” he said. “That’s one of my main goals is to balance the people who live in our community between the retirees and youth and young families. It’s going to be a hard sell, but it has to be done.”

Jakubeit said attracting more people is largely dependent on offering more affordable housing options to citizens.

“I think it all stems on creating more housing options because they need a place to stay,” he said.

The biggest inhibitor to attracting new workers in good jobs in Penticton in the difficulty in finding appropriate housing, he said.

Photo Credit: NowMediaFormer Penticton councillor answered questions about the City's future at a debate between himself and fellow mayoral candidates Jason Cox and incumbent Andrew Jakubeit Tuesday evening.

Penticton is blessed with great schools and amenities and people want to live here because of the great weather and lifestyle, however, the lack of housing options remains a problem.

Vassilaki said he would never want to see Penticton double or triple in size, but he acknowledged the City needs population growth to increase the tax base.

“Without people coming into the community, we can’t grow our base,” he said. “We need to take the burden off those on fixed incomes … we have to do something about that.”

The three men were asked what they would do if a philanthropist handed out a cheque for $1 million and they had one hour to make a decision on how to spend that money.

Jakubeit said he would spend the money on beautifying and expanding the walking trails from Okanagan Lake, along the Penticton channel heading towards Skaha Lake, perhaps with involvement with the Penticton Indian Band.

Photo Credit: NowMediaPenticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit answered questions about the City's future Tuesday evening at a debate between himself and top challengers Jason Cox and John Vassilaki.

“Certainly, the halfway point where the bridge is , maybe they could do something along the water there to enhance that area,” he said. “That’s probably  where I would throw some money at. I think that would be a good amenity that a large part of the community would be able to enjoy.”

Cox said even though $1 million is no longer considered an exorbitant amount, he would spend the money improving the infrastructure on both lakes.

He would try and make Okanagan Lake “a welcoming port” where visitors could jump off watercraft and access all that downtown Penticton has to offer, including local restaurants, wineries and craft brewing businesses.

He would also invest in business and things to make Penticton a community people want to live in and not just visit.

Vassilaki said millions of dollars have been spent on beautifying and marketing Penticton, so he would spend it on trying to decrease the City’s homeless issue.

Photo Credit: NowMediaChallenger Jason Cox talked about Penticton's future during a debate Tuesday evening.

“I would spend it on homelessness,” he said. “We need to alleviate all those problems that we’re having in the downtown core and we have to invest in those problems to make sure they don’t continue.”

There are areas outside City limits, such as the West Bench, Naramata and Okanagan Falls, that use facilities in Penticton, but property owners pay their taxes to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS).

Vassilaki said the time has come to begin negotiations to change this.

“We do have to communicate with the RDOS and come up with some kind of a solution to whether we should have a two-tier system for using our facilities for non-residents,” he said.

Residents in outlying areas should also be asked if they would voluntarily agree to pay a small portion of the taxes they currently pay to the City of Penticton for having access to these amenities and services, he said.

“I think we should do that sooner than later,” he said.

Cox agreed, saying he also believes the costs for services like accessing Penticton facilities should be shared across the region.

The RDOS and neighbouring communities could agree to forward an appropriate amount of tax funds to help pay for recreation infrastructure, he said.

Photo Credit: NowMedia

Jakubeit agreed saying West Bench residents currently contribute $25,000 annually to use the library system and offset operation costs at the Penticton Community Centre.

He believes shared funding agreements for residents in Kaleden, Okanagan Falls and Naramata “also has merit.”

There will be new faces on the RDOS board, which has opposed two-tier cost sharing agreements, but he believes it’s time to revisit the issue, said Jakubeit.

“If we can’t get lump sums from the neighbouring areas, then we should put in some sort of two-tier pricing,” he said.