BY BILL PHILLIPS
It would definitely be a rags to riches story should Willy Enns unseat incumbent Lyn Hall and win the mayor’s race October 20.
Enns has seen some hard times in his life and, for a while, was homeless in Prince George.
“I’ve spent time downtown in a homeless shelter,” he told about 75 people at an all candidates forum Tuesday. “It was due to circumstance, not choice. It was a medical condition that got me there, but I learned a lot about what these people are up against.”
Enns, who arrived at the forum on a Segway, says the experience opened his eyes to some of the city’s problems.
“Drug addiction and these types of issues need to be dealt with,” he said. “These people do have votes and I’m encouraging them to come out and voice that. I hope to offer people on the streets a better chance and a better outcome and for us to get to be proud of our city and to go down our streets and be safe.”
He has no political experience and threw his hat into the ring on the last day of nominations. He admits he is not “politically-minded,” and said several times that his “expertise is in construction.”
He billed himself as “solutions man,” choosing to focus on end results rather than the problems.
When asked about how he would deal with the city’s aging infrastructure he said it needs addressing.
“Infrastructure is crucial to our well-being and has to be of a quality and standard where we’re proud to be paying for it,” he said. “It’s a long term investment and we need to see quality go in there.”
The forum was hosted by the Northern Regional Construction Association (NRCA) in partnership with the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of British Columbia (ICBA) and Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA).
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