A group of TimeForChange members gathered outside City Hall in August.
Image Credit: Facebook
September 27, 2014 - 1:15 PM
PENTICTON - A group of citizens want to educate, encourage and empower the people of Penticton.
Back in August, Pentictonites congregated on the Facebook page Time For Change Penticton to engage in conversation about how to improve the city. The Facebook group was deleted this week after the page was “hijacked” by member Jennifer Taylor who has different intentions than the founders.
The original group have started a new group, Educate Encourage Empower #Penticton, and they have the same goals in mind as they did when they first set out to change the voting landscape in Penticton.
The group has garnered over 750 members in the last week — a lower success rate than the Time For Change which had thousands of followers after a few days.
Despite the recent setbacks, the group’s founders are not giving up on their mission.
“We don't have hidden agendas, we simply want to help people understand not only the voting process, but also whether or not one is eligible to vote, the important issues in our community, and introduce ALL of the candidates running and their platforms,” Marissa Hilton McPherson says, referring to another group, Vision Penticton that Taylor created to vet certain candidates.
There was an emphasis on engaging young voters when TimeForChange was first introduced, but Hilton McPherson says she wants to reach out to all demographics to encourage fair representation.
“Discussion is key,” she says. “There are many issues that effect the citizens in different ways, and this is a place where peoples' voices can be heard. (The Facebook page) is also a great place for the candidates to learn what issues they may want to consider looking into further when developing their platforms.”
Hilton McPherson was one of the first people to wear the infamous “head-banging druggie” t-shirts to an Alice in Chains concert this summer, which got the whole political campaign going. She and the other administrators of the site plan to keep the Facebook page on the track they had originally intended: educate, encourage, and empower the voters in the community and themselves.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Meaghan Archer at marcher@infotelnews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014