BOB RADLOFF

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE

Together we can make City Hall work better.

GET TO KNOW ME – BOB RADLOFF

BOB KNOWS OUR CITY

I know City Hall from both sides of the counter and I believe we can make it work better.

For those who don’t know me well, or my history in Prince George, I offer something no other candidates offer in this electoral race. Before starting my own engineering business (R Radloff and Associates), I held senior positions within City Hall for eighteen years – most of that as Director of Development and Operations.

My responsibilities included streets, transit, snow control, bioenergy, water sewer, parks, shop, equipment, engineering, projects, planning, building permits and business licenses. I’ve also been Acting City Manager when required, participated in Labour Management negotiations, City Representative on various Provincial regulatory committees, as well as a representative of our city on Lheidli T’enneh land claim negotiations.

I didn’t learn municipal government by sitting in council meetings or reading staff reports. I worked inside the City. I understand how decisions are made, how departments interact, how infrastructure gets planned, how development moves through the system and why seemingly simple things can sometimes take a long time.

For the past sixteen years I’ve been growing my engineering business based in Prince George. Today we have operations throughout the Province, Yukon and Ontario. The last many years I’ve worked with City Hall from the outside – helping businesses, developers, organizations and residents move projects from an idea to construction.

I know City Hall from the inside. I understand it from the outside and I believe I have the experience to make it work better for everyone.

Career Highlights:

President and CEO R Radloff and Associates (Senior Engineer)
Director of Development and Operations – City of Prince George
Public Works Canada Real Property Services for INAC (Project Engineer and Environmental Engineer)
Stanley Associates Engineering / Planning (Project, Engineer and Branch Manager)
Peter Kiewit Sons Construction (Site Engineer and Asst. Site Superintendent)
Member BC Environmental Appeal Board (Judicial decisions related to Environmental permits – 8 years)
Member of Prince George Airport Authority Board (2 Years)

MY PLATFORM – BOB RADLOFF

BOB IS READY TO MAKE REAL CHANGE

PLATFORM: Improve city processes to reduce taxes.

KEY POINTS

Council set budget targets in advance of budget discussions
Investigate means to allow individual departments to carry forward surpluses to next year
Limit Capital Carry Forwards to 15% of program and place procurement under individual department control
Immediate $40 million reduction to new capital allocations
Reduce complexity and timelines for procurement and project management

Prince George has one of the highest tax burdens per-capita in British Columbia and local tax increases have been twice the rate of inflation for the past ten years now. It’s very clear that our future is not looking so bright here and I feel fiscal change is vital for our city’s financial health.

I feel there are a number of approaches to help get spending in-line and help reduce the need for continuous tax increases.

Some of my approaches will be:

Council to set our tax target and priorities. Administration then determines how to meet this target (reverse how things are done now).
Allowances for initiatives approved by council for items over the set target.
Currently, surpluses are managed on a roll up (whole City) basis
Currently, there are no incentives for Department savings. Surpluses are “confiscated” from individual Departments.
Capital Carry Forwards add considerable costs to projects. Currently Carry Forwards are way above industry norms. $72 Million and escalating. Port Coquitlam, comparative, is $7 Million. Prince George is carrying unexpended capital from back to 2019 top down procurement process and risk averse strategies cause delays and subsequent cost increases.
Move Procurement under individual Departments.
AMP is currently a huge tax driver and based on flawed principles.
Do a Capital Plan reset, before allowing further capital expenses to get out of control

The way things have been the last many years is not only not working, it’s created a crisis point. We’ve all felt it and many have been heavily questioning the decisions that have been made. Building a better future starts with changing a flawed fiscal system.

PLATFORM: Create a cleaner and safer downtown.

KEY POINTS

Maximize Involuntary Treatment (MIT)
Make enforcement of the cities Safe Streets Bylaw 24/7
Follow Seattle “Block” or Niagara’s “Nest” approach to homelessness
Create safer environments for all who are in need
Stop warehousing dysfunctional people in the downtown

On the other side of the table, there is a life on the streets that are in desperate times. They are our friends and family members, in a time of extreme need and support. They are lost and what is in place is not helping them.

It’s easy to say that the issue is drugs and mental illness, but the real issue – what is truly plaguing us today – is a lack of progress and a lack of real action.

Let’s recap. There is a mental health and addictions problem! What we are doing now is not working and has only gotten worse! It’s created a quality of life that is not good for everyone in our City, including those in need.

This is a problem I’m not only passionate about, it’s one I have first hand experience with. As a business owner I’ve seen how we live behind barbed wire fences and struggle to keep a safe environment. As a former City Senior Executive I know the pressure it puts on our first responders. As a community member, I’ve seen hundreds of people on our streets struggling every single day. As a family member I’ve had some close to me decline with their own struggles.

I’ve spent considerable time digging into this issue and I believe that Involuntary Treatment (MIT) must be expanded, especially for our community. We need to make enforcement of the city’s Safe Streets Bylaw 24/7 and we need need to move homeless to dispersed locations throughout our community. Warehousing addicts and the mentally ill in close quarters is not a good idea. Congregating these int the downtown is a worse idea.

My “Cutting the Chaos” action plan is attainable and will make great strides in getting us back to a life where we feel comfortable in our city again, while giving our loved ones the support and attention they need. This is a problem that many have talked about, but most don’t have the knowledge or conviction to sort it out.

A vote for me is a vote for Cutting the Chaos. Together, we can build a better future.

PLATFORM: Use / support local.

KEY POINTS

Promote the use of local resources, to the extent allowed under law
Expand social criteria scoring for procurement
We support Military logistics facility
We support the logistics park

I believe a community should support one another and this includes projects that start in the halls of our City.

Sole source awards to local firms, less than $75K needs to be restored and utilized to max extent. Presently this is not being used in a meaningful way.
Sole source awards to local construction firms, less than $200K needs to be increased

The lowest bidder on projects is not always the right move. If local businesses can do the same quality of work, we should work to keep these projects in our community, rather than hiring outside. Supporting local pays Prince George wages. It’s an investment in our community and using local supports local educators and training.

Let’s build a better future by supporting local businesses better.

PLATFORM: Prepare for A.I.

KEY POINTS

People friendly AI implementation
Create an AI plan

In the transportation sector, AI is estimated to eliminate 75% of driving jobs in less than five years. Robo Taxi, in California, saw an increase 8 fold in 2025 alone. The future of transit points to a massive hyper-competitive explosion of autonomous vehicles commercialization and very low user costs comparative with transit. It will, in all likelihood, replace transit as we know it if left to run its course. Looked at another way it could provide a supplementary service for the last meters of existing transit service and be a supplement to transit.

AI will not only affect truck drivers, garbage truck operators, mowers and snow operators, it will also drastically impact reception, clerical, designers, builders, planners, building approvals, application processes, legal, accounting, etc. If it runs its course. Looked at another way it could assist existing workers to provide expanded levels of service. The latter is possible with a People Friendly AI approach.

PLATFORM: Rethink transit.

KEY POINTS

Study autonomous last km hybrid system
Study eliminating transit user fees
Improve user security

If AI impacts our transit system like it is in other cities, it will ultimately result in reduced vehicle ownership with reduced need for large parking facilities. It will also permit higher service levels at lower cost per kilometer.

We need to quickly study land use changes arising from autonomous vehicle use. Currently the transit system recovers only 20% of it’s costs from user fees. We need to consider first km/last km add ons to existing transit as a first step which will provide increased service and convenience and security. A hybrid model implementation.

We can then reduce, or eliminate, the cost to users (user fees) and related administration. It will increase transit use, especially for those who need it and it will result in reduced greenhouse gases, as well as traffic congestion.

Security concerns will persist, particularly for student users so an increase in security on transit will most likely be necessary.

Let’s rethink transit together. Explore possibilities and implement a plan that will have positive impact in our community.

PLATFORM: Improve bike lane level of service.

KEY POINTS

Dedicated bike lane capital
Adapt for e-scooters
Reduce discontinuities

This will open the door to a proper, and safe, dedicated bike lane system that can also allow for e-scooters and other forms of transport that would be similar. Let’s plan expansion of bike lanes for emerging use.

LET’S TALK – BOB RADLOFF

Contact, volunteer, or show your support.

Campaigns are built by neighbours talking to neighbours. Whether you want to volunteer, request a lawn sign, ask a question, or share an idea, Bob would be grateful to hear from you.