A Nelson boxer and business owner is running for council to help residents punch their way out of issues like homelessness, wildfires, climate, and housing.
Jesse Pineiro has been in Nelson for over 25 years and he says it is time homeowners got a break from the city so residents can rent out properties for the long haul rather than turning them into Airbnbs.
“People are choosing to Airbnb their house,” says Pineiro. “People aren’t doing it to be greedy, they are doing it because they have to keep up with the cost of living.”
He says this could be one area that the next council could improve and it could blossom into solving the other issues.
“The city needs to recognize people who are making the effort,” he says. “Perhaps giving them a break on their hydro or water bill could reflect the effort.”
He says the problems are all interlinked and fixing housing could be the first step in solving the others.
“More housing options will start to contribute to a decline in poverty and [improvement in] mental health,” he says. “We will then start to see an increase in employment, and overall well being.”
Pineiro wants to be positive and smart about what he and the city can accomplish on a wide variety of topics. He says the one topic the city has really started to get a handle on is climate change.
He says even though he believes in the Nelson Next climate plan, the city needs to tread carefully forward and investigate all solutions to climate challenges.
“Global warming doesn’t just affect one person,” he says. “It affects us all no matter what your social status is. Solutions need to be realistic, and accessible, to the population.”
Pineiro is running against incumbents Jesse Woodward, Rik Logtenberg and Keith Page as well as Ainsleah Hastings, Leslie Payne, Glenn Sutherland, Kate Tait, Kyle WIlkinson, and Brenton Raby.