Joe Bevan will stay on as chief councillor of Kitselas after being re-elected in Friday’s polls.
The June 12 election also saw six council candidates elected – that’s one more council spot than in previous years because of an increase in Kitselas’ population.
Wilfred Bennett Sr. was returned as councillor, as was Clarisa Spencer, Judy Gerow, and Gerald Seymour. Wilfred (Web) Bennett Jr. was not returned.
New to council will be Roxanne Ridler and Lynn Wright.
The other council candidates were William (Bill) Bolton, Dawn L.E. (Wale) Derrick, Shirley Gray, Cora Kennedy, Alfred S. McDames, Lloyd McDames Sr., Brian Seymour, Patricia Squires, Victor Wright, and Bonita (Bonnie) Young-Mercer.
Bevan, who was first elected chief in 2013 and followed Judy Gerow’s term as chief councillor, ran against Glenn Bennett, William (Bill Bolton), and Brian Seymour.
Bennett, who has also been a chief councillor in the past, was Bevan’s closest challenger in the 2013 election.
In his election statement printed in the Gitselasu Weekly, Bevan said one of his short term goals is to fix the Kitselas Hall to get it functioning as a meeting place, with a longer term goal of developing a community centre for all residences in the Terrace area.
“I will continue to press our rights and title on our traditional territory, and also, continue work with the governments of the day to move us towards being a self-sufficient, self-governing nation,” he continued.
The Kitselas First Nation officially opened a new water system last month at its Gitaus subdivision east of Terrace on Hwy16.
Its development corporation has also been active at the Skeena Industrial Park located just south of the airport.
