Janice Brown insists she has her dream job — serving as the mayor of Spallumcheen.
Brown has announced she will seek a second term as mayor of the township Nov. 15.
“We’ve had a great council and we have accomplished a lot,” said the 62-year-old freelance designer who also served 12 years as a councillor.
“It’s great when you can keep plowing ahead. I get great feedback from people and they know that I am working for them.”
Brown says there are still some major issues she wants to see resolved.
“We’re really focusing on the tax impact of Bill 8,” she said.
The township says it had to increase the rate on the farm class to counteract the effects of provincial legislation in which farmers enjoyed $120,000 of tax relief in 2013 that everybody else paid for.
“We are meeting with ministers Norm Letnick and Coralee Oakes at the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference and we are working with B.C. Assessment on this,” said Brown.
“We don’t want to tax our farmers who are our bread and butter in Spallumcheen.”
Other issues Brown wants to see proceed include development of the southeast sector, and working with the Ministry of Transportation on four-laning of Highway 97A at the McLeod subdivision.
“We want to make sure there are good intersections there,” she said.
Brown believes open communications are critical for anyone wanting to be mayor.
“I’ve tried to include all of council is all decisions and they work hard to make things happen,” she said.
“We have made many tough decisions, but always with the whole community in mind.”
Brown is the township’s representative to the Regional District of North Okanagan board.
Besides Brown, the other competitor for mayor is Dave Brew.
Brew served three terms as a township councillor and lost the 2011 mayoral election to Brown.
