As the November Municipal Election nears, Mayor Malcolm MacLeod isn’t shying away from the idea of serving a second term as mayor of Sicamous.
“You know I have given it a lot of thought and I probably will be running again,” he said, noting if he was to serve a second term it would be his last. “Three years from now I think I’ll want to do some other things.”
MacLeod says there are capable people within the community who he hopes will one day step up and run for mayor, but until then, he doesn’t want to see council lose the ground it has gained.
“I wouldn’t want to leave Sicamous without a responsible mayor and council. I feel we have a very good council and staff,” he said. “Things are going pretty good right now so I would hate to see it go backwards…”
His term as mayor has had its struggles, but all in all, it has been a positive one, says MacLeod.
“I have really enjoyed it. I have learned a lot and it is one way I can pay back the community… I have been very pleased with what has taken place the last three years,” he said, pointing to highlights such as receiving one of the largest grants in the province for the sewer collection system extension, the ongoing development of the boardwalk along the channel and the completion of the new district office, both on time and on budget.
“I think there is a lot to look forward to…,” he said.
Earlier this year, former mayor Lorraine March declared her intentions to run again for the mayoral seat after being defeated in the last election.
As for the rest of council, one councillor has decided to call it quits, two are leaning towards running again, one is undecided, and two will run again in November.
Coun. Heidi deWit has said, that at this time, she has no plans to run for a second term.
Having also served one term on council, Coun. Jerry Silva says he is weighing the pros and cons of running for public office before he makes a decision to run for a second term.
Couns. Charlotte Hutchinson and Don Richardson, who were elected in October’s by-election, are both leaning towards running again.
Hutchinson says as long as she can determine she is being effective in her role as a councillor she will run again.
“I have only had a short time on council but it seems it has been a good training ground…,” said Hutchinson, who would run for her first full term. “So far it has been quite helpful. It’s an important and positive role to be on council and we have very good people on council who try very hard.”
Don Richardson would be running for his second full term. His first was served from 1999 to 2001.
“I am leaning towards running again because it’s interesting and I am certainly interested in the well-being of our community…,” he said.
Couns. Lynn Miller and Fred Busch have disclosed they will run again for their sixth terms.
“It is something I enjoy doing, I have the time to do it and I believe I have something positive to offer for the betterment of the community,” said Busch.
Miller, who is concerned with what council has not accomplished, says there is much more work to be done.
“I would like to talk to the town and ask them the question – ‘What needs to be happening here?’ There are no committees, no input from the public at our meetings. It is really quite frustrating…,” she said, adding she would love for residents to contact her personally and share their thoughts. “I love this community and I think they deserve nothing but good stuff, and we need to accomplish that.”
