Kimberley City Council will see two new members at the Inaugural Meeting on Monday, Oct. 5, 2018, followed by the first Regular Meeting of Council on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018.
Kyle Dalum and Jason McBain were elected among incumbents Sandra Roberts, Nigel Kitto, Darryl Oakley and Kent Goodwin for one term (four years), while Mayor Don McCormick was also re-elected.
READ MORE: Kimberley City Council announced
The Bulletin spoke with Dalum and McBain about their new endeavours.
Dalum says he is excited to be a part of Council and is looking forward to the next four years.
In terms of preparing for the first meetings, Dalum says he has been completing administrative work as well as continuing to be “out in the community talking to people”.
He also is looking forward to an information session at the end of the month, where he and other Council members in the East Kootenay will be briefed on their new positions.
READ MORE: Kyle Dalum running for City Council
Since Dalum has been sitting in on Council meetings for the past year, he says he knows what to expect.
“I’m pretty comfortable with the process already,” he said. “It’s all about following through with communication.”
When asked what he has learned over the past year of observing Council meetings, he laughed, saying he’s realized that he doesn’t always have something to say.
“On a more serious note, I’ve learned a lot about how much some people respect the process [of Council] and how important that is,” he said.
As mentioned while campaigning, Dalum hopes to host a weekly, or twice weekly, meet and greet (similar to that of Mayor Don McCormick’s brown bag lunch), where Kimberley residents can chat with Dalum about current events, hopes for Kimberley and issues within the community.
He adds that there will be a calendar to outline the available dates, which will be visible online either though his Facebook page and/or the Kimberley website.
Council members are required to sit on various Boards and Committees within the community. Dalum says he will bring strength to any board, and has no specific ideas in mind for which boards he hopes to sit on.
In terms of what Dalum hopes to tackle in four years, he spoke about infrastructure replacement, snow removal, sustainability and the chance for Kimberley to “insulate from the global market”.
“There are lots of challenges to tackle,” said Dalum, “but just like a paramedic, Kimberley has to take care of Kimberley first, before it can help out anyone else.”
McBain had a similar outlook, saying he learned a lot throughout the election process.
“First and foremost the election process was interesting,” he said. “You get to see the behind the scenes of what the candidates have to do, it was definitely a learning experience.
“When you have your hat in the ring as a candidate, rather than just chatting out in the community, you’re more on the hot seat. You get more pointed questions and asked about your different opinions. It’s a different dynamic and I really enjoyed that process.”
READ MORE: Jason McBain making run for Kimberley City Council
He adds that he’s looking forward to the upcoming meetings and says the whole process will be “fun”. McBain has a lot of experience sitting in meetings, considering his career in Civil Engineering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and says he won’t shy away from Council or committee meetings.
“Moving forward, I want to get my feet underneath me and have everything laid out on the table,” said McBain. “Meetings are great so long as you stay on topic and the discussion is productive.”
In terms of what committees he might sit on, McBain says he has no specific hopes, but is excited to have some projects to jump in on.
“It’s about the best fit for each individual person, and working with the entire Council to see where I can best be utilized,” he said. “I would call it the allocation of human assets. I have open expectations and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the other members of Council and the Mayor so my skills can be used best they can.
“You provide support and hopefully inject some new energy into potentially old projects and bring them to life.”
When asked if he has met with members of Council informally, McBain says he has been speaking with Council members, especially Dalum since they are both newcomers.
“I think he [Dalum] and I share the same excitement and enthusiasm,” said McBain.
corey.bullock@kimberleybulletin.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
