The chairman of Nanaimo’s youth advisory council will try to move up to the next level.
Michael Ribicic will hold a campaign launch tomorrow, July 20, as he begins his bid to become a Nanaimo city councillor this fall.
The 23-year-old said while his age could be considered a disadvantage, it can also be an advantage in one way.
“I think that’s something that will help differentiate myself, as well – there may not be too many people in their 20s running,” he said. “I do feel prepared and I definitely asked myself many questions before making this decision. Although I am a bit younger than many of these candidates may be, I do feel that I’m experienced.”
Ribicic is entering his final semester at Vancouver Island University, where he will graduate with a double major in political studies and history. At VIU he’s been part of a half-dozen different committees and bodies including the senate and the alumni association.
“I’ve also been very passionate about politics and I’ve engaged in politics, as well,” he said. “I knew one day that I maybe would run, I just didn’t know when that one day would be. A good friend of mine did say to me that ‘you’ll know when to run because people will start asking you to run,’ and it wasn’t long after that that people did start asking me to run.”
He’ll begin his campaign with a high-profile endorsement – B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver will attend Ribicic’s campaign launch. Ribicic said although he has volunteered to support a Green candidate in the past, he considers himself non-partisan when it comes to provincial politics.
With the youth advisory council, on which he has served since 2015, one of the files Ribicic worked on was transit, and he lobbied regional district directors for public transit to be improved in heavy-use areas rather than expanded outward.
“It’s like you’re building a house and instead of putting a roof on that house, you start building the garage or something,” he said. “That’s the way the transit system’s been in Nanaimo for a long time now. It’s insufficient.”
On homelessness and affordable housing, Ribicic said the city should not only partner with other levels of government, but also look at the lessons of other municipalities. Following through on recommendations that come from the city’s own affordable housing strategy will also be important, he said.
Ribicic said he looks forward to the campaign and engaging with and listening to the voters, and hopes he’ll get a chance to give back to them as a city councillor.
“I feel that I’m committed, that I’m hard-working, and that I have what it takes to give the citizens of Nanaimo the representation they deserve,” he said.
Ribicic’s campaign launch, with special guest Andrew Weaver, will take place Friday, July 20, at 6 p.m. at the Old City Station Pub.
To read other interviews with Nanaimo city council candidates, visit this page.
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