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Waterman seeks mayoral role

A Summerland municipal councillor will put his name forward in this fall’s mayoral race.

A Summerland municipal councillor will put his name forward in this fall’s mayoral race.

Coun. Peter Waterman, a member of the present council and also a councillor from 2005 to 2008, announced his intention earlier this week.

“I will lead a new council that will listen and respectfully discuss issues with the public,” he said.

“The public has demanded, time and again, that they want to be heard.”

During his two terms on council, he has been involved in some major projects, including the site for the new Summerland Library building.

“We’ve been desperate for a new facility for at least 15 years,” he said.

To create the new building, the Summerland Community Arts Council was displaced from the building they had occupied for 16 years.

Waterman said it is important to find an appropriate long-term solution for the Arts Council.

He plans to focus on downtown economic growth for the community, working with the new library, the arts and existing businesses.

“We can create a downtown that will be very lively,” he said. “I think we can create a mixture that will be amazing.”

Over the past year, Waterman was the sole voice on council opposed to the municipality’s Urban Growth Strategy.

The strategy is now before the provincial Agricultural Land Commission for review.

The growth plan calls for the removal of 80.34 hectares of Agricultural Land Reserve property, near the core of the community, in exchange for 91.7 hectares in the Prairie Valley area.

Waterman’s announcement comes a week after Mayor Janice Perrino announced she will not seek reelection this fall.

This is Waterman’s second mayoral bid. In 2008, he ran unsuccessfully against Perrino, receiving 1,651 votes to Perrino’s 2,183 votes.

The municipal election will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Nominations will be accepted from Tuesday, Sept. 30 to Friday, Oct. 10.

 



John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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