I was born and raised in the West Kootenay and have lived in this area for all of my 45 years. I have been a resident of Salmo for the past 13 years. I have three young children with my wife Tanya. I am employed by Teck Metals in Trail, I've been there for seven years. I have experience in supervision, project coordination and operations. I've worked in the logging, mining and lumber industries, in this area, all of my life. I attended post secondary school at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC.
The biggest challenge to village council in Salmo right now is lack of representation for people in my age range and demographic. Youth and people with young families have had very little to no representation on council for years. Salmo village council is in desperate need of a culture change.
The key to Salmo's success lies in voting in a council with a positive attitude. A council that can work as a team and work with the citizens of Salmo in open and honest communication. Salmo needs a fresh, new generation of council members. There are infrastructure challenges that every small village faces and we need to have a council that is prepared to take ownership of those projects and make the right decisions to get them completed.
We have a number of outstanding projects that have sat incomplete for years i.e. road upgrades, Bailey Bridge project and an aging sewer system. Some of these projects are "shovel ready" and have been, in some cases, for many years. But there has been a lack of a council that will take ownership of these projects, come to an agreement, and start moving them forward. Start moving Salmo forward.
I would like to be part of a council that works toward making our village a safe place to raise children. Safe sidewalks, for example, and snow removal. We need our parks maintained and we should be looking at creating new areas where our kids can play and learn safely. I'd like to work on Salmo becoming a destination for travellers, and a place to stay and support our local businesses.
Salmo has a fantastic opportunity for change. I would like to encourage everyone to come out and vote Nov 15.