Rosslanders will be going to the polls to choose a new city councillor.
Three people have filed nomination papers for the by-election, to be held April 4.
Terry Miller, the former head of the Sustainability Commission, Dan Haines, a retired homeowner, and community developer Fletcher Quince have thrown their hat in the ring for the vacant council seat.
Miller, an emergency preparedness co-ordinator with Interior Health, said after years of community involvement in Rossland, he wants to take a deeper dive into public service.
“I’ve been involved in many different aspects of the community over the years, and this is one of the pieces that I hadn’t yet experienced first-hand,” he said. “I’ve made presentations to council but never been on that side of the table.
“I’ve kept my head down the last few years but now it’s time to get back into the game.”
Haines, a retired Teck electrian and fireman, who currently drives a bus for the school district, says he’s been concerned for a while about council’s decision-making process.
“I want to bring some fresh, new ideas,” he says. “I want to go in with an open mind, but also be able to say ‘I don’t agree with that.’ Be a voice for people who don’t have a voice.”
He’s appeared before council to urge caution on council initiatives like the plastic ban bylaw and Emcon affordable housing development.
“I’d like to see this town slow down a little bit in terms of development, and concentrate on what we really need in this town, like infrastructure,” he says. “Some of these latest proposals, I have not been in favour of.
“I’d like to see more info on it, rather than just saying, ‘OK, we’re going to do this with taxpayers dollars.’ That’s all.”
SEE: Plastic bag ban gets thumbs up at public meeting
Quince ran unsuccessfully in the general municipal election in 2018, but has decided to take another stab at a council seat. He says he’s running as someone concerned for small business, heritage protection, and emergency services.
“I think another major one is the response capacity and coverage in relation to the cost of fire services and emergency services in the community,” says Quince, who chaired a task force on the issue in 2016. “We sort of identified the rising costs and what it was going to result in for us. But the coverage that is provided for the cost we are receiving is a big one for me. Both in terms of a ladder truck to address the Josie and condos up at the ski hill, but also for the staffing requirements, the need for full-time coverage as the community continues to grow.”
April 4 voting day
It’s the first time in recent memory that a by-election has had to be held. Other vacancies were filled by acclamation, or didn’t need a by-election under municipal legislation.
The by-election was called after the January resignation of first-time city councillor Scott Forsyth.
SEE: Rossland councillor resigns, by-election will be called
Now that the nomination period has ended, the campaign begins. Candidates can work to drum up support from March 7 to April 4.
Information on where and when the polling stations will be open will be released in the weeks to come.
reporter@rosslandnews.com
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