There might be a little bit of déjà vu on the ballot for Vernon voters as two former mayors are running for a seat at the council table in Vernon after they both spent a dozen or more years out of politics.

That’s along with incumbent Mayor Victor Cumming looking for a third term and former mayor and now councillor Akbal Mund wanting a third term.

Who’s running for mayor?

More than 20 years since he first became mayor of Vernon in 2005, Wayne Lippert has thrown his hat in for the top job.

Lippert served two terms before losing to Rob Sawatzky in 2011.

Sawatzky didn’t run for a second term as mayor in 2014, but 12 years after leaving council chambers, he is now running to return to city hall as a councillor.

It’s a four-way race for the top position in Vernon, with Cumming being challenged by two-term councillor Kari Gares, along with Lippert and political newbie Jerrod Stephenson.

Gares and Cumming were both elected the first time round in 2018, and have contrasting communication styles. Gares is often seen responding on social media, while throughout his term the mayor has avoided the limelight.

While Lippert can harken back to his record 20 years ago, it’s unclear what Stephenson’s message is. Several days after the nomination deadline closed, he’s yet to put up a website or have any relevant social media presence.

Who’s running for council?

There are 15 candidates vying for a place on council — there were 13 in 2022 — with incumbents Teresa Durning, Kelly Fehr and Akbal Mund all on the ballot.

Mund has done two terms on council following one term as mayor from 2014 to 2018, while Fehr will also be looking for a third term. Durning came to the council table in 2021 following a byelection. In 2024, she set her sights on the federal Conservative Party nomination for the Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee riding, which ultimately went to former Vernon city councillor and now MP Scott Anderson.

Incumbent councillors Brian Quiring, who had done three terms, and Brian Guy, who served a single term, are not running for re-election.

After coming in eighth place in 2022 with almost twice as many votes as the candidate below her, Dawn Tucker is having another run for a place at the council table.

Best known as the executive director of the Vernon Public Art Gallery, Dauna Kennedy has added her name to the list of candidates. In 2023, she unsuccessfully sought the BC United nomination for Vernon-Lumby.

Also on the ballot are former North Westside Fire Chief Wayne Carson, retired teacher Barry Dorval, lawyer Dustin Griffin, cafe owner David Scarlatescu, along with Robert Cook, Amy Klassen, Sarah Moorhouse, Kari Statham and Diana Wilson.

What are the issues?

The past two municipal elections have also seen Vernon residents vote in referendums on infrastructure projects. In 2018, voters passed the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre and in 2022, the Active Living Centre. With these projects now underway, voters are likely to be focused on the tax increases that came with them. This summer’s water restrictions may be a political topic, as well as the issue of safety and social disorder, much like other towns and cities across the province.

Who’s running for school board?

In 2022, the usually quiet school district trustee election campaign garnered much attention as the previously unknown ParentsVoice BC group ran a slate of right-wing candidates across the province. At School District 22 in Vernon, none of the three candidates were successful, and the group doesn’t appear to exist anymore. Their influence was felt though, as the school district later made its meetings online only due to interruptions from protestors.

This year’s election doesn’t look to be as dramatic, with only five newcomers entering the race and six of the seven trustees running again.

Incumbents Tom Williamson, Mark Olsen, Jenn Comazzetto, Vanessa Mitchell, Kelli Sullivan and Lori Mindnich are all running again, with Gen Acton standing down.

The new faces are former two-term trustee Robert Lee, Stephanie Hoffman, both running for one of four positions in Vernon, and Tahni Fortin, Lee Elliott, and Geoff Bradley, all running in Lumby and Electoral Areas D and E.

How Vernon voted in the past

Voter turnout in 2022 was lower than in other Okanagan cities, at 24.3% and a drop from 29.1% in 2018.

Despite previous elections having three or more candidates (in 2014 there were five), in Vernon it has been a two-way race for the top position.

In 2022, Cumming won with 50% of the vote, a clear seven percentage points over candidate Scott Anderson.

Fehr got more votes than any other council or mayoral candidate, while Gares came in second place, also getting more votes than the mayor, a situation she’d no doubt want to replicate this year.

Municipal election day is Saturday, Oct. 27.