Former RCMP officer to run for Vernon council

VERNON – Former RCMP officer and Upper Room Mission director Rick Lavin is the latest Vernon resident to throw their hat into the ring in the upcoming election.

Lavin announced his political goal in a press release yesterday, Aug. 26.

He spent 30 years in the RCMP where he reached the position of Officer in Charge of Professional Standards for British Columbia before retiring in 2011 and leaving the Lower Mainland for Vernon, according to the release.

Lavin recently sat on the City of Vernon's Activate Safety Task Force earlier this year and previously held the position of the interim executive director of the Upper Room Mission. According to his statement, both positions have given him unique insight in how to approach downtown safety concerns.

“I’d like to help develop a long-term strategy that’s really going to see our dollars generate positive outcomes that benefit everyone for years to come. We don’t have to spend a lot; we just have to know where we can make ripples," he says in the release.

Lavin is the latest person to announce that they will be running for a council seat on municipal election day Oct. 20.

Kelly Fehr, the co-executive director of Turning Points Collaborative Society, announced Aug. 25 he would run for a spot on council.

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