Kelowna, West Kelowna election hopefuls line up for next month’s vote

CENTRAL OKANAGAN – If you’re thinking of running for city council in the Central Okanagan you best make a move.

The nomination period is closing Friday, Sept. 14, for municipal elections throughout B.C. and the process for filing is such that candidates are advised to make an appointment with their local electoral officer to ensure the forms and the required nominations are correct.

“Most people schedule an appointment and then file right away,” City of Kelowna chief electoral officer Karen Needham says. “This helps make sure there is someone here that can process their paperwork.”

In Kelowna, three fresh faces have declared against incumbent Mayor Colin Basran, who announced in June his intention to reclaim his position. Josh Hoggan, Bobby Kennedy and Bob Schewe are interested in Basran’s job and its $96,000 annual salary.

There are 12 declared candidates for the eight Kelowna council seats, including incumbents Luke Stack, Gail Given, Maxine DeHart and Ryan Donn. Coun. Terry Gray has announced she will not seek re-election and will instead look for the federal Conservative Party nomination in Kelowna-Lake Country.

Coun. Brad Sieben and Coun. Charlie Hodge have said publicly they will stand for re-election but neither had filed papers as of Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Other council hopefuls include former Kelowna councillor Graeme James, Mark Boyer, Curtis Cibinel, Greg Dahms, Amarjit Lalli, Gordon Lovegrove, Stefanie Van Meeteren and Loyal Wooldridge.

In West Kelowna, current Mayor Doug Findlater is stepping down and running instead for a council seat while former councillor Gord Milson is so far, the only declared candidate for mayor in that city. He can count on support from current councillors Carol Zanon and Bryden Winsby who both signed his nomination papers.

While Winsby and Coun. Duane Ophus have yet to file, Zanon, Coun. Rosalind Neis, Coun. Rusty Ensign and Coun. Rick de Jong have all acquired the necessary nominators and satisfied residency requirements for a run at re-election.

Other West Kelowna council hopefuls include Jason Friesen, Joe Gluska, Stephen Johnston, Tiffany Pare, Gordon Wiebe and Jayson Zilkie.

Voters across the province go to the polls Oct. 20, electing local municipal politicians and school board trustees.

A candidate must be nominated by ten qualified electors if running for mayor or councillor and two qualified nominators if running for school trustee. They must also be 18 or over on voting day, be a Canadian citizen and a resident of B.C. at least six months prior to filing.

Updated 1:42 p.m. Tuesday, September 11, 2018 with new candidate information.

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