Newly-elected Campbell River mayor Kermit Dahl sees his election victory as a mandate for change.
“Thank-you to everyone who voted,” Dahl said at his inaugural speech at the new city council’s swearing-in ceremony Nov. 1
The new council with four new members and a new mayor actually held its first business meeting Monday, Nov. 7 (after this edition of the Mirror went to press). See our website www.campbellrivermirrr.com or next week’s edition (Nov. 16) of the Mirror for coverage of that meeting.
“It is clear that we all care deeply about the future of Campbell River,” Dahl said at the swearing-in ceremony at the Tidemark Theatre. “As your newly-elected mayor, I see this as a vote of confidence and support for change. During the campaign, we heard you and we listened and your priorities are our priorities.”
Dahl’s use of “our” and “we” likely referred to all of city council and the public but could refer to a group of candidates who identified themselves as “like-minded” and who were all elected (Doug Chapman, Ben Lanyon, Susan Sinnott and incumbents Ron Kerr and Sean Smyth). They disclaimed the use of the term “slate” which in Canadian municipal politics usually refers to a group – often a formal group, like a political party – that intends to vote on a specific agenda or philosophy. Members of Dahl’s “group” insisted they were not cooperating in any formal way and just had similar views on what needs to be done (Tanille Johnston was the sixth, unaligned candidate elected).
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Dahl acknowledged the work done by the previous council, on which he sat as a city councillor. Progress was made on many initiatives during the past few years including waterfront upgrades, sportsplex rehabilitation, economic development opportunities at the airport, including taxiways and lighting, he said.
“So we’re not starting from scratch,” he said. “Many thanks to Mayor Adams and all the outgoing Council. I am proud of what we accomplished together.”
He also acknowledged city management and staff who hold a “wealth of experience and knowledge.”
“As always, there’s still a lot of work to do,” he said. “In doing it, there are a few principles that will help guide us taking action and getting things done. Let’s make decisions and move forward with plans, improving processes. We’ll look at what works and what doesn’t and what can be made better. Tackling the big issues, we won’t shy away from the challenges our community faces, but address them and find solutions, building and maintaining good relationships with community partners.
“We’re all in this together and must work as a team, mayor and council First Nation partners, Campbell River residents, city staff, businesses and industry, community organizations and the public as a whole.”
Dahl said it was time to roll up the sleeves and get to work.
“Let’s get some stuff done,” he said.
@AlstrT
editor@campbellrivermirror.com
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