Gibsons councillor Silas White is running for mayor.
White, 41, made the announcement July 10 at an event at the 101 Brewhouse and Distillery, with current mayor Wayne Rowe and the rest of council among the crowd of around 100.
Coun. Stafford Lumley, who plans to run again in the fall, introduced White. He praised White’s work ethic and dedication to the community.
“I thought I worked really hard. And I did, but every time I looked to my right there was somebody next to me who worked twice as hard as I did,” Lumley told the audience. “Most of the attributes you want for mayor are there [in White].”
White’s political career started with a nine-year stint as school trustee, six of them as chair of the School District No. 46 board, before being elected to town council in 2014.
In a brief speech, he highlighted the accomplishments of the current council and laid out a vision for Gibsons as “a caring community that looks after our seniors, welcomes young families and assists people of all ages struggling with affordability.”
“Life isn’t great for everybody here, and it’s getting harder for people, and I think being a councillor, that’s been one of the biggest things to learn,” White said. “It’s great to get input from people who are really engaged and have a lot of ideas, but sometimes the people who most need your help are the ones you hear from the least, so we really have to reach out to people.”
White’s campaign theme is “Moving Forward, Together.”
He said that includes positioning the Town of Gibsons among the local governments on the Sunshine Coast as a leader on regional issues such as water, solid waste, housing and transportation.
“I do believe affordability is the biggest challenge for the next council,” White said, reading from his platform, which is now available at www.silaswhite.com. “Especially affordable housing. You shouldn’t have to be a millionaire to afford to have a home in this town, and everybody should be able to enjoy this beautiful place in the fullest way.”
Development also continues to be a major issue facing Gibsons, and White’s platform for “managing growth” includes moving forward with zoning amendments to update parking requirements, encourage smaller homes and garden suites, “reworking the development process to make it less confrontational and more publicly transparent,” and updating the OCP to clarify language on density, form and character.
After the event, Rowe told Coast Reporter that he feels White is “ready for the mayor’s chair.”
Councillors Charlene SanJenko and Jeremy Valeriote also said they plan to support White’s bid for the mayoralty.
“I think our council has worked well together, and they recognize that’s something that’s very important to me,” White said. “My team is whoever the electors choose, and I think that’s something this council appreciates. I’m really happy to have their support.”
