The ballot for director on the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board is starting to take shape in advance of the Nov. 19 municipal election.
Hans Penner from Roberts Creek, a member of Elphinstone Logging Focus and a strong environmental activist, announced last Friday (Oct. 7) that he would be running in the Creek against current director Donna Shugar.
"There are many issues of concern for residents of Roberts Creek," said Penner in a news release.
"I strongly believe in a constructive two-way dialogue between voters and their elected representatives. If I am elected, three important areas that will receive my immediate and sustained attention, as they have as a concerned citizen for many years, include the protection of our drinking water, parks and forests, and transportation."
Professionally, Penner has worked as a district technician, applied science technologist and as a municipal planner.
"If elected I will use all my experience and knowledge to actively promote solutions to the above and other critical social and environmental issues in Roberts Creek," Penner added.
Mike Carson confirmed his candidacy in a news release on Oct. 10 to run in Area A (Pender Harbour/Egmont).
Incumbent director Eric Graham is not running.
Carson grew up in a small English village of Hudson, Que.
After working for a Fortune 500 firm in marketing and sales promotion, he came west in 1987, and started a home construction and renovation business.
In 1998 he left the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland with his partner Lori and moved to Pender Harbour.
"When we decided to move to the Coast, it was purely for lifestyle reasons," he said. "We were looking for fresh air and a place where people still smiled at each other as they passed on the sidewalk."
In 2003 he became a licensed realtor.
"I believe one of the skills that a successful director must have is to be an active listener. They must be accessible to the public and be able to communicate effectively," he said.
The big issues in Pender Harbour/Egmont that he will be working on are the waterworks, including completing ongoing projects, promoting affordable seniors housing opportunities in Madeira Park, finding funding for projects like Abbeyfield House, and supporting similar local initiatives for both seniors and low-income housing, programs and services for young people that keep them engaged in the community and foster a culture of entrepreneurialism, and stimulating Pender Harbour/Egmont economic growth through collaborating with industry and government, particularly in the tourism sector.
As of press time, incumbents Lee Turnbull in West Howe Sound, Lorne Lewis in Elphinstone and Garry Nohr in Halfmoon Bay were the only candidates to file their nomination papers and seek re-election. The deadline for nominations in all four governments is today (Oct. 14) at 4 p.m.
