Voters will have lots of choices when they head to the polls on Nov. 15.
After several people dropped out of the race this week, there are now 44 confirmed candidates seeking seats on Sechelt and Gibsons municipal councils, at the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board table and as School District No. 46 (SD46) trustees.
With the George Hotel proposal front and centre, Gibsons looks to be a hotly contested race for mayor and council with incumbent Wayne Rowe seeking a return to the top chair, vying with Gibsons Alliance of Business and Community Society president Suzanne Senger and Roger Swickis, who both have been critical of the current George proposal.
For council, nine candidates are running for the four seats.
Incumbents Dan Bouman, Lee Ann Johnson and Charlene SanJenko are seeking a return, while another returnee, former mayor Barry Janyk, has stepped forward along with Katie Janyk, Stafford Lumley, Greig Soohen, Jeremy Valeriote and former school board chair and current trustee Silas White.
There are a host of issues in the District of Sechelt with the wastewater treatment plant, rezoning applications and council spending at the top of the list for residents to ponder when they make their choices.
Mayor John Henderson is seeking a return to office and will be opposed by former mayor Bruce Milne and current school trustee Christine Younghusband.
For council, 15 candidates are on the ballot including current councillors Tom Lamb, Alice Lutes, Mike Shanks and Darnelda Siegers along with former mayor and councillor Darren Inkster and former councillors Alice Janisch, Ed Steeves and Keith Thirkell. Rounding out the field are Norm Blair and Terry Karkabe, who both ran in the last municipal election, and newcomers Jon Bell, Noel Muller, Christine Stefanik, Michael Turner and Doug Wright. Stefanik resigned her position as Sechelt Chamber president this week when she confirmed her candidacy.
The field is not as large for SCRD, as two areas have been acclaimed.
Area A (Egmont/Pender Harbour) director Frank Mauro and Area B (Halfmoon Bay) director Garry Nohr will both return unopposed.
There will be a new director for Area D Roberts Creek, as current director Donna Shugar is not running. The four candidates competing for her seat include Barbara Hague, David Kelln, Mark Lebbell and Hans Penner.
In Area E Elphinstone, incumbent director Lorne Lewis will be challenged by Robert Corlett and Thomas Murray, and Area F West Howe Sound will see a new director as Lee Turnbull is not seeking re-election. The candidates for her seat include Ron Girard and Ian Winn. On Tuesday, Peter Aelbers withdrew his candidacy for Area F.
In SD46, incumbents Dave Mewhort and Younghusband have been acclaimed for the two trustee seats in Sechelt.
There is no longer a race for the one SD46 seat in Gibsons as Pammila Ruth is now the only candidate. White withdrew last weekend and Lee Haffner withdrew on Tuesday.
In rural area two where three seats are available, incumbents Betty Baxter, Lori Dixon and Greg Russell are running alongside newcomers Sarah Bradley and Allen Stevenson. Lori Pratt has been acclaimed in rural area one.
For Islands Trust, only two candidates were nominated for the two available positions for Gambier Island, making acclamation likely for Dan Rogers and Kate-Louise Stamford.
