Councillor Alton Toth used his Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) area director’s report at the June 23 board meeting to announce that he will run for a second term on District of Sechelt Council in the Oct. 15 local government elections.
When asked if he planned to run as a candidate for mayor or councillor, he told Coast Reporter “he was not crazy enough” to be up for the demands of the Mayor's seat.
In a statement he posted to Facebook, Toth wrote "I have no illusions any more about the things an individual member of Council may or may not be able to accomplish. We really do work as a team, on every subject, whether we agree or not. Discourse and discussion make for better decisions. But no one individual member of Council is in a position to make drastic changes to policy or programming.
"But the high priority work of our Council, and of the regional district board, isn't done. In Sechelt, we've given approval to over 200 units of rental housing in our downtown core, with construction to start imminently on so many of them, and more in the pipeline. At the SCRD, we are making great strides in our asset management, diversifying our water sources, securing new waste disposal options, and so much more. But there is still so much more to go. I wish we had done more towards downtown revitalization. I wish we had been able to have more conversations with our community, and hear directly from residents in a manner that is more accessible to them. I want to be able to commit to the next Council, or at least myself, doing a better job of that. When I campaigned in 2018, I told people that I was in for a maximum of two terms, and no more. This would be my second term if elected, with no intentions of running for a third, so I’m not worried about the concerns of special interest groups, or trying to get re-elected in 2026.
"I'm going to be spending the summer talking to residents, getting ready for the campaign period in the lead up to October 15th. But we do need more community minded people who are interested in running for office. The hours can be long, the pay isn't that good, and the mental health challenges can be great. But the opportunity to help your community, to be in a position to make an actual difference, cannot be overlooked. Anyone who might want to know more is more than welcome to reach out to me, and we'll sit down for a coffee, my treat."
Toth, who grew up in Sechelt is an electrician by trade. He is also a partner in a Sechelt retail business.
He joins Mayor Darnelda Siegers as the second member of Sechelt’s existing council to state they plan to put their names forward for re-election. Councillor Matt McLean has indicated he will not stand for re-election in 2022 in the District of Sechelt.
