On Tuesday morning, Silas White was the de facto mayor-elect of Gibsons. The first-term councillor and former three-term school board trustee had earned the confidence of the town to such an extent that it was ready to place him uncontested in the mayor’s chair. Potential rivals on both sides of the political spectrum looked at his strengths and decided it would be unwise to take him on. Silas was in.
One day later and it was all over, at least for this election cycle.
Citing health and personal issues resulting from a concussion sustained in a cycling accident on July 1, White announced Wednesday he was withdrawing his nomination for mayor “for the good of myself, my family and the Town.”
The news rocked the political community on the Sunshine Coast, as White was an important regional collaborator, a trusted colleague and, in some cases, a mentor to younger politicians. Most of all, it has left a large leadership vacuum in Gibsons. It was a testimony to White’s skills and commitment that he was endorsed by outgoing mayor Wayne Rowe, all of the other sitting councillors, and declared candidates of all stripes. There is now a small window until Sept. 24 for mayoral nominations and it’s hard to imagine that another candidate can muster such an amazingly broad base of support.
Even though White has left the scene for now, we encourage the new mayor and council to embrace the spirit of his “Moving Forward, Together” campaign theme and take one of his key messages to heart: “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.”
Silas, we can say with conviction that the community is grateful for your superior public service and wishes you a fast and full recovery.
