Parksville Coun. Doug O’Brien has formally announced his candidacy for the mayor’s chair in Parksville.
O’Brien will seek the office in the Oct. 15 municipal election, according to a press release.
O’Brien was elected as councillor in 2018.
During his term on council, read the release, O’Brien has been instrumental on many projects ongoing or successfully completed, such as the Community Park to Rathtrevor Trail, the Performing Arts Outdoor Stage, Urban Forest Strategy, encouraging and approving a robust balanced housing strategy, including densification of the downtown core, Ballenas track renewal, as well as chair of the Englishman River Water Service Board.
O’Brien said: “Priorities for my next term include awarding a contract to consultants to develop a new water storage reservoir and resilience plan to ensure sufficient and better quality of potable water; to create a collaborative process to recruit new doctors and a progressive plan to retain doctors, construct 16 dedicated pickleball courts to provide a healthy lifestyle for all demographics.”
Long term visionary plans, stated the release, include implementation of more downtown street parking, accessible washrooms, pedestrian- and bike-friendly lanes and sidewalks and encouraging more housing in the downtown core to create a small town community atmosphere.
“Equally as important is moving our climate action strategy from planning to implementation and ensuring that City of Parksville plans are viewed through a climate lens,” he said. “If that means planting more trees and creating stormwater retention rain gardens then our entire community will benefit.”
O’Brien can be reached at 250-954-2327 or dougobwon@gmail.com.
— NEWS Staff, submitted
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