In the Regional District of Nanaimo Electoral Area F director Julian Fell has indicated he will not be seeking another term in office this coming October civic elections.
Fell made the difficult decision due to health issues.
He has put his support behind a former rival candidate, Leanne Salter, who has opted not to run again for Parksville councillor and has chosen to vie for a spot in the RDN board as director for Coombs and Errington area.
Area H Director and current RDN board chair, Bill Veenhof will put his name in the hat again and vie for another four years as the representative for the Shaw Hill, Deep Bay and Bowser area.
“I have been pondering this question for some time now and the decision isn’t easy,” said Veenhof.
“At the end of the day, I reflected back on why I started in local politics. Six-and-a-half years ago I ran for director because I enjoy meeting and working with people, I like solving challenging problems, and I believe that service to the community is important.”
“The journey since then has been interesting and rewarding. Certainly, the high point has been the many fine people I have met. I have nothing but respect for my fellow board members and the RDN Staff. The window that Qualicum First Nation opened for me has been a great joy and put me on a path I did not know existed. Finally, I have treasured all my interactions with the wonderful people of Area H. In terms of outcomes, I have been more successful than I dared imagine I could be, and I am very grateful to everyone who helped enable our success. Nothing has changed, all the motivators that led me into politics are still there and it will be fun to continue the journey. I expect that I will run again as Area H Director.”
Electoral Area E Director Bob Rogers confirmed he will be seeking a second term as representative for the Nanoose Bay area.
“I have enjoyed working with and on behalf of the residents of Nanoose Bay. I have found serving the community in this role together with fellow RDN directors, staff and neighbouring communities to be rewarding from a personal and both a governance and provision of services perspective.”
“Among other priorities I look forward to continuing to support efforts on the board’s strategic plan, the Englishman River Water Service project and enhanced emergency management and I want to continue supporting balanced development in Nanoose alongside meeting the community’s interests in both community and regional parks and trails management.”
Electoral Area G Director Joe Stanhope said he would not be running in the election, but would be endorsing Lehann Wallace.