Bob Rogers has lived in Nanoose Bay for the past 17 years and he’s seen his share of changes in the area. Now, the retired forest engineer and woodlands manager wants to represent the area at the Regional District of Nanaimo.
Rogers said there aren’t a whole lot of what he called pressure point issues simmering in Nanoose Bay that sparked his leap into the municipal election contest for Area E, but he said he has some municipal experience under his belt and he sees a need for a fresh perspective on the area.
“I have a new voice for Nanoose Bay,” he said. “I’ve lived on Vancouver Island for 32 years and have lived in several parts of the Island, so I’ve got a good perspective on Island issues. I was also elected as a school trustee in the Cowichan Valley.”
One issue he sees emerging is the need to have a balanced approach when conflicts arise.
“The most important thing is a balanced approach within the RDN and all the issues that Nanoose Bay has, whether we are balanced on a fiscal responsibility basis or balanced in our resources and facilities,” Rogers said. “We have a broad range of ages in Nanoose Bay, as well as interests, with a lot of seniors. We need to have a balance between our rural and residential community.”
Rogers said water supply is one issue he sees as likely to grow more and more important over the next few years, stressing the need for any new developments to be able to show they have a sufficient supply prior to going ahead.
Rogers stressed he’s not a one-issue candidate — something he said he’s very much against.
“It’s wrong for people to run as a candidate on a single issue,” he said. “I’ve never done that and I don’t think others should, either. When you look at the regional district, there are all kinds of issues that will come up over the course of a three-year term — parks and recreation, water, sewage, transit — and most of them won’t have anything to do with the one issue on which you ran.”
Rogers is married to wife Susan an