Sixteen people are seeking a spot on Penticton City Council this year and almost the entire existing council is hoping for re-election.
The only councillor that will not be running in the municipal election will be long time councillor Judy Sentes who served as a city councillor for 14 years.
Councillor James Miller will be looking to secure his spot in council chambers as mayor John Vassilaki and councillor Julius Bloomfield compete for the mayor’s seat in council’s next term.
Councillor Frank Regehr will be seeking a second term after receiving 4,386 votes in 2018.
Regehr says he wants to continue working on Penticton’s crime rate and other issues such as homelessness, drug addiction and mental health.
He acknowledges the work done by council in the current term, such as attempts to address the issue of repeat offenders, hiring social development specialists, promoting rehabilitation services and approving major staffing increases in police, bylaw and community safety officers.
However, Regehr wants to continue building off these achievements.
He also wants to focus on climate action initiatives, ensuring transparency in city dealings with third parties such ensuring contracts for use of the South Okanagan Events Centres are made public.
Councillor Campbell Watt will be seeking his third term on city council. He was first elected in 2014 with 3,925 votes and again in 2018 with 4,566 votes.
Watt submitted his nomination papers two days before the deadline on Sept. 9.
He works as a mortgage broker and also serves as a director for the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.
He has also been involved with various organizations in the community including the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Penticton Association and the Penticton Golf Club Board of Directors.
Finally, councillor Katie Robinson will be seeking a second term on council. She received 3,101 votes in 2018.
Robinson is no stranger to municipal politics. She was first elected to city council in 1990 and served for nine years. She ran for mayor in 2011, served on council during the 2013 by-election and was narrowly defeated in the 2014 election.
This year, she is running under the campaign slogan of “Vote for Positive Experience.”
Robinson has been involved with the Penticton Peach Festival, the RDOS, Union Board of Health & OSRHD, The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan and more.
Before moving to Penticton in 1985 and running for city council, Robinson owned and operated Kalex Industrial First Aid Services in northern BC’s oil path for seven years.
There are 14 new candidates in this year's election. This includes three new contestants for mayor and 13 for city council.
Residents of Penticton can register and attend an all candidates forum on Tuesday to learn more about the candidates in this year’s civic election.
The Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the event from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Penticton Seniors Drop-in Centre at 2965 South Main Street.
