John Dooley: Bio
It has been an honour to serve as mayor of this wonderful community for the past six years and I am seeking your support for a third term. The following phrases describe me:
• A proud Canadian, I emigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1967.
• Educated as a tradesperson.
• Married to Pat: We have three children and two grandchildren.
• A citizen of Nelson for 36 years.
• A city councillor for six years and your mayor for six years.
• A member of the Nelson Daybreak Rotary Club.
• An elected member to the board of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
• Appointed to the Regional District of Central Kootenay board.
• Hobbies include golf, fishing, hunting, and skiing.
What is motivating me to seek a third term as mayor?
I enjoy being mayor of Nelson. I am motivated by the confidence the people of Nelson place in me. There is lots left to do and I believe that having continuity in the mayor’s chair is important at this time. Worldwide, we are seeing economic and social challenges. I believe we have positioned ourselves well to move cautiously but confidently through these uncertain times, it is important to stay the course and see many of the projects we have undertaken come to fruition and to tackle new things that appear on our horizon.
Being mayor is not only my way of giving back to my community and Canada. The mayor is the steward of assets that set us apart as a community, assets such as our quality water system, protective services, Nelson Hydro, our many parks, and other assets developed by forward thinking, inspiring politicians. I want to continue to build on this legacy.
Top 3 issues
At any given point there are many issues that arise. At this point the overall economic downturn could be one, the realignment of transit service could be one, and the loss of revenues from other levels of government could be another. This is by no means a full list. There will always be challenges and areas that need attention. In my view we need to be constructive about how issues are tackled. There are some concepts and approaches that are key to tackling issues in a way which builds confidence and gets results.
1. Good planning and solid decision making. Using the four pillars of sustainability — cultural, economic, social and environmental.
2. Building relationships and partnerships that enhance our quality of life.
3. Ethical leadership. I believe that is vitally important to bring a style to leadership by being trustworthy, bringing core values to the table, and thinking of the greater good.
While many decisions impact a group of people, it is important to consider the overall impact of any decision on all citizens, both current and future.
The mayor is one voice at the council table and I believe that my role is to facilitate the way issues are considered, using information provided by staff and through thoughtful listening. I believe that the approach outlined above is what good government is all about.