Nelson residents will have three candidates to choose from for mayor next month, as Richard Rowberry and George Mercredi joined the race near today’s nomination deadline to challenge incumbent John Dooley.
Rowberry is running in the spirit of the city’s founding mayor, John Houston.
Mercredi, 66, ran for mayor in 2002 and finished fourth in a field of six.
The native of Fort Chippewan, Alta., grew up in Uranium City, Sask. and was formerly a heavy-duty mechanic and professional boxer. He has also been a provincial Metis director.
Nine years ago, he ran on a platform of reducing taxes and helping youth.
Five incumbent councilors are running for re-election: Bob Adams, Robin Cherbo, Deb Kozak, Donna Macdonald, and Marg Stacey.
There will also be three other names on the ballot: Candace Batycki, Charles Jeanes, and Paula Kiss.
Batycki, well known in the local environmental circles, will try to fill some of the void created by councillor Kim Charlesworth’s decision not to run again.
Charlesworth was widely regarded as the greenest voice on council.
Jeanes has run before unsuccessfully for both mayor and council.
Kiss also has a strong background in environmental issues. She has a degree in engineering and spent several years working in Africa. She moved to Nelson in January 2007.
New Denver: New mayor acclaimed
Ann Bunka has been acclaimed as mayor of New Denver, succeeding Gary Wright who decided not to run again after more than 21 years in the position.
Bunka, an incumbent councillor, will be the second woman to serve as the village’s mayor after Mabel McCrory from 1979-83.
There are eight candidates for council — none of them incumbents.
They are Dennis Butler, Anita Dumins, Heather Fox, Jason Hartley, David Hodsall, Wanda Palmer, Nadine Raynolds, and Henning Von Krogh.
Silverton: Two women for mayor
For the first time, a woman will be mayor of Silverton.
Incumbent councillor Carol Bell and former councillor Kathy Provan are both running. Incumbent John Everett is not seeking re-election.
The deadline for councillor nominations has been extended to Monday at 4 p.m. It's not clear if anyone has submitted their name yet.
Slocan: Perriere vs. Gates, Round II
The race for mayor in Slocan will pit incumbent Madeleine Perriere against John Gates for the second straight election. Perriere won in 2008 by a vote of 104-56.
All four incumbent councillors are running again: Hillary Elliott, Jessica Lunn, Patricia McGreal, and Jean Patterson. Joining them are challengers Nick Verigin and Glenda Zwer.
Kaslo: Lay faces two challengers
Incumbent Kaslo mayor Greg Lay faces two challengers for his job: Patrick Mackle, who served as mayor from 1993-96 and has run several times unsuccessfully since, and business owner Teresa May.
Incumbent councilors Donna Cormie, Suzan Hewat, and Molly Leathwood are running again. There are five other candidates as well: Lynda Beddow, Jill Braley, Mel Bryce, former mayor Jim Holland, and Rob Lang.
Salmo: No vote
The entire mayor and council of Salmo have been elected by acclamation.
Ann Henderson is back for a third term as mayor, while council will consist of incumbents Merle Hanson and Janine Haughton plus newcomers Jennifer Peel and Bob Vliet.
Regional District of Central Kootenay: 7 races, 4 acclaimed
There will be races in over half of the RDCK’s electoral areas.
In the Slocan Valley, incumbent Walter Popoff faces a challenge from Will Parker.
In Area D, which covers rural Kaslo and the Lardeau Valley, incumbent Andy Shadrack will face Ron Greenlaw, the son of former director Larry Greenlaw.
In Area G, which covers Ymir and rural Salmo, Mark Bennett and Kraus Werner are running against longtime director Hans Cunningham.
In Area E, which includes Balfour, Procter, and Blewett, incumbent Ramona Faust faces former director Josh Smienk.
In Area F, which includes Taghum, Bonnington, and the North Shore, Bruce Montgomery and Mike Keegan are both challenging incumbent Ron Mickel.
The biggest race is in Area I, the rural Castlegar constituency represented by John Voykin for the last 31 years. He isn’t running for re-election. Four candidates hope to fill the void: Andy Davidoff, Owen Morris, Sandra Smith, and Larry Walker.
In Area B, rural Creston, chair John Kettle is challenged by Ed McNiven.
Four incumbent directors have been elected by acclamation: Garry Jackman in Area A (East Shore-Wynndel), Larry Binks in Area C (Rural Creston), Gord Zaitsoff in Area J (Lower Arrow-Columbia), Paul Peterson in Area K (Arrow Lakes).
Kootenay Lake School District: 6 races, 3 acclaimed
Of the nine positions on the local school board, three will be filled by acclamation.
No one is running against incumbents Barb Lindsay in the Slocan Valley, Dawn Lang in Kaslo and area, or Lenora Trenaman on the East Shore.
However, there are races in the other areas. Incumbent Nelson trustees Bill Maslechko and Bob Wright are running for re-election, challenged by Curtis Bendig.
Four people are in the race to represent Salmo, Taghum, and Blewett: incumbent Art Field, plus Isabelle Herzig, Sheri Huser, and Kevin Misurak.
Chair Mel Joy will be challenged by Heather Suttie and Paullette Francoeur in the Town of Creston.
And five people are running for two positions in the south rural zone: incumbent Annette Hambler-Pruden and Verna Mayers-McKenzie, Vladimir Certik, Robert Gollan, and Rebecca Huscroft.
Voting day in all communities is November 19.