The nomination deadline is passed and it's official — Pemberton's mayoral race will be between longtime Pemberton resident Gerald Mohs and current Village of Pemberton councillor and acting mayor Mike Richman.
"It was a big learning curve the first year in terms of understanding the material, and not just that, but learning how and when to be effective," Richman said, of his first term as councillor.
"It did really teach me about the (financial) constraints that we face, some of the issues that we face with infrastructure down the road, and that everything has to be looked at really carefully."
Richman said his decision to run for mayor was guided in part by the fact that Pemberton is at a critical stage on many levels.
This includes: "Looking after our ageing infrastructure and managing our finances accordingly, identifying possibilities for growth and making sure growth matches the values of our residents, searching for new revenue sources for the valley and getting a hold of the situation in our village hall," he said.
While Richman has a number of things he'd like to focus on if elected mayor — infrastructure, boundary extension issues and recreation among them — he also believes a big part of the job is about managing relationships.
"Fundamentally, as far as I'm concerned it comes down to relationships and making sure that things run respectfully and productively in the village hall, that the connection between staff and council is productive, and that people feel that we're accessible," he said.
His opponent, Gerald Mohs, has been a member of the Pemberton community on and off since the early '60s.
"I'd call Pemberton my home for a major portion of my life, and I've been involved with a lot of organizations here, including the museum society (and as president of the) Pemberton Radio and TV Society," Mohs said.
Mohs is a former banker and retired logger. If elected mayor he would like to focus on further growing the community of Pemberton and rethinking the way tax dollars are spent.
"I've watched our community grow and develop, and I think we need to do further development in this community," he said.
"One of the things I'd like to do is curb the spending on our small tax base and utilize the limited funds we do have to their fullest."
Mohs would also like to see more transparency in Pemberton's local government.
"I'd like to have less in-camera sessions in the council meetings," he said.
"I think that there are times when they do need the in-camera sessions when they're dealing with sensitive subjects, but I think we should open up a little more for people to know what's going on."
There are eight people vying for Pemberton's four councillor seats.
Joining incumbent James Linklater in the race will be Rebecca Barley, Deborah Esseltine, Jennie Helmer, Kiyoshi Kosky, Joanne Molinaro, Karen Ross and Robert Szachury.
Patricia Westerholm is running unopposed for Pemberton school trustee.
SLRD CANDIDATES SET
In the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, there will be a number of new names on the ballot for the upcoming election.
In Electoral Area A, incumbent director Debbie Demare is running unopposed.
In Area B, incumbent director Mickey Macri will run against Ron Rooke and Eckhard Zeidler.
Three people are vying for the soon-to-vacated seat of director Susie Gimse in Area C — Russell Mack, Kevin Damaskie and Lee Brodowski.
In Area D, Tony Rainbow and Pam Tattersfield will run for outgoing director Moe Freitag's seat.
Rebecca Barley (Area C) and Laura Godfrey (Area D) are running for school trustee.
The election is set for Nov. 15.
Stay tuned to Pique in the coming weeks for full election coverage, including more Pemberton and SLRD candidate profiles.
