Three years at Whistler's council table has only served to whet Bob Lorriman's political appetite.
Now he has his sights on something bigger and bolder — chair of the BC Green Party. He filed his nomination papers last week for chair of the provincial council, the governing body of the BC Green Party.
"People are starting to realize when our Conservative government has 38 per cent of the popular vote and 100 per cent control, they can bring in these omnibus budget bills that cut and slash everything that's near and dear to what we are as Canadians, we've got to stand up and fight that," said Lorriman. "I can't sit idle any more."
The former owner of Gone Bakery, Lorriman has been out of politics since his defeat in 2008 for a second term on Whistler council.
Not long after that, he moved to North Vancouver for a temporary stint... and hasn't looked back since.
While he hasn't been on the political stage, he has been busy, quietly working on a software application that offers a tool to accommodate busy work schedules by using an app based on emailed meetings.
"It's not the next Facebook by any stretch of the imagination," laughed Lorriman. "It's been keeping me focused and out of trouble."
That is until recently, when he began to get much more active in the BC Green Party.
Lorriman said his time on Whistler council, from 2005-2008, would serve him well in the road ahead.
Being on a municipal council means you have to weigh everyone's interests and make your decisions accordingly.
He points to the Whistler 2020 model — the community's sustainability plan — in its heyday during his council tenure. That document was the framework for all council decisions and it was based on feedback and guidance set by community task forces.
For the Green Party in particular, which is a grassroots party, this model could have big benefits.
"What we did with Whistler2020 is something that can be built on, and why can't we do that provincially at some level?" he questioned.
"Don't stand back and let the party tell you what they're going to do, they should be telling the party what to do, which was exactly what Whistler2020 was doing."
He laments that the plan, as he sees it, has fallen by the wayside at municipal hall.
"It really is an excellent way to govern," said Lorriman. "To see it not being sustained is a real shame."
The AGM will take place on May 31 in Kelowna when the ballots will be counted and the results of the provincial council announced.
The last day to become a member in time for the vote is April 30; voting period begins May 1.
"In the past the Green Party only showed up at election time," said Lorriman. "That's what we need to change... So come election time we don't just show up. What I want to do is get people involved, get them to buy a membership and then start tapping into their resources."
