New councils in five North Okanagan communities were sworn in on Monday.
Mayors and councils took oaths of office in Vernon, Coldstream, Spallumcheen, Lumby and Enderby, then mayors got right to work with appointments.
In Vernon, Victor Cumming became the city’s 40th mayor in its history, succeeding Akbal Mund, who remains as a councillor and was sworn in as such. Mund was joined by incumbents Scott Anderson, Dalvir Nahal and Brian Quiring, and newly elected Kelly Fehr and Kari Gares.
“Thank you to your families and friends for encouraging and allowing your commitment that lies ahead,” said Cumming in his first address to council. “Thanks to the voters, residents and non-resident property owners that placed trust in all of us for the work, and for the betterment of our community.”
Cumming, Mund and Fehr have been appointed to the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee, which holds its first meeting with its new members Thursday morning.
Cumming, Mund, Nahal and Quiring have also been appointed as city directors with the Regional District of North Okanagan, which will swear in its new directors and hold its inaugural meeting Wednesday afternoon.
RELATED: Live blog: Cumming wins
COLDSTREAM
Mayor Jim Garlick was sworn in along with incumbent councillors Pat Cochrane, Doug Dirk, Richard Enns and Glen Taylor, and newcomers Stephanie Hoffman and Ruth Hoyte.
Dirk remains the district’s representative to the RDNO board, and he and Garlick will sit on GVAC.
Garlick will also be the district voting delegate with the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C.; Cochrane will sit for the district on the Okanagan Regional Library Board; Enns was appointed to the district’s Advisory Planning Commission; Taylor will sit on the Fire Training Centre policy board.
SPALLUMCHEEN
There was a changing of the guard Monday in the Township of Spallumcheen, as mayor-elect Christine Fraser was sworn in, replacing Janice Brown.
New councillors John Bakker and Gerry Popoff join incumbents Andrew Casson, Christine LeMaire, Joe Van Tienhoven and Todd York.
Fraser will represent the township on the RDNO board. She’ll also be on the Swan Lake Master Wastewater Recovery plan with LeMaire, the Okanagan Indian Band joint advisory committee with Popoff and will be the voting delegate with the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C.
LeMaire has been appointed to the Armstrong Spallumcheen Trails Society and the RDNO’s regional growth management advisory committee.
Van Tienhoven remains the township’s liaison with the Armstrong Spallumcheen Chamber of Commerce and the Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Services Commission with York. Van Tienhoven has also been named to the Fire Training Centre policy board and is joined by Bakker representing Spall on the Splatsin Band joint advisory committee.
York remains on the Spallumcheen and Sunset housing societies.
Casson and Bakker are responsible for Spall’s seats on the Armstrong Spallumcheen Parks and Recreation Commission. Casson remains the township’s rep with the Okanagan Regional Library and O’Keefe Ranch and Heritage Society.
Popoff will be council’s rep on the township agricultural advisory committee and the regional agricultural advisory committee.
LUMBY
Mayor Kevin Acton was acclaimed and sworn into office along with returning councillors Lori Mindnich and Randal Ostafichuk, and newcomers Lorelei Fiset and Sherry Kineshanko.
Fiset was appointed Lumby’s rep to the chamber of commerce and Monashee Arts Council. Kineshanko will be the village liaison for the Lumby Food Bank, White Valley Community Resource Centre and Lumby and District Museum.
Mindnich will sit on the Okanagan Regional Library board, Lumby and District Health Services Society and Lumby and District Senior Housing Society, while Ostafichuk will represent Lumby on the White Valley Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee, Lumby Days and will be the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C. delegate.
Acton will sit on the RDNO board and will be a director with the Monashee Community Forest LLP.
RELATED: North Okanagan voter turnout rates remain low
ENDERBY
The status quo got down to work after taking their oaths of office. Mayor Greg McCune is back for a second term as are councillors Tundra Baird, Brad Case, Roxanne Davyduke, Raquel Knust, Brian Schreiner and Shawn Shishido.
At its meeting Monday, Enderby council made Schreiner a busy man. He’ll be the RDNO director, sit on the Regional Growth Management advisory committee, Enderby and District Heritage Commission, and the Enderby-Splatsin joint committee and Emergency Management Program executive committee with McCune.
Baird joins the pair on the emergency program committee. She’ll also serve with Case on the Enderby and District Services Commission and will be the city’s rep on the Okanagan Regional Library board.
Case will serve on the Regional Agricultural Advisory Committee.
Davyduke will represent Enderby on the Fire Training Centre policy board, and Shishido will be the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C. delegate.
The city also announced portfolio assignments:
· Health, Wellness, and Education – Knust, McCune;
· Recreation – Case, Baird;
· Public Safety – Schreiner, Knust;
· Infrastructure and Transportation – Schreiner, Case;
· Finance – Schreiner, Davyduke;
· Economic Development – Schreiner, Knust.
Armstrong
Council had its swearing-in ceremony last week. Mayor Chris Pieper will sit on the Age-Friendly Advisory Committee and Rathfriland Sister City Committee along with incumbent councillors Linda Fisher and Shirley Fowler. Pieper and incumbent councillor Gary Froats will serve on the Intermunicipal Fire Training Centre and Fire Service Commission. Froats is also appointed to the Heaton Place Strata.
Fowler remains on the RDNO board and will serve on the Regional Growth Management Advisory Committee. Fisher stays on the Okanagan Regional Library board while incumbent Paul Britton and newly elected Jim Wright will represent the city on the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Liaison appointments include Britton for the Haugen Community Healthcare Society, City of Vernon Affordable Housing Committee and Armstrong Spallumcheen Trails Society (joined by Fisher). Wright will serve with the Armstrong Heritage Society. Incumbent councillor Steven Drapala will be with the Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum and Art Gallery, Boys and Girls Club and Chamber of Commerce (along with Froats). Pieper will be the city’s First Nations liaison.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
