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McCormick declares intent to run for mayor
Kimberley City Councillor Don McCormick is running for mayor in the fall election.
“I am getting a ton of encouragement from the community about my running for mayor. So I have decided to declare now, rather than wait for the fall. This way, I can engage people who would like to question me on issues that are important to them,” he explained.
“As councilor, I have tried to listen this past three years. I have been on numerous boards – Community Futures, Tourism Kimberley, and the Chamber of Commerce. I am engaged in the community as a Rotarian. I am tuned into the community and what taxpayers are saying. ‘Financial due diligence’ must be a major goal if we want a sustainable Kimberley,” McCormick added.
It has been more than 10 years since the closure of the Sullivan Mine, which represented 52% of the community’s tax base and it has had several ups and down since the closure, he pointed out.
“Kimberley has proven to be extremely resilient in the last 12 years. It did not disappear when its major employer closed shop. Kudos to community leadership for keeping Kimberley relevant. However, resilient is not good enough. Kimberley needs to become sustainable. It needs a new style of leadership to make that happen,” McCormick said, adding he feels he has the right leadership style for the times.
“I have a vision for the role of the mayor. We have a well-paid CAO (chief administrative officer) and competent staff to administer city operations. The mayor needs to focus on where we will be in five years and beyond and work with council to make that vision happen. The mayor needs to sell Kimberley to the province and the feds and business interests, and work closely with regional partners. The mayor needs to chase down money. I want to be the city’s best salesman,” he said.
McCormick also feels that city council has been under-utilized.
“We have tremendous talent on council that needs to be engaged. My goal is to provide the leadership and guidance that maximizes that talent,” he said.
Developing a strong plan and aiming for sustainability for the city is key, McCormick said, noting that sustainability is a term used in many different contexts. What does it mean for Kimberley?
“Sustainability requires a plan. We have a great tourism product, but it alone will not sustain Kimberley,” he said. “The peaks and valleys of tourism are hard on our business community; and tourism generates very little in the way of new tax revenues. We need new tax money from sources other than the current tax base, or we will need to cut spending to a level that is sustainable. The annual tax increases the past 12 years are simply not sustainable, particularly in our community with a high number of retirees on fixed incomes.
“I am asking the citizens of Kimberley to share their concerns and ideas; and to learn what skills, knowledge and experience I will bring to the position of mayor. I will be asking for their vote in November,” McCormick concluded.
Municipal elections across the province are on November 15. The newly elected officials will begin terms of four years, following a provincial government change from three-year terms.
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