Home »
Mike Gray formally launches re-election campaign
Mayor Mike Gray submitted his nomination papers Sept. 2 to seek a second term as Mayor of the Village of Radium Hot Springs in this October’s municipal election.
Gray said the formal filing marks the start of a campaign focused on experienced leadership, thoughtful growth, responsible stewardship and keeping Radium a strong community as it continues to change.
“I genuinely enjoy this work,” he said. “I like complicated problems, I like understanding different points of view, and I find it enormously satisfying when a group of people can work through something difficult and arrive at a good decision.”
Gray was first elected to Radium Council in 2017 and became Mayor in 2022.
Becoming Mayor, however, was not something he had assumed would happen.
“I loved serving on council and had thrown myself into the job, but by the time the 2022 election came around I had more or less written off the idea of running for Mayor,” Gray said.
That changed when outgoing Mayor Clara Reinhardt learned that none of the sitting councillors was planning to seek the Mayor’s chair and very few were considering another term on council.
“Clara sat some of us down and, in the wonderfully direct way Clara had, basically said, ‘Boys, figure it out,’” Gray recalled.
“After a lot of conversations with people I trusted, I decided to put my name forward. I’m incredibly glad I did.”
Gray said the experience has reinforced his belief that municipal leadership has a steep learning curve.
“One thing I understood much better after becoming Mayor is just how much a community invests in its councillors,” he said. “You learn the legislation and the processes, but you also learn how your municipality actually works, how regional relationships work, where decisions came from and all of the little things no orientation manual can teach you.”
“Even after serving on council, moving into the Mayor’s chair was a big learning experience. Four years later, I’ve learned enormously more. That experience matters, but so does remembering that you never reach the point where you have nothing left to learn.”
Gray said one of the biggest changes in his own approach to leadership has been learning to engage more deliberately with disagreement.
“When somebody challenges my view, I don’t want my first reaction to be figuring out how to defend my position. I want to understand where their reasoning is coming from and whether there is something in it that should change my thinking,” he said.
“Listening doesn’t mean council can avoid difficult decisions or that everyone will agree with the outcome. Good leadership means hearing the strongest arguments, making the best decision you can, explaining it and keeping people working together afterward.”
Gray pointed to the new Official Community Plan and the difficult debate over short-term rentals as an example.
“I’m proud not simply that council made a decision, but that we worked through a genuinely difficult issue, found a compromise and came through it as a cohesive council,” he said, adding, “There were strongly held views around the table and throughout the community. I think the result was better because we took those differences seriously.”
During the current term, Radium completed a new Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw, completed a three-unit municipal rental housing project, strengthened emergency preparedness and municipal capacity, and made significant investments in water and other infrastructure.
Work is also continuing on a larger housing project on Ridge Road, where public feedback has already led to changes around parking, appearance and neighbourhood fit, and the final design remains a work in progress.
Gray said those accomplishments fit within a larger challenge facing Radium.
“Radium is successful, and that creates enormous opportunity,” he said. “The challenge is making sure our success doesn’t cost us the things that made this community special.”
“We can remain both a great place to visit and a real community where people know their neighbours. We can welcome investment and support local businesses while making room for people who want to live and work here. And we can invest in the infrastructure we need while continuing to respect taxpayers.”
Gray said financial stewardship will remain an important part of that work.
“Radium has continued investing in infrastructure while keeping residential taxes and charges among the lowest in the province,” he noted. “When council considers an investment, ‘How much will this cost?’ is an important question, but it’s only half the question. We also have to ask, ‘What will it cost if we don’t do it?’”
Housing will also remain a major focus.
“We know people who work here today are struggling to find somewhere to live,” Gray said.
“Government can spend a very long time waiting for perfect information. I think the better approach is to make good decisions based on the needs and information we have today, then keep learning and adjust as circumstances change.”
Gray said one of Radium’s less visible strengths is its ability to work collaboratively within the community and throughout the Columbia Valley.
“A municipality of 1,300 people gets more done when other people want to work with it,” he said. “I’m proud of the relationships we’ve built around our council table, with neighbouring communities, with regional partners and with people throughout Radium. Healthy political culture can look effortless when it’s working well, but it is something worth protecting.”
Gray said another term would allow the municipality to build on the planning, relationships and institutional knowledge developed over the past several years.
“After nearly a decade serving Radium, I’ve accumulated a lot of knowledge on the community’s behalf. I think that experience has value, and I’m not ready to walk away from it when there is still important work to do.”
Gray’s campaign website is now live and includes information about his record, his approach to leadership and the issues he believes will shape Radium’s next four years.
The site also invites residents, property owners and others who have worked with Gray to contribute their own perspectives to the campaign.
“I don’t want this campaign to just be me telling people why I think I should be Mayor,” he said. “If someone has seen me handle a difficult issue, listen when people disagreed, bring people together or follow through and get something done, I’d love to hear their story. I want people who know my work to have a voice in this campaign too.”
“We’ve built something worth protecting, and we have change worth embracing,” Gray said. “I’m asking for the opportunity to keep providing the steady, collaborative leadership needed to turn the plans we’ve made together into action.”
The municipal election is October 17.
Lead image: Mike Gray delivers his nomination papers to the Village of Radium Hot Springs. Photo submitted
e-KNOW
