Time for change has passed
ANew council has plenty of experience and talent
fter experimenting with change for four years, Penticton voters have gone back to those whom they know and trust. That much is obvious from the results of Saturday’s election.
It starts with John Vassilaki, who spent 12 years on council, winning the mayor’s chair by a landslide – he collected nearly as many votes as the next two finishers combined.
It continues with two-time mayor Jake Kimberley topping the polls for council.
Then there are the two incumbents, Campbell Watt and Judy Sentes, and former councillor Katie Robinson.
The only two rookies, Frank Regehr and Julius Bloomfield, are both highly regarded members of the community and bring vast experience in the fields of accounting and real estate, respectively. If you wanted experience, you got it. All that remains to be seen now is how they get along together.
Vassilaki and Kimberley are both outspoken and have strong personalities, while Watt and Sentes will have to be ready to work with new teammates who were elected largely because of the shortcomings of the past council.
Robinson is a wild card, while Regehr and Bloomfield will have to get up to speed quickly if they want to be heard.
Regardless, it’s a deeply talented team and we dare say Penticton is in good hands.
As for the outgoing councillors and mayor, we thank them for their service and wish them well in the future.
Max Picton was the only incumbent who wasn’t re-elected, while Helena Konanz, Andre Martin and Tarik Sayeed all stepped down to pursue other interests.
And as much as he claimed he was only one vote on council, outgoing Mayor Andrew Jakubeit clearly paid the price for his team’s mistakes, some of which — like Skaha Park — were in the works long before the 2014 election.
Say what you will about Jakubeit, but he kept an even keel through the worst of times and never shied away from answering the toughest questions. That shows character.
Let’s hope the new team follows his lead on that count at least.