Vassilaki out of the gate first
Proactively rezoning properties to promote more infill development and affordable housing in Penticton is one of three planks in the re-election platform unveiled Monday by Mayor John Vassilaki.
In a lunchtime speech to about 50 supporters in front of city hall, Vassilaki touted accomplishments such as the return of Ironman Canada, the Skaha Marina operating agreement, donation of city land for a new 116-space daycare, hiring of new RCMP and bylaw officers, and development of the North Gateway Redevelopment and Investment Strategy as highlights of his first term, which was also indelibly marked by COVID-19.
Vassilaki said his No. 1 priority is to keep that “optimistic momentum” rolling as the city works on developing fresh ideas for a “safe, secure and healthy community” that it will present to as many partners, like Interior Health and the B.C. government, as possible.
“Four years ago, when you voted me in as your mayor, community safety was my top priority. We completed on hiring additional RCMP and bylaw officers, and we built new safety partnerships. But there is much more to do and I promise this momentum of community safety as my priority will continue,” said Vassilaki.
The only idea he actually offered, though, is advocating for local police to be paired with mental health nurses, while at the same time Vassilaki decried the “catch-and-release” justice system and called on the B.C. government to take a stiffer approach to prolific offenders.
Vassilaki’s second campaign plank promises to “review” and “leverage” city-owned land to ensure it’s being out to good use.
“For example, I’d like to see the city-owned parcels on Munson Mountain be used to attract a new research and educational facility for our agriculture industry,” he said.
His third and final campaign plank is using zoning bylaws as a “tool” to encourage more affordable forms of housing
“We have the power to zone any piece of land and we can zone land where, instead of putting two or three units on it, we can put four or eight units on it,” he said in an interview following the announcement.
“So, the more doors you put on a piece of property, that brings the cost of the land down considerably for those units.”
Asked about his 2018 campaign pledge to increase the supply of industrial land to create more good-paying jobs in Penticton — it actually shrunk under his watch when a large lot on Timmins Street was rezoned for housing in 2021 — Vassilaki said it has become apparent people are more concerned about housing and crime, although he still believes the industrial area is ripe for more development.
Finally, at the age of 76, Vassilaki believes he’s still up for the job.
“I’m just as strong and I’m just as bright upstairs as I was back then (in 2016). I feel like a million dollars,” said Vassilaki, who claims to work 12 to 14 hours per day between family owned businesses and city business.
Just three of six current city councillors — James Miller, Judy Sente and Campbell Watt — were in attendance for Vassilaki’s announcement.
Vassilaki, who has held office since 2018 and previously served for 12 years as a councillor, is the first mayoral candidate to publicly declare his intentions for the Oct. 15 election.
His first term was marked by the occasional misstep, which was usually followed by an apology, such as in 2020, when he suggested staff at the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen could “learn something” from their colleagues at Penticton city hall, and in 2021, when he suggested the B.C. government should reopen mental health facilities to help make patients “somewhat normal.”
Vassilaki also made headlines last year when the city filed a lawsuit against BC Housing regarding the siting of the old Victory Church homeless shelter and when he filed a personal lawsuit against members of his own family in a business dispute.