When nominations closed at 4 p.m. Friday, 10 people had filed nomination papers to seek four councillor positions on Town of Osoyoos council.
Only two incumbents — C.J. Rhodes and Jim King — are running as councillors. Carol Youngberg had been undecided until Thursday, but chose not to run both for health reasons and because new laws for licensed realtors make it difficult to serve on council without finding themselves in conflict of interest on many of the issues council discusses.
The only other incumbent, Mayor Sue McKortoff, faces a challenge from Doug “Stone Dan” Pederson, a perennial candidate running on a platform to make Osoyoos the home of the “Pot Hall of Fame.”
Councillor Mike Campol announced last January that he would not be running again.
The new candidates for council are Kenny Music, Sy Murseli, Jane Long, Shelley McIntyre, Myers Bennett, Sherani Theophilus, Brian Harvey and Egon Nielsen.
There are three people running as water councillors in water districts 8 and 9. In addition to incumbents Sarabjit Rai and Claude Moreira, challenger Kuldeep Dhaliwal is also running.
In school board elections, incumbent Casey Brouwer is running again, as are newcomers Brenda Dorosz and Penny Duperron. There are two Osoyoos representatives on school board and the other incumbent, Marieze Tarr, is not running this time. Dorosz is known for her involvement in fighting the closure of Osoyoos Secondary School in 2016. Duperron ran as a trustee in a by-election in 2016, but Brouwer defeated her by 40 votes.
Mark Pendergraft will be returning by acclamation as the Electoral Area “A” director in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.
Watch the Osoyoos Times for more information on the candidates.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
