Sooke councillor Kevin Pearson has made it official: he’s running for mayor.
Pearson filed nomination papers this afternoon, just hours after Mayor Maja Tait. He announced in the spring he would be seeking the mayor’s chair.
“It’s about leadership and getting things done,” Pearson said in May.
The 60-year-old operations manager for Canada Post, a life-long resident of Sooke, said residents want more from local politicians to move the community forward.
[Months have] passed since the current mayor and council were elected in 2014, and there are few accomplishments, Pearson said, with the exception on the purchase of Lot A.
Pearson said he will push for more accountability and action from council.
“This has been a term of not much going on,” he said. “We put plans in place, and we haven’t executed them. I’m going to bring the execution piece to the table.”
Pearson has a long shopping list of what needs to be done to improve Sooke.
First, he would like to see more measurable results, followed by more road and sidewalk improvements. He’s also pushing for more downtown core improvements and development to maximize sewer and other infrastructure.
He predicts it can be accomplished in four years.
“With this council, we talked about a lot of things, but I haven’t seen a lot happen,” he said.
Pearson is in his second term on council. He topped the polls in the 2011 election with 1,868 votes. He was re-elected as a councillor in 2014.
Pearson plans to retire later this year and then dedicate himself to be a full-time mayor. He said support for his mayoral bid has been positive. He plans to be at “lots of events and knocking on a lot of doors” in the coming months.
Also running for mayor is newcomer Mick Rhodes.
The civic election is Oct. 20.
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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