Mayor & Councillors
Owner of Courtesy Motors for 12 years and Avis Rent A Car Agency- Past Councillor of the Town of Bracebridge, Ontario
- Planning & Subdivision
- Public Works Committee
- Parks & Recreation
- Affordable Housing
- Married to Carol with three children: Brittany, Lisa and Avery.
I am a member of the:
- Vernon Lions Club
- Canadian Federation of Independent Business
- Vernon Fish & Games Club
- Okanagan Auto Sports Club
I like the outdoors – from hunting and fishing, to motor sports and drag racing, and I like custom cars.
I would like to make Vernon a better place to live. People deserve to be listened to and to be treated with respect. I believe in being open and honest so that people will be comfortable dealing with their elected members of Council.
Councillor Buffy Baumbrough, B.Sc., Ph.D.
- Self-employed with diverse work experience in consulting, education, research, forestry, agriculture, tourism, and development work overseas.
- Born and raised in Vernon. Left the city in 1984 and returned to live here in 2003, after having lived/worked/traveled in many parts of the world. In 2005, began work to establish a nursery business on the family farm, specializing in dry-land and native plants.
- First elected to City Council in 2005.
- Goals as a Councillor:
- Remain committed to the successful implementation of the Official Community Plan 2008. This includes supporting the investment of resources towards Transportation Demand Management (e.g., transit, walking, cycling) and towards the creation and implementation of supporting policies that will be required if we are to realize the community's long-term vision.
- Continue to work towards the building and maintenance of respectful, collaborative relationships and partnerships with community organizations and regional and provincial governments. The goal is to ensure that effective, meaningful, and integrated policies are created and that use of resources is optimized.
- Participate in professional development opportunities - our community can benefit from building on the successes of other communities and from building on the knowledge of experts.
- Remain available to the residents of Vernon to help them find answers to their questions, explain the reasons behind the decisions made at the City of Vernon, and/or to bring their issues to the attention of the appropriate person(s).
Councillor Jack Gilroy
- I am recently retired from the Vernon Fire Department after 32 years of being on staff and as a volunteer for two years. I started off as an auxiliary member and retired as the Deputy Chief.
- I came to Vernon to play hockey in 1967 and graduated from VSS.
- This is my first run in politics although I have dealt with political issues during my career. I joined the Fire Department to help people and being a councillor is carrying on with that devotion.
- I met my wife Wendy in high school and we have been married now for 34 years. We have three children; Jodi, Jaime and Chad, and two grandchildren; Marissa and Terry.
- I have been involved in everything over the years – I have coached hockey, baseball, fastball, hardball, AAA basketball, taking both girls and boys’ teams to provincials. I started playing Santa Claus when I joined the Fire Department in the early ‘70’s for numerous city events such as the skating party with Santa, as well as the City children’s Christmas parties.
- My interests are fishing, boating, and motorhome traveling. I also took up golf when I retired. The big part of my time now, the fun part, is spending time with the grandkids.
- During my time on Council I would like to see some roads fixed and I would like to see us stick to the rules of the past. We get in trouble when we keep trying to change things. Vernon is a great place, but we can make it an even better place to live. And I want to put some fun back in Council!
Councillor Dr. Shawn Lee
- Resident and business owner in Vernon for 24 years
- Married to Jocelyn for 33 years - 6 children
- Bachelor of Education Degree
- Bachelor of Science Degree
- Doctor of Dentistry
- Three-time marathoner, avid skier
- Women's soccer team sponsor
- Experience:
- Council member, College of Dental Surgeons of BC for 11 years
- Past president, Quality Assurance committee, College of Dental Surgeons of BC
- Past president, Continuing Education Committee, College of Dental Surgeons
- Past president, Vernon and District Dental Association
- Past president, Thompson Okanagan Dental Society
Councillor Patrick Nicol
- Vice President and General Manager KISS FM / CJIB -AM since 1987, a broadcaster for 35 years.
- Deeply honoured to have been elected for a 7th term over three different decades.
- Married to Patricia with two children Sarah and Andrew.
- Honorary Chair Canadian Cancer Society since 1999.
- Named by the Minister of Canadian Heritage (1995-present) as Volunteer President of British Columbia's Canada Day, Aboriginal Day province wide events.
- Cabinet Member NONA Treehouse Project (2004-present).
- Awarded the Friend of the Child as a Champion for young people Boys and Girls Club 1993.
- Awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal 2002 for community service.
- Vernon Winter Carnival Chair 1982 and 1983.
- I love the outdoors, golf, swimming, and our Country, and hosting the Saturday KISS Classics on 107.5 KISS FM.
- Immediate goals include a second community response team for the RCMP; a true sensitive ecosystem inventory that we use as a guide for park purchase and planning; expanded bus hours; community bingo revenues new in 2006 that are directed to social issues led by community groups with great plans and the ability to carry them out.
- Now and in the future, it makes business sense for creative communities to have a cultural focus. The Okanagan Regional Library Board has set aside funds to build a new Vernon and District library. That opportunity matched with the enthusiasm of the Vernon Art Gallery and Vernon Museum means we have a chance to deliver services in a financially sound way for our entire region.
- The Official Community Plan in 2006 needs a fresh approach; that should include greater neighbourhood input. I want to involve our citizens more than ever before in our new plan. There are distinct neighbourhoods that make up Vernon as a whole. Let’s really listen and hear those points of view. Then we will have a strong foundation for planning.
- Most of all I want to hear from and help you, I will be honoured to listen to every citizen.
Councillor Mary-Jo O'Keefe
- Long-time resident of Vernon
- Married to David O'Keefe, Step-mom to three children and seven grandchildren
- Graduated from Vernon Secondary School
- Received Community Recreation Degree, Mount Royal College, Calgary
- Received MBA (Masters of Business Administration),Athabasca University, Alberta
- Over 20 years experience in the tourism industry with a background in destination management, publishing, sales
- Served 6 years with Community Futures, first as Executive Director, then as Community Technology Manager
- Supervises the ongoing development of virtualvernon.com
- Local Business Owner, MJO Communications Inc.
- Served on School Board, District 22; Trustee, (1993-2008); Board Chair, (2002-2005)
- Served as President (2008) & Director of Downtown Business Association (2007-2008)
- Appointed to BC College of Teachers, (2004-2008)
- Goals as a Councillor:
- To work with Council to enable Vernon's economic base by focusing on the retention and expansion of local business. The Economic Development and Tourism functions must be given a clear mandate, with governing boards representing community stakeholders.
- To support City Council as a leader in it's partnership with federal and provincial governments and local organizations, and, as a priority, provide solutions for the support of the poor and homeless in our community.
- To urge Council to move to a more carbon neutral community, including the completion of "Ribbons of Green".
- To work towards the provision of better services for clean water and infrastructure, including solutions for transportation issues, such as downtown congestion and "alternative" routes.
Councillor Bob Spiers
- Elected Councillor November 2008
- Lived in Vernon since 1991
- Married 31 years - 3 Children
- Long time observer of Vernon City Council
- Operated Vernonblog for over 4 years
I believe that the taxes we pay in the City of Vernon have been unnecessarily high for the last 6 years both at the City level and the RDNO level. We must return to a zero based budgeting approach where every line item expenditure is justified. Just because a item or position was there last year does not automatically justify its inclusion in this year's budget.
We have been building up Reserves by stealth in this City and with the present economical situation it may be necessary to use some of these reserves to deliver infrastructure spending that will be necessary. Reexamination of all reserves especially at RDNO must be a top priority.
Goals as a Councillor in first year:
- No property tax increases.
- Review of the Reserves at City and RDNO
- A Development Cost Reserve (DCC) Review
- Affordable Housing a Priority
- A non-subsidized and sustainable O'Keefe Ranch
- An open and effective Grants Policy
| Contact Info | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
