Mayor-elect Ron Woznow is already anticipating his first days in office after having won the three-way race for City of Powell River.
Unofficial results from the vote show Woznow with 2,982 votes, followed by CaroleAnn Leishman with 1,283, and Maggie Hathaway, with 945. Leishman and Hathaway were both city councillors before entering the mayoral race.
In an interview shortly after being elected, Woznow said there are some great people who he has met in the community who want to work together.
“I’m looking forward to working with them and with the people on city council, doing the things that are going to make Powell River a great place for our children and grandchildren to live,” said Woznow.
He said the election results show a strong mandate for his direction, and he said he has kept matters simple, by articulating activities and mandates he believes can be done over the next four years.
“I’m glad that was something that resonated with the voters of Powell River,” added Woznow.
He said the first week after he is sworn in, he is going to make sure that the chief financial officer sits down and explains exactly what the city’s situation is. He said he is then going to sit down with the planning department and ask them what they can do to help get faster treatment of permits.
“I think that will be a busy first week,” said Woznow. “What I would like to do on the Friday is have a ‘meet the mayor’ meeting so we can talk about finances and what can be done about the permitting.
“I’ve said from day one that anybody who is elected and works at the city, we work for the people,” said Woznow. “I want to make sure we have some simple examples so everyone living in Powell River knows that we are doing that.”
He is also interested in opportunities for young people. He said what he would like to do is engage some very smart people and find out what are the ranges of activities, such as those in the arts, athletics, gaming – what would be attractive to young people, ages 16 to 30, who are looking for alternatives.
“That’s going to be a priority, too,” said Woznow. “We want to engage them and to ensure they have something that they can do.”
This is the first time Woznow has held public office, although he said he has been elected as president of ratepayer organizations in Westview and in Toronto, as well as president of the local seniors citizens association. He said his time in those organizations gives him a good hand-up going forward, but it has also allowed him to meet people who have great skill sets.
Read all Peak election coverage at prpeak.com/2022-civic-election.
