Looking back on his 14 years in office, retiring Powell River mayor Dave Formosa says his time at city hall was driven by his passion for the community.
He was 51 years old when he came to council and is retiring at 65. He chose not to run again in 2022.
Formosa said he ran for council 14 years ago with a group of people who formed a great team, and in its first year, accomplished a great deal, with $50 million in projects, including a new water system, the Timberlane Park track, the south harbour, north harbour and the infill at the harbour facility. Some of the work for these projects had been done by previous councils and some with the council of the day, according to Formosa.
He said he worked pretty well full time out of his private office as councillor during his first term. At the time he had close to 200 employees and good people running his companies – things were solid – so he could dedicate the time, he added.
“I had things I felt we needed to do and a lot was going on,” said Formosa.
He said before he ran for councillor, he had tried to convince a couple of business people to run for council seats, but at the last minute, they decided they weren’t going to do it.
“I threw my name in at the last minute,” said Formosa. “All of our commercial buildings were empty and our mill was hanging on by a thread. I had my whole family here, and my business here, and I loved my community, so I threw my name in. I could afford to do it.”
A big issue was the prospective closure of the paper mill. Formosa said he had heard from his venture capital work in Vancouver that the Powell River mill was going to close. He said he wanted to fight for it to remain open. Between council and the two union locals at the mill, the three joined forces. He said Campbell River ended up taking the bullet.
“We had a plan that kept this mill running for another 14 years,” said Formosa. “We haven’t given up on it yet. We are getting enquiries. I will continue to work with myself and whatever my new team is to try and help this community forward with jobs and tax base.”
Mayoral run
After his first three years in office, Formosa decided to run for mayor against Stewart Alsgard, who he had previously supported.
“It was very unfortunate, because as far as I’m concerned, Stewart is like a second father to me,” said Formosa. “He’s always been a business mentor of mine, along with Kip Brown and Harold Long, and my father.
“Unfortunately, it came down to the liquid waste facility, which was my biggest disappointment,” said Formosa. He said Alsgard supported a new, consolidated liquid waste treatment plant.
Formosa said he had advocated for co-treatment, where the city’s liquid waste would be processed along with the mill’s in the mill’s treatment plant.
“It could handle our system like nothing,” said Formosa. “It would have saved us all of the millions for our new consolidated wastewater treatment plant facility. The government agreed with my thought and gave us a grant to study how to connect to the co-treatment, and if the mill closes, how do we deal with operations?
“The big issue was: if the mill’s matter was no longer coming in, how does that affect our matter coming in? If the mill was to close, how do we take full care, custody, control and ownership of that plant? They agreed they would turn the system over and make it a utility if that ever happened. We had all of the bases covered.”
Formosa said he thought the environmentalists in the community would support co-treatment because there wouldn’t be all of the outfalls, the huge pumping stations, or the new plant’s footprint right on the waterfront. He said, however, that the group supporting a consolidated plant got into power. He said the first thing they did was kill the co-treatment project.
Formosa said he told the new council he would support the new project if it was put where it is currently being constructed, and not at the waste transfer site by Willingdon Beach, where the new council wanted it.
“Welcome to your $100 million liquid waste, Powell River,” said Formosa.
Point of pride
Formosa said he ran this last term to keep the mill operating as long as possible, and to ensure that airport development went through, because the developers told him they would pull out if he was not mayor.
Formosa said it is a point of pride that he has been able to build teams on council, even though he does not philosophically agree with everyone.
“I like each and every one of them,” said Formosa. “Forever, they will be deeply embedded in my being as close friends. We worked well together and didn’t hold grudges. We all love Powell River equally.”
Formosa said while in office, he took every phone call and email and visited hundreds of people in their homes during his terms. He said he did his best to help them solve problems and issues, which he enjoyed. He enjoyed reading to children in schools, cutting ribbons, and going to places such as James Thomson Elementary School for May Day.
“My wife said I worked harder at my political job than I did in my business career,” he added.
Formosa said he loves it here and doesn’t want to go anywhere.
“I’m very happy to get on with the next chapter of my life,” he added. “I loved what I did for 12 years but the last two years were quite painful.
“It was a horrible last term for me,” said Formosa. “The last two years, with COVID-19, and crises such as housing and crime, were taken out on mayors across the province in the municipal elections.
“My family paid, mostly. The attacks hurt my family. I’ve got thick skin but I’m happy to be out.”
He said he wishes the new mayor and council success after his time in elected office. His next responsibility will be advocating for the business community as interim president of Powell River Chamber of Commerce.
“I feel proud of my 14 years of service,” said Formosa, “and I want to thank my family and my community for having trust in me.”
