Personal Background

Bowen Island has been home with my partner Carol for over forty years, my entire adult life. There has never been any other place I would have preferred to live, nor intend to.

We have farmed our old homestead (see this year’s phone book for a story on that), and I attended Grad. School in Resource Ecology at UBC, and worked in a number of fields from academic research to house construction, specialty education and property/event management.

Political and Community Experience

Since the early 1990’s I have been active within community organizations, as an alternate Regional District representative to chairing Bowen’s Advisory Planning Commission, working on the mid-90’s OCP review, and preparing referenda backgrounders for the acquisition of community docks plus incorporation which happened in 1999.

After that, I served on four successive councils- as a Councillor, Islands Trustee, Metro Vancouver Director, the Translink Mayors’ Council and Treaty Advisory Commission. I acted as liaison to over a dozen committees over the years. In addition, I served on Metro Parks, Environment and Agriculture Committees. While not on Council, I spent two years on the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Currently, I chair the Sea-to-Sky Clean Air Society, am on the board of Bowen Lift, active member of Bowen’s Medical Clinic Society, plus advise Get OnBoard, a transit advocacy group, in addition to working with CruisePlus as a specialty travel consultant.

Running for Mayor

Not sitting at Council for the last term has provided me a bit of time and distance to improve my perspectives about island affairs. I have remained a ‘thoughtful critic’, making depositions at hearings, writing articles and opinion pieces for the Bulletin, guest editiorials for the Undercurrent, and posting frequently on the Phorum on specific issues as they arise. Many people have thanked me for trying to be a good communicator, both while on Council and not.

I am a political centrist- a conciliator and mediator. When there is conflict and division, I look for solutions that people can support. I put community benefit at the top of diverse considerations.

The job of mayor is to provide leadership, acting as CEO (but with limited powers), and charged with maintaining ‘the peace, order and good government’ of the municipality. The mayor is also the ‘face’ of the community, leading delegations to meet with senior BC Ferries executives, Metro staff or provincial ministers alike.

I would undertake some very specific measures.

The first is to improve democratic process. From more meaningful public engagement to more effective committee structures and scheduled mayor’s office hours, I would introduce reforms to better ensure that the political process is genuinely responsive to community needs. One idea is to introduce ‘participant voting devices’ at town hall type meetings.

Second is to effectively advance the work program. Key items will be large lot development proposals, community facility projects, infrastructure upgrades and seniors’ housing. Maintaining and improving environmental protections will be essential. However, it will be up to Council as a whole to articulate a strategic plan for the first ever four year term.

Which leads to the third and most important element, and that is in supporting staff to get their work done well. There is always too much to do and not enough time or capacity or money. Working within means and doing so productively is the biggest challenge, and would be the focus of my efforts.

I am asking for your support in becoming Bowen’s next mayor. I believe I have the knowledge, experience, temperament, dedication and personal integrity to do the job well.

Thank you.

Website: http://peterfrinton.blogspot.ca

Email: pfrinton@shaw.ca