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Withers seeks Oyama seat

Peter Withers announced last week his candidacy for Oyama ward councilor in the upcoming civic election.
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Peter Withers volunteers in a myriad of economic and social roles in Oyama and the Okanagan in general. Now he wants to represent the ‘Jewel of the Okanagan’ at the municipal level.

Peter Withers announced last week his candidacy for Oyama ward councilor in the upcoming civic election. A resident of Oyama since 2002, Withers has been active in the community as well as the surrounding region.

Withers stands for effective and efficient local government providing services needed at the local level in Lake Country and achieving them at a reasonable cost.

“The challenge,” says Withers, “is our ability to raise the revenues needed, not only from our existing tax base, but from an improved business tax base arising out of economic development within Lake Country, and also from senior government sources.  I am strongly supportive of town centre development especially in the area of Main Street as a means of achieving this.”

Lake Country’s future lies in carefully managing change says Withers, so that real benefits accrue to all and so we can justifiably live up to the qualities espoused in our “brand” slogans.

Lake Country is one of our Province’s really special communities and our new logo aptly describes its chief quality and brand as “Life.  The Okanagan Way”.   Withers is proud to have been a member of the LC Chamber and  District’s Economic Planning and Development Committee team that was instrumental in bringing this to fruition.

He has played a leadership role in many aspects of economic development in the Okanagan.  As a past President of the Lake Country Chamber of Commerce, and currently as one of Lake Country’s representatives on the Central Okanagan Regional District Economic Development Commission, he has been active in promoting a positive economic future for our region.  He believes our future needs educated young adults to succeed and as a member of the Regional Dean’s Advisory Board for the Okanagan College he supports programs to achieve this.  And, believing that communication and mobility are major keys to a community’s ability to manage change efficiently, he has been a leading team member of a multi-disciplinary group spear-headed by the Okanagan Valley Chambers of Commerce, working towards the evolution of a long term transportation plan for our region.

“Oyama, where I live, is truly the ‘Jewel of the Okanagan’ and of our Lake Country community, and I will be proud to represent its interests if elected.   I have been a Board member of the Oyama Community Club, one of the Oyama representatives on the Citizens’Patrol, and a member of the Walk around Lake Country (WALC) group which has been responsible for several walking trails in Oyama,” says Withers.

As a member of the District’s Liquid Waste Management Plan Committee, Withers has come to appreciate the challenges faced by not only our sewage treatment sytems, but indeed all our infrastructure.  And if elected he says he will work hard at seeking ways of overcoming the challenges presented by our existing and future infrastructure needs.

Lake Country is more than “a nice place” ..... it’s a great community of people.  And civic government is about those people and serving their interests and needs.  I am ready to serve the people of Oyama and Lake Country.