Thirty-six mayors across B.C. are unopposed in the upcoming municipal elections, so they won’t have to spend their energy campaigning.
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There’s no resting on their laurels — or even their couches — for Bowen Island’s Andrew Leonard and Belcarra’s Jamie Ross.
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They’re the only two mayors in Metro Vancouver who have been acclaimed and won’t need to sweat over an election campaign over the next month. Across the rest of B.C., there’s 34 municipalities with acclaimed mayors or lone mayoral candidates, ranging in size from populations of 99 eligible voters (Village of Zeballos), up to nearly 31,000 (City of West Kelowna).
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So what does that look like for these politicians? Walks in the park? Drinks at the pub? Rolling 20-sided polyhedral dice in epic board game sessions?
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Sunrise
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“I mean, (playing) Dungeons and Dragons would be nice,” Leonard laughed during a free moment in downtown Vancouver on Thursday, where he was attending the Union of B.C. Municipalities annual meeting. “The work continues … (But) not having to focus on a campaign, it’s really allowed me some space to recharge and fill up my batteries, because the job does take something. So to be able to keep my heart open and keep positive and do the things that recharge me for the next four years has been really valuable.
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“I’m fortunate to be able to not have all of the intensity and campaign stress of an election, and actually just continue governing.”
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Leonard will recharge on the job, so to speak. Instead of knocking on doors, he’ll spend the time co-ordinating with his staff to set up orientation and training for new council members — elections will be provincewide on Oct. 17 — along with continuing current island projects and meetings in the community. He’s also running for island trustee, and sits on the Metro Vancouver board of directors and transit’s mayor’s council.
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Without the anxiety of wondering if he’ll be planning to be in the chair next month — or planning the transition out — provides continuity for both the community and the staff, he said.
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Ross had to have been busy governing as well, as he didn’t answer several inquiries Thursday, even if his village on the shores of the Indian Arm numbers less than 700. The retired high school principal and teacher is set for his third term as mayor of the community, having earned a lopsided victory in the last election.
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It will be a second term for Leonard as mayor of the island of 4,800, having what the town newspaper deemed a “runaway” victory in 2022. He was unopposed this time around.
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“I do, optimistically, take it as a good sign,” he said. “We still have lots of folks that are interested in government. The race for councillors is quite full. Same with that of Islands trustee.
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“But I do take it as a vote of confidence. I’ve tried to be as open and accessible and participatory as I can over the last four years, and the feedback that I have when announcing the acclimation has been overwhelmingly supportive.”
