A third sitting Cranbrook City Councillor will be running again as an incumbent.
Coun. Mike Peabody announced at Monday evening’s Special Council Meeting that he will be seeking re-election in the B.C. municipal elections set for October 20, 2018. Councillors Danielle Eaton and Wesly Graham announced their intentions to run again earlier last month. Mayor Lee Pratt will also be seeking re-election to a second term.
Peabody was elected to Council less than one year ago, in a by-election held to replace Tom Shypitka, who resigned his Council seat to take on duties as MLA.
“Seems like a very short time ago,” Peabody told the Townsman later. “I feel like I just put my signs away, now I got to pull them back out again.”
Peabody was the first Cranbrook Councillor to be elected through by-election in decades. The one-year term has been a short one, to be sure, but none the less intense.
“It’s been a huge learning curve for sure,” he said. “But it’s also been an enjoyable one. Every Council meeting I’ve gone to, or committee, there’s something new and interesting that you’re learning and being part of.
“There are definitely times when I wish I had three of me — between stuff going on with work and other meetings, Council stuff. But for the most part it’s been a really neat experience.”
It’s not entirely new however. Peabody’s time on Council has been more of a segue into a higher level of politics from his time working for downtown issues with the Downtown Business Association.
“I’m very passionate about downtown,” he said. “I’ve been involved with the Downtown Business Association for eight years now. I spend most of my life down here. That may give me a little more of a unique perspective, because I’ve been trying to improve this place for so long.
“I care a lot about this community,” Peabody added. “I grew up here, and here is where I chose to settle down and make my life.”
As Councillor, one needs to become a voice for residents, hearing or taking on the concerns of a broad swath of residents.
“Everybody has their network,” Peabody said. “For example, Councillor Graham has people who come to him, Danielle has a huge network of people who reach out to her. And the same thing for me. There are people who’ve known me for a number of years; they feel comfortable talking to me, so if there’s something that’s concerning me, they’re going to reach out to me as well.”
The 2014 Municipal Election was the first in British Columbia to elect mayors and councillors to four-year-terms, instead of three-year terms previously. One year on the municipal politics beat seems to have whetted Peabody’s appetite for more.
Now that I have that experience under my belt, going into a four-year term doesn’t really seem daunting — it seems like I get to continue on with this new experience that I’m really enjoying.”
The 29-day campaign period for the 2018 B.C. General Local Elections begins Saturday, September 22, and ends with General Voting Day on Saturday, October 20.
Watch these pages for more details as they emerge.