Current West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom got his wish. After looking for the longest time as if he would run unopposed for the first elected position, a challenger emerged at the last minute. Peachland resident Andrew Kwaczynski filed the nominations Friday afternoon just before 4 p.m. submission deadline. Kwaczynski is no stranger to the political arena, having run for Peachland council four years ago. He finished last of 11 candidates with 277 votes. During his campaign Thursday night, Milsom said he would be disappointed if he was cheered for the job. “Anything anyone has to do against me, I would welcome it because it would increase the dialogue,” Milsom said. “I think it’s important for our residents to hear different opinions and have a choice.” Milsom operates on a ‘Balanced Change’ platform, balancing smart growth to accommodate an anticipated 12,000 to 20,000 new residents expected over the next 20 years. “It’s a matter of accommodating that development in a way that respects the rural feel that we all enjoy,” Milsom said. Milsom says the city council has accomplished a lot during his tenure, but admits there is a lot of work left to do, including the completion of the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant and the new city hall and library complex. He also hopes the council will prioritize a new Lakeview Heights fire hall, continued street, sidewalk and active transportation improvements, more investment in arts and culture, adding more police officers to create a full traffic department, as well as improvements to Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Center and redevelopment of Mount Boucherie Hall. Meanwhile, Kwaczynski says he’s running in West Kelowna in hopes of doing a better job of reducing crime and homelessness and improving health care, which he says is losing doctors at a rate that’s turning clinics into expensive waiting rooms . He recognizes that many problems plaguing the city cannot be solved by the city alone. Kwaczynski says he will lobby higher levels of government to provide the necessary funds to help resolve these issues, including working with the province to build a second bridge across Okanagan Lake. Voters will go to the polls on October 15 to elect a new council.
