Ted Nebbeling, a fixture on Whistler's local political landscape in the 1980s and early 1990s, is back on the radar screen and could be back on the ballot as a candidate for mayor as early as this weekend.
Nebbeling, who served two terms on Council and two more as mayor before jumping to provincial politics in 1996, this week confirmed he's contemplating a run for the post that will be vacated by Mayor Hugh O'Reilly when his term ends in November.
The two-term MLA, who last fall announced his retirement from provincial politics, on Monday said he planned to review the results of a survey commissioned by his supporters on public attitudes toward a possible candidacy.
The announcement of his candidacy could take place this weekend, he said.
"I'm bringing together a group of people in Whistler who have indicated that they would like to see me run," Nebbeling said. "I'm having discussions with these people, and by the weekend I hope to be in a position to make some sort of announcement."
O'Reilly, who has been Whistler's mayor for the past nine years, last Wednesday announced that he did not plan to seek a fourth term in the Nov. 19 municipal elections. Instead, he plans to take a position with Intrawest, the parent company of Whistler Blackcomb, in Hawaii.
A couple of hours after O'Reilly's announcement, two-term Councillor Nick Davies announced plans to seek the top job. Davies said his platform would include the early hiring of an economic development officer at the RMOW and support for improved air access to the resort.
Both measures, Davies said, would be aimed at bolstering Whistler's tourism industry, which has been hurt by a variety of factors over the past three years.
Nebbeling on Monday said he and his supporters decided to commission a survey on his candidacy as a way to gauge support before any announcement is made.
"I have to be realistic because, although I've been in Victoria for the last nine years, and there are a lot of people who are aware of my Victoria activities, there are a lot of new people in the community who may not be aware of what I did to lead this community," he said. "That's why I'm doing a poll, to gauge what people would think if I were to run for mayor again."I've been told by a number of people that it would be a good thing if I was to be mayor for another period of time."
After last week's announcement by O'Reilly, Nebbeling was reported on the Public Eye Online website (www.publiceyeonline.com) as having confirmed his interest in running for mayor. One reason he is considering such a run, he was quoted as having said, is that he wanted to ensure that Council starts "doing those things that the Community Charter dictates and that some Council members have seen as an optional thing - but that's not the case."
On Monday, Nebbeling said the on-line report was accurate.
During his second term as MLA, Nebbeling was Premier Gordon Campbell's Minister of State for Community Charter, a piece of legislation that sets out the responsibilities and powers of local governments in B.C. The Charter came into effect last year.
On Monday, Nebbeling also made a reference to Council's handling of the 2010 Olympic Paralympic sledge-hockey arena issue, which is set to be resolved in the next few weeks.
The current plan - revealed by O'Reilly at the same July 18 meeting - is to keep some of the $20 million being offered by the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) for upgrades to Meadow Park Sports Centre and another facility in the athletes' village and send some of the money to Squamish to build the Paralympic facility.
In the past few weeks, Council has been criticized for not consulting the public earlier in the process. Some lawmakers have argued that they couldn't reveal where the talks were headed because other parties were involved.
Said Nebbeling, "I think people want local community involvement rather than Council decisions behind closed doors."The issue is set to come to Council for a presentation next Monday (Aug. 15), with a public open house to take place before the issue is put to a vote.
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