Only Greg Gardner knows for sure why he is kissing the big chair at muni hall goodbye, after three short years on the job. Speculation about his departure and conflicting opinions about his legacy will rage like a wildfire now that he has announced he will not run for office again in November.
A successful local GM dealership and lucrative land development prospects are two interests to which he can now devote his full attention, unencumbered by conflict-of-interest restrictions, mayoral time constraints, and the slings and arrows of the political arena.
Without a doubt, his tenure has led to numerous successes, including the creation of operational efficiencies across all departments in the District of Squamish and a solid development plan for the Squamish Oceanfront lands.
There have also been setbacks. At times questions about his decision-making skills could quickly lead to an annoyed rebuke from the mayor. When signatures were being collected to support allocating Olympic Legacy Funds to a mountain biking skills park, he accused Coun. Bryan Raiser of posting "irresponsible" and "inflammatory" comments about the whole issue "without background or context." After Test of Metal kingpin Cliff Miller criticized the mayor's comment about mountain biking thriving in Squamish, whether the skills park was built or not, Gardner issued the following stern reprimand: "I am becoming very concerned with the damage being done to cycling interests in town by comments like yours "
Before he was elected, Gardner revealed that his "immediate challenge" would be to secure good quality local employment opportunities. He insisted that tax increases should be limited to the rate of inflation. Neither of those promises has panned out in a town where too many high-paying jobs are accessed outside of the community.
He pledged more of a balance between commercial and residential construction and more reasonably priced housing. As his term in office ends, residential construction has ballooned in an already saturated market. At the same time, affordable housing starts in Squamish appear to be at a standstill.
According to his platform, there was a strong need to support permanent public transportation for locals working in Whistler. By the end of next month the Whistler/Squamish commuter service will be relegated to history, unless there is a last-minute reprieve.
To be fair, many of these issues were beyond his range of influence and in the hands of players whose agendas neither he nor council could control. And who knows, maybe given a second Gardner mayoral term, some of the aforementioned promises may have come to fruition.
But let's not forget that amid all the much-hyped local volunteerism and feel-good bonhomie, the town remains an amalgam of highly polarized, self-interested associations and organizations. As such, it is a host to petty feuds and infighting and our elected representatives at muni hall have become easy targets for these venomous exchanges.
With the news that the mayor is not running for re-election the door is wide open for the enticing possibility of a Patricia Heintzman vs Rob Kirkham mayoralty race. Whatever permutation turns up in November, Greg Gardner's input and leadership will continue to be sought in a community where he is held in high regard.
