The dye is cast. The people have spoken.
After they are sworn in, five new voices will be heard around the municipal council table. How such a major reshuffling of the deck will play out has yet to be determined. *
In addition to mayor-elect Karen Elliott, who is a four-year council veteran, the transition will be eased by the presence of long-serving councillor Doug Race.
The next few months will likely be a group hug phase, as the recent arrivals get acquainted with each other and ride the sugar rush of their electoral success. Eventually, there will be disagreements and a few dustups.
But in the present political climate too much is at stake to get bogged down with personal vendettas and smoldering baggage. Let's remember, serving on council is not a voluntary unpaid activity. The annual stipend for councillors and the mayor is more than adequate to ensure the District's agenda does not take a back seat to individual indulgences.
From the get-go, this assembly will be called on to shift from the tinseled promises and shake-and-bake options bandied about on the campaign trail, to hard-nosed decisions and practical solutions, many with long-term implications.
Like their predecessors, council members will be faced with the double whammy of unaffordable housing and a lack of rental accommodations, the need for timely municipal infrastructure upgrades, and creeping sprawl that could potentially sprinkle the whole town with stack and pack condos.
For more than a few folks, the much-hyped inducement to "live, work, and play" in Squamish has translated into pulling up stakes and living elsewhere. Although the majority of residents are staying put, many are playing a whole lot less because they're spending two to three hours a day commuting or holding down two or more jobs just to survive.
As much as the real estate market has cooled, council will be kept on its toes by a commercial and residential development sector, which has become a major driver of the local economy. So far, the tactics employed by that constituency have ranged from playing nice, to subtle coercion and out-and-out threats, including legal action.
When it comes to big-ticket ventures, the long-awaited Newport Beach development appears to have more twists and turns than the Sea to Sky Highway. What future trajectory it will take is up in the air. And the controversial three decades old Garibaldi at Squamish four-season resort proposal has the potential to send muni hall into a decision-making tizzy.
As well, council needs to determine how heartily the District's tax department will drink from the Woodfibre LNG chalice. That divisive venture has caused numerous residents of the Shining Valley and beyond to lapse into an unhinged, manic territory.
Be that as it may, none of the above-mentioned challenges are intractable. Our newly elected mayor and councillors have the resources to navigate the turbulent seas that lie ahead.
This community is counting on them to rise to the occasion.
*Please note, this story has been updated to remove the reference of a date for the swearing in of the new council as one has not been set.
