Tom Dyas running for Kelowna Mayor for a second time

Tom Dyas has announced he’s running for mayor of Kelowna for a second time.

He finished a distant second to Colin Basran in 2018, but the owner of TD Benefits and former president of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce believes he has a better chance this time around.

One thing he learned from his last kick at the can was that he needs a longer runway.

“The last campaign that I ran in, I believe I had ten weeks from the time that the campaign started to the time that we went to the polls.

“I needed to be more organized. I needed to be able to communicate and listen to more individuals within the community. The last four years has given me that opportunity,” explained Dyas.

In his speech to about 50 supporters at the Rutland Memorial Hall Wednesday night, Dyas talked about growth, crime, road congestion, aging facilities, taxes and homelessness.

He didn’t make any direct attacks on Basran, but did say that being the mayor of Kelowna and for Kelowna means standing up for all of Kelowna.

“With an unprecedented 29 per cent increase in property tax over the last eight years, our residents deserve to see these issues tackled, but that’s not what’s happening,” said Dyas.

“We’ve seen a lot of right talk but not a lot of right action.”

Dyas wouldn’t give a definitive answer about whether a second bridge crossing of Okanagan Lake should be built. He also wasn’t ready to state his position on the prospect of the province bringing in legislation to force municipalities to remove roadblocks to new housing developments.

Dyas is the first mayoral candidate out of the gate.

Colin Basran has not said if he plans to run for re-election.