One candidate, two seats

Photo: Contributed

Wayne Carson

Wayne Carson isn't satisfied just representing the residents of the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area around the regional board table.

Carson also wants a seat on Kelowna city council.

The former North Westside fire chief is running for both. He is seeking re-election as area director for the Regional District of Central Okanagan, and election on Kelowna city council.

Running for office in two different jurisdictions is perfectly legal, and not at all uncommon.

He says he decided to take a run in Kelowna in part because he says the relationship between Kelowna and the two electoral areas, and the other three municipalities, is not good.

Kelowna has seven seats on the 13 member regional board.

"I would like to be a part of bringing that together and get a little more co-operation at the board level and have everybody pulling in the same direction," said Carson.

He also feels strongly that the three regional districts in the valley should merge into one, and believes he could help affect that change better from the council table.

"We have three layers of government costing taxpayers significant money. We're one transportation shed, we're one air shed and one water shed...we're one valley.

"Decisions need to be made together and not by three separate levels of government that, again, are very costly to the taxpayers."

Carson believes there would be no conflict of interest in serving "two masters," if elected to both positions.