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Alsgard did it for the chain says Formosa

Councillor Chris McNaughton runs for mayor

by Laura Walz editor@prpeak.com Mayor Stewart Alsgard proposed a referendum question about co-treatment not to give City of Powell River residents a voice, but to retain the chain of office, according to a councillor who will not be seeking a second term.

Councillor Dave Formosa told the Peak he is not going to run again because of the realization of how much “that chain meant to the mayor.”

Meanwhile, Councillor Chris McNaughton has decided to run for mayor in the November civic election, challenging Alsgard who is seeking his fifth term in office.

Formosa said that the chain of office meant more to Alsgard than “a relationship that I thought we had, than a plan that I thought the city had that included me.”

Formosa added that, “to see someone who I respected so very much jeopardize so much to keep a hold of the chain,” was the deciding factor. “Had it been truly for the people, I would have been all over helping him. But that isn’t what happened.”

Alsgard brought forward the issue on his own without consulting council first. Formosa said he thought councillors would have agreed to a referendum question if Alsgard had included them in the discussion first, before he made his intention public. “He was willing to risk everything to be the popular guy,” he said. “He thought it was a straight, strategic move to get more people.”

Formosa said he was “really, really saddened. I did my job to the best of my ability. I put my community first. When it gets this ugly, I’m just not made for it.”

McNaughton, first elected to council in 2008, said he has considered running for mayor throughout the term. “Early on, probably within the first two weeks, I asked the mayor if he would mentor me, because I had considered running for mayor, but knowing that it was important to be, first of all, a really good councillor,” he said. “Recent actions by the mayor are disappointing. I think what he has managed to do is drive a wedge between himself and council.”

McNaughton said it was a disappointment that Formosa, who signed his nomination papers, was not going to run for council. “We’re losing a good member of our council. I think that he needs to continue to be a part of the community that we consult with on a go-forward basis.”

He’s been hearing from people in the community that it’s time for a change, McNaughton said. “I will bring to the mayor’s position in Powell River a different style of leadership.”

His focus will be on strategic planning, communications, a budget prepared by mid-January and continuing to build sustainable concepts into the city’s planning, McNaughton said.

McNaughton has been the target of attacks from some residents because he lives outside city boundaries, in Electoral Area A, part of Powell River Regional District. McNaughton said he is an active supporter of the community. “Powell River is geographically a fairly finite area. I’ve made a commitment to work in the community. As president of Tourism Powell River for four years, it’s certainly representing the City of Powell River and the larger region. I spent three years working as a city councillor on behalf of the community and, I think, doing that quite responsibly and respectful of taxpayers. I’ve also been elected by my peers on council to serve on the regional board, which has given me an opportunity to continue to represent city residents in the regional context. I’ve demonstrated through my actions that I understand community and I’m working hard in the community. I think that’s what people are looking for, somebody who is committed to doing a good job on their behalf.”

Before he moved to Powell River, McNaughton was active on the lower Sunshine Coast, serving on several boards in the economic development and tourism sectors. As well, McNaughton was a ministerial assistant to former Social Credit MLA Elwood Veitch. He was involved in two election campaigns for Veitch in Burnaby-Willingdon. He was also provincial coordinator for regional development from 1985 to 1990.