It’s back to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District board for Ted Bacigalupo, who won his Area C South Shuswap director’s seat with 561 votes.
“I’m pleased I got back in Area C, that’s where my heart is. But it would have been good to have been a liaison with Salmon Arm,” he said, noting he understands his failure to secure a seat on city council. “A rogue director wanting to run for both CSRD and Salmon Arm was probably not palatable to Salmon Arm voters.”
An ardent environmentalist, Bacigalupo said he was pleased Nancy Cooper took the mayor’s seat but disappointed Warren Bell was not elected.
“The city deserves somebody of his character, but unfortunately we tend to be overwhelmed by cheap shopping,” he said. “I wish there had been more that had higher environmental values, but with Nancy at the helm and a couple of the other fellows it should be OK.”
Bacigalupo was also somewhat disappointed with voter turnout in the South Shuswap, which was less than 1,000 people, but pleased the community “recognizes we have accomplished some things” – water systems, infrastructure and a total ban on the discharge of sewage into the Shuswap Watershed.
“We are in the process of creating a Shuswap Watershed plan. That is huge,” he says.
Bacigalupo beat out Dan Adrian (279 votes) and Robyn King (198 votes) for his seat.
Area D Falkland-Salmon Valley director René Talbot says he is happy with his 315-vote win and the chance to complete some of the projects he has been working on during his last two terms.
“I have the opportunity now to finish an agricultural plan, walking paths, bus service from Falkland to Vernon and upgrading of wells in Falkland and Silver Creek,” he said. “Of course there’s always highways and policing issues.”
Talbot offered his congratulations to Stuart (105 votes) for putting her name forward.
“It takes guts to jump in,” he said.
In Area F North Shuswap, Larry Morgan won 437 votes, beating David Baxter (213 votes) and Terry White (84 votes).
Morgan will take over from Denis Delisle, who is retiring from the board after two terms in office. Looking forward to serving on the board, Morgan says he will try to “bring the jobs home” to improve the economy of the North Shuswap.
He would also like to see the development process streamlined so that would-be developers know exactly what they need to do.
“Anyone who wants to develop anything has to jump through hoops,” he said, pointing out this does not mean relaxing regulations or good development principles, but simply making the process easier to understand and follow.
“I think the OCP is a well-written, sound document,” he said. “And I think the neighbourhood plan for Scotch Creek, which has not yet been approved, is a sound template for Scotch Creek and all of the North Shuswap.”