When the new Sooke council is sworn in next month, it will look like the old council.
Six council members, including Mayor Maja Tait, were re-elected in the recent municipal election, while former councillor Kevin Pearson rejoins council after a four-year absence.
CouncilB次元官网网址檚 inaugural meeting occurs on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Sooke Municipal Hall.
Tait, along with councillors Dana Lajeunesse, Jeff Bateman, Megan McMath, Al Beddows, Kevin Pearson and Tony St-Pierre, will take the oath of office from provincial court Judge Ted Gouge.
The mayor will give an inaugural address. The only other business typically conducted in councilB次元官网网址檚 first meeting is the appointment of council members to the Capital Regional District, Vancouver Island Regional Library and CREST Emergency Communications boards.
Tait said councillors are experienced with the issues since the majority of council was re-elected.
The mayor wants to continue the advocacy work that the previous council focussed on, including funding for the long-awaited Little River Crossing that links the Sunriver Estates neighbourhood to the town centre with a series of trails. The only piece missing is provincial funding for the bridge project.
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Other high-priority projects on TaitB次元官网网址檚 agenda are health-care expansion, improvements to local schools and the official community plan.
Tait would also like to explore ideas from other candidates who ran but lost in the election and hopes to restructure committee-of-the-whole meetings where council will sit in the afternoon instead of in the evening.
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She said that because most of the council was re-elected, thereB次元官网网址檚 no reason to push the reset button.
B次元官网网址淲e can quickly look at what went well (in the last term), what needs to improve, what we didnB次元官网网址檛 like, what we can shift, and how we can address it. ItB次元官网网址檚 great timing to do all of that,B次元官网网址� Tait said.
Tait doesnB次元官网网址檛 expect it will take Pearson long to get up to speed with the rest of council.
B次元官网网址淜evin is no stranger to any of us. We all know him well. ItB次元官网网址檚 just sharing whatB次元官网网址檚 new, whatB次元官网网址檚 different, whatB次元官网网址檚 changed, and getting his insight and input,B次元官网网址� she said.
Pearson went right to work after the election, attending a regional orientation meeting for councillors sponsored by Esquimalt and the Capital Regional District. HeB次元官网网址檚 also dug into the proposed official community plan and met with the mayor.
B次元官网网址淚 was off for four years, so IB次元官网网址檓 trying to catch up, but I still find I have the motivation and the excitement to get going,B次元官网网址� he said.
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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