A community activist leads the final trio of candidates running for the open seat on Saanich council.

, Keith Andrew Davidoff and Art Pollard were the final candidates to declare for the Sept. 23 byelection to fill the seat open since the

Henderson, Davidoff, and Pollard join , , , , , , and in the race as nominations closed 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18.

Henderson enters the race as president of the Royal Oak Community Association, chair of the Saanich Community Association Network (SCAN), and co-founder of the , which she helped launch with .

Henderson said she is running because she belives Saanich council would benefit from a B次元官网网址渕oderate voiceB次元官网网址� familiar with municipal governance.

B次元官网网址淏y moderating influence, I donB次元官网网址檛 necessarily mean, IB次元官网网址檓 middle-of-the-road,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 can listen to other people. I donB次元官网网址檛 take things personally. I donB次元官网网址檛 get caught up in personality conflicts between people. I can listen to the issues at hand. I examine the data. IB次元官网网址檓 well prepared for meetingsB次元官网网址�so I can make an informed and reasonable decision.B次元官网网址�

So if Henderson offer herself as a moderate voice, who have been the extreme voices on Saanich council?

B次元官网网址淎nytime you introduce change to an established group, you are going to have some tension, and we all know that Saanich council has faced some strong tensions, some difficult situations over the last couple of years,B次元官网网址� she said.

Council is now starting to settle down, said Henderson, who does not want to see that momentum lost. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not pointing the finger at anyone person,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 never just one person. It is always more than one, but it is difficult as a group to gel.B次元官网网址�

While Henderson is realistic about her impact, she is nonetheless confident about being able to make a difference based on your work if not this year, then in 2018, when she plans to run again.

Davidoff, who currently serves on SaanichB次元官网网址檚 advisory panel, says he is running because he has always had an interest in municipal politics.

B次元官网网址淕iving back something back to the community is a good thing, and IB次元官网网址檓 trying to install that in my [six children],B次元官网网址� said Davidoff, who works as a project manager for B.C. Emergency Health Services.

Davidoff is a familiar figure in the local minor baseball community. He has served for 20 years on the board of Gordon Head Baseball, including several years as president.

Davidoff said he wants to make Saanich even better than what it already is. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 have any hidden agenda,B次元官网网址� said Davidoff, who describes himself as as an B次元官网网址渙utside-the-box progressive thinkerB次元官网网址� who wants to learn more about the issues that concern Saanich before pushing his own plans.

Davidoff said he does not want to forge ahead with plans without having heard from Saanich residents first. While Davidoff is entering the race late, he is nonetheless looking forward to an exciting opportunity to make a difference.

Art Pollard meanwhile enters the race as a familiar figure in the local golf scene and volunteer community, having served as a volunteer area co-ordinator for Saanich Block Watch.

Candidates have until Aug. 25 to submit original nomination documents. Advance voting will take Sept. 13 and Sept. 18 at Saanich municipal hall from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. General voting stations will be open from 8 a.m.to 8 p.m. on Sept. 23.