Bob Schewe wants to be Kelownasa国际传媒檚 next mayor because, in his opinion, the current city council has taken Kelowna sa国际传媒渄own an unacceptable path.sa国际传媒�

That path, he says, is the current sa国际传媒渙ffensive and unsafesa国际传媒� condition of the downtown, as well as other areas of the city.

sa国际传媒淥ur parks, including many neighbourhood childrensa国际传媒檚 playgrounds, have turned into an uncivilized arena with associated transient presence and their activities,sa国际传媒� said the retired former city bylaw officer.

He, like others seeking seeking seats on city council in the upcoming Oct. 20 civic election, has homed in on the downtown issue as a central plank for his platform.

sa国际传媒淲e must pursue workable solutions for Kelownasa国际传媒檚 complex issues of affordability, livability and safety for all residents,sa国际传媒� said Schewe, who wants to see a tougher stance by the city when it comes to dealing with transients and drug users downtown.

sa国际传媒淭hese are especially serious concerns for our vulnerable retired senior population.sa国际传媒�

Schewe worked as a city bylaw officer for 12 years and said he has hands-on experience dealing with some of the issues and serious problems in the Kelowna and claims to know what does and does not work.

But, while the downtown issue may have prompted Schewe to run for mayor, it is not the only area where he said he wants to see changes at city hall.

He said Kelowna needs to slow down what he sees as a rush to become a big city sa国际传媒渁t any cost.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淢oderate growth and careful development has to be good for all our existing businesses and residents,sa国际传媒� said Schewe, adding they must also bring prosperity for all.

Schewe describes himself as a fiscal conservative and sa国际传媒渟omewhat of a Libertarian,sa国际传媒� and says he is concerned about how the city is spending money.

sa国际传媒淲hen it comes to spending moneysa国际传媒攖axpayers moneysa国际传媒攚e must be prudent and scrutinize carefully all projects and services,sa国际传媒� he said.

Currently, all development proposals are vetted by city planning staff before they are presented to council and council goes through all new spending line by line during its annual budget process. Prior to that requests for new spending are been reviewed by individual departments and senior city staff. Reviews of current and on-going programs are also reviewed.

In addition to his career as a bylaw officer, Schewe has worked as a renovation contractor, has been a landlord with several rental properties, worked for the regional districtsa国际传媒檚 dog control department and was a firefighter in Westbank in the mid-1990s.

He joins a mayoral race with three other confirmed candidates, including incumbent Colin Basran and challengers Bobby Kennedy and Joshua Hoggan. Former Kelowna Chamber of Commerce president Tom Dyas is expected to join the race Wednesday.

To report a typo, email:
newstips@kelownacapnews.com.

newstips@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on and follow us on .