For all of you who complained, OK, whined about the Gang of Four at city council complain and/or whine no more. The Gang of Four is gone, long live the new Gang of Four, and there likely will be a new gang that the furious Facebook firebrands can foment about.
The Gang of Four was effectively eliminated when Mayor Nic Milligan announced he wasn’t running again. But it really took a hit this week when incumbent councillors Kevin MacIsaac and Troy Nixon revealed they won’t be seeking re-election.
For the record, I’ve never ascribed to the Gang of Four philosophy. The majority always carries the day at the city council table and democracy is about moving forward, not bitching about those who didn’t vote, en masse, the way you want them to.
Now, on to the good stuff … who will emerge victorious in the municipal election? Given that, earlier this year, I predicted all seven incumbents would be back for more, don’t bet the farm on anything I say.
The council race is going to be an interesting one with 10 people contesting six positions. I’ve already discussed a couple of candidates, so don’t be miffed if I don’t talk about everyone here.
One name that really surprised me, but then again maybe not, was Reto Barrington. Barrington was the face of the Galloway Lands development proposal that was the first big test of the current council. The city opposed the development, but it was approved by the Regional District of East Kootenay.
While there is no doubt Barrington has lots of support in the city, however it will be interesting to see whether his being attached to the Galloway Lands will hurt him at the polls.
He’s still involved with Galloway Lands ( Now Trailhead Fernie ), but, he would have to recuse himself should discussions about the development come back to the council table.
Another interesting entrant into the race is Phil Iddon. Or should I say, re-entrant. Iddon has served four terms on Fernie city council, from 2008 to 2022.
“Iddon spent his time on council focusing on the issues at hand, often holding staff to the fire of public expectation, and acting as a conduit between Fernie concerns and the council,” according to media accounts in 2022 when he announced he wouldn’t be running again. “He regularly brought debate back to the numbers, and showed flexibility where it was needed but not required.”
Josh Gawryluk’s entry into the race isn’t unexpected as he was a fierce opponent of the new firehall location. However, that issue is done now. He will have to bring more to the table.
Taylor Petrucha is also an interesting entrant. I got to know Petrucha when he organized a petition against a suggested expansion of the pickleball courts at Max Turyk. He was very diplomatic about it, suggesting alternatives, and even though I’m the president of Pickleball Fernie, I don’t disagree with him or the neighbourhood’s concerns.
I don’t know anything about Kathleen Dolan, but I suspect we all will over the next few weeks.
Born and raised in Fernie, Bill Phillips is an award-winning journalist and columnist. He was the winner of the 2009 Best Editorial award at the British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspaper Association’s Ma Murray awards, in 2007 he won the association’s Best Columnist award. In 2004, he placed third in the Canadian Community Newspaper best columnist category and, in 2003, placed second. Read more Writer’s Block here.
