Four Merritt residents battle for mayor’s chair in October election

Brown was overwhelmingly elected mayor in 2018 with over 50 per cent of the vote. She believes her leadership and existing relationships with provincial and federal counterparts will help her lead through the next term.

Housing is her number one priority.

“The two big issues are housing — and it’s not just for displaced residents. We need housing. We need housing in every single area across the board. And the other issue is diking. We need our diking plan so that people can lay their heads on their pillows at night and not worry,” said Brown.

Tony Luck currently sits at the council table in his first term in Merritt. The local real estate agent is also focusing on recovery in his campaign, but won’t be promising a quick fix.

“We have a bill into the provincial government for $170 million to restore everything. That is not going to come overnight. We are not going to be able to fix that overnight. So, what I am going to do today is promise you nothing. I’m not going to be able to say I’ll wave a magic wand and fix this overnight because it is going to take some time to do that. I don’t want to over-promise and under-deliver,” said Luck.

Luck was the second-highest vote-getter on council in 2018. His three-pronged platform hits on accountability, transparency and economic development.

“My style is to be front and centre with the people, to be more collaborative with the businesses in the community, with the senior levels of government. Even with First Nations, this morning I was in talking with some folks from the First Nations (about) how can I make a difference,” stated Luck.

Mike Bhangu was often a dissenting voice on council before leaving the table in late 2021, claiming an inability to work with Mayor Brown. While he is no longer a councillor, Bhangu doesn’t believe he quit on the community.

“I didn’t quit on the city; I continued to lead. I did it without a paycheque. Yes, I did take the cap of a councillor off. I felt the handling of the 2021 flood challenged my core values. It’s not something I could continue to stand by, those types of decisions,” said Bhangu.

Bhangu received the second-fewest amount of votes for a successful candidate in the last election. He feels tackling the hard drug issue in the community should be a top priority.

“The three things that I would like to focus on is to reduce spending — so to reduce taxes — focusing on our crime and homelessness issue and repairing our roads. Some of our roads are horrible here. It’s time we focus on some of the basic stuff,” added Bhangu.

Mike Goetz served three terms as a Merritt city councillor before stepping away in 2018. He feels his time on council has prepared him for the mayor’s chair in 2022.

Tackling the homelessness and addiction crisis will be multi-faceted for Goetz.

“If you don’t have the support after you come out, you just re-offend. That has to change. We have to look at a treatment centre and then long-term care to make the change. Without that it’s not going to happen. My son-in-law died a year-and-a-half ago to a fentanyl overdose. As hard as we tried, we couldn’t help him. The whole idea is to get the treatment centres,” said Goetz.

During his two runs as an incumbent, Goetz secured over 50 per cent of the vote in 2011 and 2014. As mayor, he believes he will be more present than the other candidates.

“I’ll be there for the good, I’ll be there for the bad. If you can’t get to me, I’ll get to you. If you have a problem in your neighbourhood, I’ll come down and walk through it. That’s the difference with me, I will be there. There are going to be times that there is nothing you can do, but at least the moral support that you are there is what people are looking for,” said Goetz.

Along with the four candidates running for mayor, 18 other Merritt residents have tossed their hat in the ring for the remaining six seats at the council table. A list of candidates can be found here.

by Michael Reeve

Four Merritt residents battle for mayor’s chair in October election

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