By Jill Sperling

No lack of experience in Merritt mayoral race

Oct 2, 2018 | 4:32 PM

MERRITT, B.C. — In less than three weeks, residents of the city of Merritt will head to the polls to elect their mayor, council and school trustees. 

Three community members are vying for the mayor’s position, each with a background in municipal politics, and each with a vision for the small city. 

For Susan Roline, the position is not at all unfamiliar. She served two terms as mayor of Merritt from 2008 to 2014 and she want to take another crack at it. 

“You don’t let go of your community just because you weren’t re-elected, you don’t let go of the ideas of the passion of the commitment to the community,” Roline said. “You don’t let go of that.”

Roline says she has continued to be involved in the community over the past four years volunteering at the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and helping set up a business revitalization group. 

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Downtown revitalization is a top priority for the mayoral candidate. 

“You see the challenges, and hear the challenges business owners are going through to get businesses set up, to even do simple things like renovations to their businesses,” Roline said. “So, there are a lot of processes that we need to look at in our community just to make that process simpler and quicker.”

Current city councillor Linda Brown says her four years on council have helped her understand the community while giving her the opportunity to give back. 

Having served on a number of boards and committees, Brown says she has the leadership capabilities to take over the role of mayor. 

“I’ve been an executive manager for a number of years and I see a lack of leadership in that position, and for the last couple of terms,” Brown said. “so I would like to be able to put my name in the hat and try to make a difference.”

Brown says she would also like to see fewer boarded up businesses in the downtown core, but there is a more immediate need she plans to attend to: flood mitigation. 

“There is flood control that is needed in a bigger plan, but we need to look at that for the long run, but for right now we need to look at mitigation,” Brown said. “Mitigation is needed for these residents to be able to make them feel safe over the next coming spring session when we’re bound to look at more flooding.”

Incumbent Neil Menard has thrown his cowboy hat in the ring for re-election, saying he’s learned a lot from his first term as mayor. 

But, he doesn’t feel he’s finished learning or contributing to the community. 

“I think they should re-elect me because I’ve worked my buns off to try and make this a better community,” Menard said. “Any decisions that we’ve made as a council, any positions that I’ve taken it’s been for the consideration of the city of Merritt and all of the citizens here, not for me, not for council, but what’s best for our community.”

Menard says current council has been successful in learning to work together, and has strengthened relations with local First Nations groups.

Going forward, Menard says one of the biggest issues facing the community is spring flooding. 

“There’s a number of communities dealing with exactly the same thing,” Menard said. “I’d say that’s the number one issue we’ve really got to get on top of before spring and we are working towards doing that.”

Residents of Merritt will choose their mayor during the municipal election on October 20.