New Council Already Divided?

By Corey Fischer

Nov 6, 2018 | 2:00 PM

The new Vernon council takes its seats around new mayor Victor Cumming, with returning councillor Scott Anderson (at left) feeling a bit left out (Kate Bouey photo)

A returning member of Vernon council says he’s disappointed at being left off the new mayor’s list of high profile appointments.

Scott Anderson — who finished a close second in councillor balloting last month — was not included in Victor Cumming’s picks for the Regional District of North Okanagan or Greater Vernon Advisory Committee boards.

“I’m a little surprised and disappointed, but — to be fair — I was supporting a different mayoral candidate, so he’s well within his rights to put people in those positions,” Anderson told Beach Radio News.

Safety First

Vernon RCMP urge parents not to allow kids to ride e-dirt bikes on roads

7h ago

$700K up to $1.4M

Rising costs double price of flood protection work at Vernon Water Reclamation Centre

7h ago

Abducted Four-Year Old

Amber Alert for West Kelowna child cancelled

13h ago

Anderson supported Darrin Taylor for mayor.

He was reluctant to comment on if this could divide council.

“I’m looking forward to four years of working for the citizens of Vernon, so if we have different visions, our visions come together.”

However, Anderson does feel the mayor is setting the wrong tone at the outset for the new council.

“I would be not telling the truth if I said it’s the right tone. I would have done it differently than this,” says Anderson who is also interim leader of the BC Conservative Party.

Anderson won a second term Oct. 20th, just 12 votes behind poll topper Brian Quiring, with 4,108 votes.

Anderson was asked by Beach Radio’s Kate Bouey if this could cause a division on council:

Cumming says he feels like he has picked the best team for right now, but says he will review his choices in a year.

“We pulled together the strongest team, very specific on skill sets, and the mix of what was required, and I felt we had a really good team for both of those. We’ll be off and running immediately. These are appointments for one year, so we’ll see at the end of the year how it’s gone and make adjustments accordingly,” Cumming told Bach Radio News.

Cumming chose himself, Brian Quiring, Akbal Mund and Dalvir Nahal as city reps on RDNO, and himself, Mund and newcomer Kelly Fehr for GVAC.

Mayor Cumming talks to Beach Radio’s Kate Bouey about his choices for RDNO and GVAC: