Trail city councillor Terry Martin is the first person to announce he will run for mayor this fall.
Martin made the announcement Sunday in a Facebook post.
“I am committed to working hard for our community, listening to your concerns, and helping to make Trail a better place for everyone,” he said.
Martin, the retired chief of Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue, was first elected to council 2022. He has also been serving as Trail’s regional district director, which he said has provided him “with a strong insight and appreciation of both municipal and regional politics.”
“I know that I can be the leader you need that helps propel the City of Trail into the future,” he said. “The decisions that council makes now will not only impact current issues, but also shape what happens to the city in the future.”
In an interview, Martin explained that even when he filed his papers for council in 2022, it was his goal to eventually run for mayor.
He said standing for public office is about giving back to a community that he loves and that supported him during his career in the fire service.
He added that he wanted to make it known well in advance that he plans to run for mayor.
“I didn’t want to wait too long,” he said. “It’s not that I wanted to be the first. I just wanted it out there so people understood possible options this fall.”
Martin said among the biggest challenges the city faces is working with Interior Health on a treatment facility for people who don’t have anywhere to live.
“They’re citizens and they need some help and I think we could probably do a lot better job,” Martin said. “When I say we, I mean our community in general.”
The health authority recently told council that it is not contemplating an overdose prevention site while BC Housing recently announced that it has put a supportive housing project for Trail on hold.
Incumbent mayor Colleen Jones hasn’t announced whether she will seek re-election.
Voting day is Oct. 17.
