Jessica Lunn announced this week that she will not seek re-election this fall after almost 12 years as mayor of Slocan and six years as a councillor before that. In an interview, she also revealed that council will see a big turnover because at least three of the four councillors will not seek re-election either.
What went into your decision not to run again?
A lot of contemplation. I’ve always really checked with my gut before an election because working on council, you need to be there 100 per cent. It takes a lot of energy, time, and passion. All of those I still have, but I’ve been doing it for a long time. We’ve accomplished a lot. There’s been a lot of amazing things happening, but I think it’s time to step back and open some space for new folks to jump in.
Tell me about some of those accomplishments. What are you most proud of?
There’s so many! It’s accomplishments through multiple councils and through community efforts. When I first started as mayor it was right when the mill was coming down and that was part of why I wanted to run, to lean into the opportunity and the potential of Slocan. I knew we needed some quick wins. We partnered with the province on a couple of job creation partnerships and revitalized what is now known as the Owl Walk, which is a beautiful spot for residents and visitors.
We realized Slocan didn’t really have a lot of places for people to stay. And when we’re transitioning from a resource-based economy into potential tourism dollars, we thought a campground expansion would be fantastic. For many years the revenue was $13,000 a year and I think we were over $100,000 last year.
Since then we worked on the beach park improvements. We had a successful Legion exterior [renovation] and we’ve renewed the soccer field. We’ve partnered with Slocan Valley Housing Society and there’s 12 seniors housing units and we have 10 new affordable housing units [being built]. And of course, one of the most important decisions council made was to purchase the former mill site. There’s huge opportunity and potential there.
You won’t be mayor as whatever happens to the waterfront happens, but you can remain engaged as a citizen.
Absolutely. Part of my decision making was just that when you’re on council or you’re the mayor, you’re always on and you’re always approached. You’re a decision maker, but you’re always working with community and you realize how important everybody is. Slocan has so many volunteers and volunteer committees. The world goes around because of our volunteers. So I will remain engaged. I’m leaving in a place of optimism for the village. We have so many amazing people and I have no doubt that some will step forward for council. And yes, whether it’s the waterfront planning and the mill site redevelopment or place-based economic development, there’ll be lots of ways to plug in post local government.
I’m feeling good about my decision and feeling really great about where the community is at. I think there’s lots of opportunity ahead and lots of people who really care about the community. So I know we’re going places even as I step back and I believe at least three of the four councillors are also stepping back. So there’ll be a big changeover moving into the next term.
At our council meeting last [week], I announced my decision and during their reports, councillors Ezra Buller, Jordan Knott, and Joanna Van Bynen also announced they were planning on stepping back. Councillor Madeleine Perriere didn’t have a decision yet.
So you don’t really have an heir apparent, but you said in your Facebook post, that you are willing to sit down with anybody who might be interested in running but doesn’t know what it entails.
That’s partly why I announced when I did. It’s to make sure that there’s time for people who are considering [running] to ask questions, because we will need some new folks to step in and bring their energy to it. I’ll be there to support whomever steps in as well.
My door is open and if anybody in any community is feeling that pull or they really, really care about their community and have ideas of how things could be improved or how they could support or bring energy, now is the time to be thinking about that and connecting with current local government representation. There’s a lot of good people out there and it’s a huge learning curve, but everybody starts somewhere. I think the best starting point is listen to your gut and if you’re feeling pulled to contribute in that way, just go for it.
After the interview, Lunn added the following in an email:
While I’m incredibly proud of the many projects we have moved forward, what I’m proudest of is helping Slocan recognize what is possible here. We have shown that a small, rural village can be ambitious and forward-looking while still protecting the character and wild spirit that make it special.
That belief has translated into real accomplishments, from affordable and seniors’ housing, job-creation partnerships and improvements to community amenities, to the purchase of the waterfront property and the Harold Street revitalization. (We have now secured $2.4 million to implement that project.)
But the deeper legacy, for me, is that Slocan now has greater capacity, stronger partnerships and more confidence to take on bold ideas. And yes, I need a break, but will remain involved at another capacity. (Just not sure yet how.)
