A former Rossland city councillor will seek the city’s top job this fall.
Janice Nightingale filed her nomination papers for mayor today. Nightingale previously served as a councillor from 2018 to 2022. She did not seek re-election, but instead ran for a council seat unsuccessfully in Victoria.
Nightingale, who became a Rossland resident in 2003, explained in an interview that she was dealing with personal issues at the end of her previous term and ended up working remotely to resolve them, but her goal was always to return.
“I’m able to take advantage of the timing to try and once again have the opportunity to serve the community,” she said. “I want to do it because I absolutely loved what I did last time and the community remains very important to me.”
Nightingale said she feels her council and life experience in union, non-union, and volunteer leadership positions makes her suited to step up for mayor.
“I think that I have some strong skills to help the next council be successful at what they need to do to keep this town as amazing as it’s always been,” she said.
Nightingale said she has paid attention to the issues that have faced council over the last four years, especially the city’s infrastructure deficit. “There’s no blame to be had there,” she said. “It’s just a change in philosophy that local governments have had over the last 20 to 25 years.”
She said the challenge is spreading costs over time to keep the bills manageable for residents. She added that while no one loves getting their tax bill, clearly communicating the city’s five-year financial plan can help alleviate some stress that residents feel about increases.
Nightingale came to Rossland for the same reason that many people do: to ski. As she spent more time in the city, she became immersed in the community and volunteer organizations. Prior to sitting on city council, she helped run the Smokettes hockey club’s annual charity tournament for 17 years. She was also involved with the Rossland Arena Society.
She said serving on council gave her a better view of “the entire scope of what it takes to keep an amazing town the way it is.”
Nightingale will run against current councillor Lisa Kwiatkowski. Incumbent mayor Andy Morel plans to seek a council seat this time instead. Two other people have filed papers for council: incumbent Maya Provencal, and Melanie Mercier, who is known for her work with the Save Record Ridge Action Committee.
The nomination deadline opened Monday and closes Sept. 11. General voting day is Oct. 17.
