The Regional District of Central Kootenay will see races next month in nine of its 11 rural electoral areas.
Following the close of nominations this afternoon, 24 candidates were involved overall:
• In Area A (East Shore), Forrest Demman is challenging longtime incumbent Garry Jackman.
• In Area B (Rural Creston), Danny Turner is running against incumbent Roger Tierney.
• In Area C (Rural Creston), Mike Martell will square off against incumbent Kelly Vandenberge.
• In Area E (Rural Nelson), where incumbent Cheryl Graham is not seeking re-election, Lucas Armstrong, Erin Fitchett, and Landon Veregin are the candidates. Veregin narrowly lost in 2022.
• In Area G (Salmo Valley), where Hans Cunningham is retiring after nearly 40 years as director, Anna Bundschuh, Susan Chew, and Nathen Rushforth will all seek the position. Bundschuh was the runner up in 2022. Chew is also a school trustee and is seeking re-election.
• In Area H (Slocan Valley), there is a three-way race to replace Walter Popoff, who is retiring after an 18-year run on the board. The candidates are Jae Hamilton, Will Parker, and Kevin Shaw. Parker ran against Popoff in 2011.
• In Area I (Rural Castlegar), three candidates are hoping to replace the retiring Andy Davidoff, another veteran director. They are Bart Agate, Eric Friesen, and Chris Popoff.
• In Area J (Lower Arrow-Columbia), incumbent Henny Hanegraaf is seeking re-election against Gord Zaitsoff, who was previously the director for the area in the 2000s and 2010s.
• In Area K (Arrow Lakes), incumbent Teresa Weatherhead is facing a challenge from Nakusp village councillor Tina Knooihuizen, who is standing for both positions.
The directors who have been acclaimed are from Area D (Rural Kaslo) director Aimee Watson, who is also the longtime board chair, and Area F (Rural Nelson), where Tom Newell will be back for another term.
Click here for a complete list of West Kootenay/Boundary candidates.
