Trail’s new mayor says he expects council will have its differences, but he hopes they will be able to listen to each other, make decisions, and move on.
Addressing council this week at the end of their first official meeting, Nick Cashol also said he believes the city is in “very capable hands.”
He said in council chambers, two “distinct but equally important entities” come together, namely city council, which oversees the municipality’s governance, and the staff who carry out the operations.
“Although our roles and responsibilities are different, our purpose is the same,” Cashol said. “We are two teams coming together as one, working toward a common goal: to make Trail an increasingly prosperous, livable, safe, and inviting community for everyone who calls Trail home, as well as those who visit, work, and do business here.”
Meanwhile, new councillor Mark Buckley was appointed the city’s regional district representative, replacing Terry Martin who ran unsuccessfully for mayor. Re-elected councillor Bev Benson will be the alternate. Councillor Paul Butler will be the city’s library board representative.
The rest of the new council, which will serve until 2030, includes incumbent Thea Hanson and newcomers Glenn Hodge and Sarah Bullock.
The full text of Cashol’s speech is below.
To my council colleagues for putting your names forward for public office and congratulate each of you for taking a seat and winning a seat on this council. I look forward to working with each of you. I expect we will have our differences and my hope is that we will listen to one another and have respectful, open discussions and debate. And once the will of council has been decided, we will move forward together.
I would also like to publicly thank former mayor Colleen Jones for eight years of service to the city, a city she clearly loves. And I also want to thank former councillors Terry Martin and Doug Wilson for their service as well.
I would be remiss if I acknowledge our senior management team who are here in council chambers this evening. Starting on my right, we have Sandy Lucchini, general manager of legislative services, David Moorhead, general manager of corporate services, and our CFO/CAO, Colin McClure. And last but not least, of course, is our general manager of municipal services, Jared Miner. Thank you for choosing to serve the City of Trail and for the work you do on behalf of our community.
I have confidence in the experience and professionalism of our senior leadership team, our department heads, and our CUPE staff. And I believe our city is in very capable hands. Here in these council chambers, two distinct but equally important entities, governance and city operations come together. Although our roles and responsibilities are different, our purpose is the same. We are two teams coming together as one, working toward a common goal: to make Trail an increasingly prosperous, livable, safe, and inviting community for everyone who calls Trail home, as well as those who visit, work, and do business here.
And I can say, and I’m sure I can speak for each of my council colleagues, we are honored and privileged to be a part of this team. If we approach our responsibilities with mutual respect, open communication, trust, and a shared commitment to our community, I believe there is very little we can’t accomplish together.
