Peter Bowman sees this municipal election as a chance to affect the direction of the City of Williams Lake.
Bowman, who has lived in the area for the last 15 years and is running for councillor, says he wants to make a difference in his home community.
He says economic diversification beyond mining and forestry is an important issue.
The fact that Williams Lake is a hub community could be beneficial in developing some sectors like retail.
“People come to Williams Lake to shop and if they can’t find what they need then they won’t come here,” he said.
“I want to see a reason for people to come to Williams Lake.”
Bowman says he doesn’t see why Williams Lake can’t develop retail opportunities on both Prosperity Ridge and downtown similar to what’s been done in Quesnel with its two shopping areas.
He says he looks forward to the opportunity to work with Staff Sgt. Warren Brown and Dave Dickson, the safer communities co-ordinator.
“I think they’ve done a fantastic job in this community,” he said.
“Those two, together with the direction from council, have done a fantastic job and I want to be part of that in the future.”
He views the lack of a lit sporting field in the city’s core as a drawback.
As for the pool, Bowman says, the community needs to put in place a plan to build a new one. If the community wants certain amenities it will have to pay, he says, adding the alternative is expanding the tax base to tap into new sources of revenue which Bowman is interested in pursuing through economic diversification.