Jason Ryll announced Friday, Sept. 2, he is entering the race for mayor of Williams Lake in the upcoming municipal election, Oct. 15.
He submitted his nomination papers Friday and told the Tribune afterwards he is running because of the feedback he has been getting from the community.
“They want to have a leader they can rally around, someone with a vision for the community that is articulate, thoughtful and inclusive.”
Through his eight years serving two terms as a city councillor, Ryll said he has proven he is a capable representative for the city in his professional life through his involvement with tourism and advocacy and also with the Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce.
Presently he is the chamber’s executive director and if he is successful in the election he will give up that job.
“I would choose to step down because there just is not capacity - both jobs are too big for one person to be able to do.”
Challenges the city faces are what he described as the ‘nuts and bolts’ of any local government and include maintaining infrastructure and ensuring it is poised for future development.
“We are trying to make sure our infrastructure has the ability to take on new development, not just maintain it, but be ready for growth.”
Aside from the responsibility to maintain water, sewer, roads and garbage collection, community safety is another challenge for the city, he said.
“There are a lot of expectations put on the RCMP and local government and I think we have an uphill climb to meet those expectations. We are only going to reach any level of success through collaboration and partnerships.”
Community safety is not the responsibility of any one agency but the responsibility of them all to work together, he added.
“Building and maintaining relationships is something I’ve proven over my public and professional life that I am capable of doing that. We may not always agree on some issues, that does not mean we need to be disagreeable.”
Raised in Williams Lake, Ryll left for one year to study broadcasting communications, but other than that has remained in the city and raised a family here.
Ryll’s candidacy will make it a three-way race for mayor that is known so far.
Mayor Walt Cobb confirmed earlier this week he plans to seek re-election and in June former city councillor Surinderpal Rathor announced his intention to run for mayor.
READ MORE: Walt Cobb will seek re-election as mayor of Williams Lake
READ MORE: Surinderpal Rathor to run for mayor of Williams Lake in 2022 election
monica.lamb-yorski@wltribune.com
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