Tom Dyas returning to Kelowna’s mayoral race

Tom Dyas announced on Wednesday that he will again run for mayor in the 2022 municipal election.

Dyas, a local businessman and the former president of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, ran for mayor of Kelowna in 2018, adding extra attention to the race but not actually putting much of a dent in Mayor Colin Basran’s standing.

In the 2018 election, the result wasn’t particularly close, with Basran winning 57.8 per cent of the vote to Dyas’ 29.4 per cent.

“Kelowna has seen tremendous growth over the last eight years and while we’ve seen some positive changes, our leaders have failed to address many of the key priorities of our residents,” said Dyas.

“Kelowna has one of the highest crime rates in the country, housing prices are out of reach for too many, our infrastructure is aging and yet we’ve seen 29 per cent increase in taxes over eight years. It’s time for residents to get results.”

Dyas said crime has gotten worse, housing is unaffordable, roads are congested and a 29 per cent increase in property taxes is too much.

“As your mayor, my promise to you is to never say that good is good enough and to never say that any issue we’re facing as a community is not my problem,” he said.

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“Being a leader means listening and stepping up when others won’t — and that’s what I’ll do as your mayor.”

The election will be held in October and those who intend to run and others who are stepping out of the race are just starting to make their intentions known. Coun. Ryan Donn announced that he would not be running for city council in the October election, putting an end to an eight-year run.