It's getting crowded as more enter race for Nelson City Council
By Nelson Daily Staff
The lineup for a seat at the city council table in Nelson is growing after a few more people entered the race.
Former Nelson City manager Brian Shields joins incumbent Bob Adams, Marg Stacy and Jesse Woodward as candidates declaring for the October 20 municipal election.
Shields is the fifth candidate to run under the a non-partisan, grassroots civic party, CORE banner.
Shields joins Travis Hauck, Michelle Hillaby, Stephanie Wiggins and Cal Renwick as candidates endorsed by CORE for Nelson City Council.
Other candidates on the ballot include Charles Jeanes, Rik Logtenberg, Leslie Payne and incumbents Janice Morrison and Robin Cherbo.
“I’ve got a long history of leadership within local government, and since retiring a few years ago, I’ve taken a bigger interest in Council’s role in setting direction for the City,” Shields said in the CORE release.
The release said Shields is an artist who does graphic design as a hobby, and after retiring from the City in 2010, he owned and operated a fire-safety business. He said that all those experiences have shaped his approach to working with people and understanding the complexities of a place like Nelson.
Shields describes himself as “left-of-centre” when it comes to political leaning, and the diversity of the candidates running under the CORE banner was part of the appeal for him.
“Nelson is an amazing, diverse community, and the group of candidates endorsed by CORE are really reflective of that,” he explained. “Having the CORE structure allows people who might not otherwise be able to run for office to get the support they need to get elected.”
Shields moved to Nelson in 2008 after working for municipalities on the Island and Lower Mainland. He is married with two sons and is a regular at the dog walk. A self-described music lover, he’s also a programmer at Kootenay Coop Radio, and has served on that organization’s Board of Directors.
In the mayor’s race, John Dooley is challenging incumbent Deb Kozak.
