Nelson mayoral incumbent John Dooley is looking for another four years to build on the projects that his administration has already started and accomplished.
Dooley was first elected to represent constituents as a councillor in 1999 and was later elected mayor in 2005.
“I bring proven leadership and strong knowledge to the table,” says Dooley. “There isn’t a sector in the community that I haven’t been involved in.”
Dooley says he knows that the city has been hit hard over the past two years with the pandemic and is well aware of new challenges that residents are facing in a post-COVID world.
“We are dealing with high interest rates, and an increase in the cost of living,” he says. “We need a strong council, with a proven leader, to carry our community for the next four years.”
Dooley feels that his long connection with the community will help address key municipal concerns like housing and garbage collection.
“The housing issue is being worked on, and there are already plans to build more,” he states. “It is important to build connections with the provincial and federal government to build grants in order to get housing projects off the ground.”
Four candidates are challenging the incumbent for the mayoral seat, but Dooley says he wants to run on his own merits and what truly matters to Nelson residents.
“I don’t really look at who [else] is running, I look at what I want to deliver for our community.”
Dooley is running against Janice Morrison, Tom Prior, Mike Zeabin and John Buffery.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story erroneously stated three candidates are running against Dooley.