Municipal election terms in BC won't be extended to four years. Civic politicians at the Union of BC Municipalities conference in Whistler, have voted to keep the terms at three years. The motion to keep three year terms passed by 70 votes among the 630 members, and Community Minister Ben Stewart has said the BC government will respect the decision. Vernon mayor Wayne Lippert supported the status quo, which was the will of his council, but he says the other side made some good points. "Some of the first time councillors felt a four year term would be better because it would give them a better chance to finish things that they started." Rookie Vernon councillor Shawn Lee voted to extend the terms,feeling it would allow politicians to get more done-- and save money. "That's probably what drove the push to four years is that it would have been less cost for candidates. A four year term would also be less costly in the long run for the provincial government which bears some of the cost of running these elections."
Lee, however, is pleased to hear the province will support the decision. "One of the comments about UBCM is that the people feel that sometimes the government ignores what they say and just does what they want, so this is a positive thing." Voters will go to the polls in just over a year for BC's next municipal elections, in November 2011.
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