Walter Gray has finally put an end to months of rumours -- months of will he or won't he. Grey made it official Thursday evening, he's running for mayor. "I believe strong leadership is needed on council, especially with the
economy continuing to lag and Kelowna's critical role in the Province of
British Columbia," says Gray. "We need to restore confidence, enthusiasm and engagement in the
community. We should be creating opportunities not cancelling them or
delaying good ideas indefinitely." Grey then took dead aim at current Mayor Sharon Shepherd's leadership style. "Strong leadership is one of the key issues in this year's election.
Inactivity, procrastination and too many frivolous studies which take up
valuable staff time and add cost to taxpayers must be corrected." Gray and his wife Doreen will embark in a few days on a three week
vacation, a holiday he says they've been planning for years and booked a
year ago. "When we return to Kelowna I'll file my papers for mayor and my team
will be meeting the electorate of Kelowna and working towards a
successful campaign for Kelowna's future." He picked up his nomination papers Wednesday, however, they cannot be filed with the City Clerk's Office until October 4. Gray says he doesn't plan to release a campaign platform per se at this
time, stating, "fundamentally, I believe that Mayor and Council should
have a shared agenda. That's how to develop and effective team and
attract good people to council and, in turn, ensure sustainability and a
prosperous future." Shepherd defeated Gray by nearly 2,300 votes (13,706 to 11,453) in 2005 when Gray was seeking a fourth consecutive term. Six other people have also picked up nomination papers for mayor
including Kim Ouellette, Diana Van Beest, James Murphy along with three
others who asked their names not be revealed. Nomination forms can be dropped off at City Hall between October 4 and 14.
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