Ucluelet will head to the polls on Oct. 15 to elect a new council. The town has four councillor seats and only four candidates put their names forward to fill them, meaning this election’s councillor candidates will be acclaimed. In an effort to help locals get to know their new municipal councillors, The Westerly News asked each of them to introduce themselves and explain why they ran for council. Candidates were given a maximum of 300 words and the order their responses appear below was selected at random. Ucluelet also has three candidates running for mayor and their responses can be found here: Ucluelet’s three candidates for mayor introduce themselves
Jennifer Hoar
I have lived in Ucluelet for 17 years, having moved here to work in the commercial fisheries. Previously, I received my PhD in Marine Biology and taught both marine & terrestrial biology. I ran an education program at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Sciences Centre & had a SCUBA diving shop for 4 years. Currently, I work in the Produce department at the Co-op & you can find me slinging apples & tomatoes on the shelves most days & running karaoke at night.
Since coming to Ucluelet, I have been involved volunteering in the community & helping out whenever I can, as I believe that giving back to your community is very important. This is why I put my hat back in to run for District Council. In addition, I would really like to make some headway on the housing issue here in Ucluelet & I’m hoping we can make a dent in that this term.
I have certainly enjoyed the last 4 years on Council, although the pandemic occurring in the middle of it certainly changed the learning trajectory. There is a lot of work involved in this job, but if there’s one thing I am good at, it’s reading & absorbing information. I feel that while I have learned much of how the municipal governance system works, there is always more to learn & if there is one thing that my varied history has left me with, it’s an innate need to always be learning something!
Mark Maftei
I am proud and excited to serve as your councillor. This is a special place and I’m grateful to be able to live and raise my children here. I’d been coming to Ucluelet for many years before the opportunity to take over as Executive Director of the Raincoast Education Society prompted me to settle down here for good. I feel lucky to be able to work in a role that allows me to give back to this community which has given me and my family so much.
I know I am not alone looking around and feeling that our town is at yet another turning point, and I know that there are many opinions about where exactly we could or should turn. I also know that the overwhelming majority of us would agree on a few core values we want our community to embrace and reflect. We should draw strength from that common ground and not shy away from the robust and respectful debate that lies at the heart of effective democracy, or from asking ourselves and each other the harder questions about how to best move forward.
I’ve heard many people refer to the Mayor and Council as ‘leadership’, but I see our role as a responsibility to represent the people in our community rather than to lead them. I have never shied away from standing up for what I believe in and I wouldn’t have run for Council if I wasn’t confident that I could serve as an informed representative, but I’m looking to the community to guide me rather than the other way around.
Ucluelet has a long history of applying hard work and creativity to turn challenges into opportunities. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to being a part of that journey!
Ian Kennington
My name is Ian Kennington. I would like to first acknowledge the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ on whose traditional territories we reside. I would also like to thank Mayco Noel, Rachelle Cole, Jennifer Hoar, Marilyn McEwen and Lara Kemps for their commitment over the last four years.
I have lived in Ucluelet for just over 12 years and in that time have witnessed the rapid pace of change and growing popularity of our small town. Many of the challenging issues facing council in the last few years have been development related and this is where I feel I can contribute.
Over the last 25 years I have been involved in the design and development of residential, resort and city planning projects around the world. Since opening my own small design firm 5 years ago I have been involved in numerous projects in Tofino and Ucluelet including development permits, rezoning and variance permits for single and multifamily homes, resorts and staff accommodations. I have always maintained an open dialogue with District staff to work towards achieving the housing and tourism goals set out in the Official Community Plan.
It is my hope that I may be of assistance to our community when it comes to decisions related to zoning, density and growth. I am in strong support of balancing the needs of tourism based businesses with long term and seasonal housing. These are both vital contributors to the local economy and the well being of all residents, including long time locals and new arrivals.
I understand and appreciate the value of the cultural and environmental significance of this place. It is imperative that as we move forward that these values are protected and celebrated.
I look forward to serving the community and will do my best to make everyones voice heard.
Shawn Anderson
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, on whose traditional territories the District of Ucluelet operates. My name is Shawn Anderson and I will be starting my first term serving as a council member. I would have to begin by expressing my gratitude and thanks for the hard work and achievements accomplished by the current mayor and council over the last few difficult years.
For those who don’t know me; I have been coming to Ucluelet regularly for at least two decades, once or twice a month. My background is in Medical Genetics and was previously employed at Vancouver General Hospital (the Laboratory for Advanced Genome Analysis) as an Oncology Research Scientist for 15 years. About three years ago an opportunity to move to Ucluelet full time came up, where I could spend more time with my family and be in the place that we wished one day we could call home.
My wife Lindsey works in Real Estate Appraisal remotely and our son Wyatt has just entered Kindergarten. I am somewhat obsessed with the history of Ucluelet and how it came to have the character that makes it such a special place.
My reason for running for council is to offer my service and time to help maintain the vibrant, diverse, and exceptional community we have here. I’m hoping that despite my lack of political experience, I can leverage my background in team collaboration and translating a diversity of opinions and ideas into successful actions.
I know there are some serious challenges currently, and upcoming to our community –yet I’m very excited by the prospect of working on solutions together transparently, unbiased and with both integrity and understanding.
Thank you Ucluelet!