As this article goes to print, it has been 13 years since I was first elected as Mayor for the Town of Creston. With certainty, I can say that being Mayor has been an amazing, educational experience. One of the things that I have come to appreciate the most during my “watch” is the ability for local government to receive grant funding from other levels of government (the Regional District, Provincial and Federal) as well as organizations such as Creston Community Forest, Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) – just to name a few! The Town of Creston also benefits from grants that the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) obtains for services that are managed through the RDCK such as Emergency Management. 

During my time as Mayor, the Creston Valley has been the fortunate recipient of over $24 million dollars in grant funding!  For a community of approximately 5,300 residents, this is quite significant.