Former Comox councillor Tom Grant will run for a seat on Courtenay city council in the upcoming municipal election.
The following is his statement:
On Sept. 4, I will file my nomination papers at Courtenay City Hall for the position of councillor.
I feel my background in business and civic leadership makes me an ideal candidate to lead Courtenay now and into the future.
For the past 30 years, I have lived in the Comox Valley and have been active in many areas that have helped make Courtenay and the Valley the beautiful place that it is.
Having served four terms as a Councillor in the Town of Comox, I have been active in municipal politics for many years.
I am one of only 51 politicians out of 1,300 in the province to obtain a Level 2 certificate from the local Government Leadership Academy.
I served as the first vice-chair of the newly formed Comox Valley Airport Commission back in 1996, and along with Dave Mellin, signed the letters Patent for CVAC making it truly a community-owned airport.
As a member and former president of the Comox Rotary Club, I have been involved in many community initiatives, including working every Canada Day for the past 25 years on the fabulous Ducky 500 Race at Lewis Park.
In 2007, I chaired the Courtenay Mayor’s Task Force on “Breaking the Cycle on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions.” Following up on the work of the task force, I co-founded Dawn to Dawn: Action on Homelessness and continue to serve on the board today. To date, we have housed more than 100 members of the community. In 2012, I was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II, Diamond Jubilee Medal for my work and dedication to helping the homeless.
I have been a long time businessman here in the Valley, always with an eye on the bottom line. My four core priorities for Courtenay include: spending and taxes, affordable and accessible housing, infrastructure, and traffic concerns.
Please visit my website (coming soon) at www.electTomgrant.com for more info or send your questions to me at: tomfgrant@hotmail.com.