One week after District of Squamish Mayor Ian Sutherland declared he wouldn't seek re-election this November, Coun. Greg Gardner announced he's running for mayor. "I am excited about the prospect of leading the community at this exciting and challenging time," stated Gardner in a news release Tuesday (June 17). The announcement also comes one day after Coun. Raj Kahlon, who had considered running for mayor, announced he is retiring from politics (see related story page A3), although Gardner said he was unaware of Kahlon's decision until interviewed by The Chief.Gardner said he's committed to helping foster a better decision-making environment both in the community and among members of council - a group that's been criticized by residents and within its own ranks as challenged with working together. Gardner said he intends to accomplish this, in part, by increasing consultation with residents in town hall meetings."It's not enough in my opinion to hear once every three years at election time. It helps us makes decision based on what the community's desires are. And a lot of times we're prioritizing things, so we need to know what's important to the community and what's not so important. "The second reason why it's important, I think in many cases there's misunderstandings on behalf of the public because they don't have the information they need to understand what is happening in the district. So I think that we can do a better job of informing the public of what decisions are being made and why they're being made."Gardner said his management, education and community leadership experiences would make him "a strong representative of Squamish in dealings with third parties such as the provincial, federal and Squamish Nation governments, developers and other organizations." Gardner may also have learned a few things from his father Bud, who sat as councillor and mayor of Hope for more than 20 years."There are things I have learned from him with respect to how to deal with issues generally," said Gardner. "It's just of approach, of listening to the public, then making prudent decisions and I think really treating taxpayers' money with care and respect."Gardner said he chose to come to his decision and announce it now partly to avoid constant speculation in town, and to clear the air for others that may be thinking of running."There's been a lot of discussion in the community, I'm told, about whether or not I will be running for mayor," he said. "It seemed to me once [Mayor Sutherland] made that decision, there would again be a lot of discussion about November and I thought that made it important to make that decision public."Coun. Patricia Heintzman said she'll most likely make a decision at the end of the summer, saying she wants to ensure she can do the job adequately. "I definitely have to decide if I can continue doing the job I want to do with the amount of money I get paid."Heintzman said she hopes to see more people run for mayor."It just helps put issues on the table."Coun. Jeff McKenzie said last week he has yet to decide on his re-election, and was unavailable for comment this week. Councillors Mike Jensen and Corinne Lonsdale have already declared their intentions to run for council. Gardner holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and a law degree from UBC. He practiced law in Vancouver before moving to Squamish in 1994. Since that time he has owned and operated the automotive business, Greg Gardner GM.
