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Mayor won't seek MLA seat

Sutherland to seek another term as mayor John French Chief Staff Writer Mayor Ian Sutherland has stepped away from plans to jump to provincial politics - for now. Sutherland was seriously thinking about seeking the B.C.

Sutherland to seek another term as mayor

John French

Chief Staff Writer

Mayor Ian Sutherland has stepped away from plans to jump to provincial politics - for now.

Sutherland was seriously thinking about seeking the B.C. Liberal nomination for the riding of West Vancouver-Garibaldi, but on Thursday morning (Oct. 28) he announced that he's staying where he is.

Word of Sutherland's intention to run provincially spread quickly after 25 people signed his nomination papers. The mayor told The Chief last week that he was "99.5 per cent sure" that he was going to submit papers to the party to enter the nomination race.

Sutherland said he considered taking a run at the seat currently held by Ted Nebbeling, who is not running again, after being encouraged by people from Whistler and Squamish and from within the Liberal party.

There were a few things that caused him to turn down the opportunity, he said.

"I want to finish what I started two years ago," Sutherland said. "I still have things to do here. After a lot of lot of soul searching I decided to stay."

Sutherland confirmed that in passing up the opportunity to run provincially, he intends to run for mayor again in next municipal election on Nov. 19, 2005.

"Squamish is a great place to be with a great council and a great community," said Sutherland.

As for his future in provincial or national politics, Sutherland wouldn't rule out eventually making the jump.

"You never say never but right now this is what I want to do and this is what I'm going to do," Sutherland said.

The only confirmed nominee for the Liberals in the riding is the former constituency association president, Joan McIntyre Pottinger. The founder of the polling company McIntyre & Mustel Research Associates currently resides in West Vancouver and lived in Lions Bay for 16 years. She also owns a condominium in Whistler.

She reported that Sutherland and one other person submitted letters this summer indicating that they intended to seek the West Vancouver-Garibaldi nomination.

"I'm quite surprised that nobody announced earlier that they were entering the race," she said.

In anticipation of a race, Pottinger said she took steps to make herself ready for a competitive run at the nomination.

"I've sold hundreds and hundreds of memberships and I have had excellent reaction to my candidacy," said Pottinger.

According to Pottinger, a West Vancouver resident who has a chartered accountant firm in downtown Vancouver was the other person indicating an intention to run. That individual does not have any previous connection with the West Vancouver-Garibaldi Liberal riding association.

No date is established yet for the Liberal nomination meeting in this riding. Pottinger and any other potential candidates will work to win the support of existing party members. On top of that, they will get their own supporters to sign up and then those supporters will go to the nomination meeting to vote for their candidate.

The next provincial election is legislated to take place on May 17, 2005.

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