There really is only one explanation for the rather extraordinary event that occurred Oct. 15 in Princeton.
After months of planning, nominating, campaigning, hundreds of questions, many promises and a few unnecessary dramas, there was an election.
And nothing changed.
Princeton has the same mayor and the same councillors. The regional Area H director is the same too, and the school board is as the-same as it could be, under the given circumstances.
Every single incumbent in three different votes was returned and it must be for this reason: People are mostly satisfied.
That’s a remarkable conclusion, when events of the past term are considered.
There were two years (and counting) of COVID. The pandemic made everything harder, for everyone, as government struggled to alter practices and implement protocols.
Locally, this was particularly challenging for the school board and its employees.
There were fires, which is not uncommon. However, deficiencies in some areas of provincial emergency management made them especially difficult to manage.
And there was the flood of November 2021, an unprecedented disaster that became a defining moment for leadership.
Lives were immediately endangered, homes were destroyed, transportation routes were crippled, and essential services like natural gas were severed. The water was undrinkable, the only grocery store was down to scraps and the municipality’s aging infrastructure was one bad day away from total collapse.
In other words, not your typical week for any town hall.
Much credit for the strength of the initial response, clean up and ongoing recovery, is due to recently re-elected Mayor Spencer Coyne and council, as well as their staff.
It’s impossible to foresee what Princeton will look like four years from now, what new challenges will arise and what solutions will be brought forward to meet them.
We’ve been in pretty good hands so far though – and the voters clearly agree.
– Similkameen Spotlight
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:andrea.demeer@similkameenspotlight.com
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