Standing in the tranquil Japanese Ornamental Gardens in Penticton, Julius Bloomfield pitched himself to voters as a measured mayor.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters, Bloomfield, like incumbent Mayor John Vassilaki, was proud of his time on council and his accomplishments. He did also set himself apart from the other candidate in the race.
“I think over the past four years I’ve shown my style of politicking, which is to listen, to collect the data, to go over the data, to put some thought into our position and to come up with a solution that works rather than knee-jerk reactions which may or may not work,” said Bloomfield.
He spoke to some of the biggest issues that will be faced by the next term’s mayor. Crime and community safety, and how the next municipal council will work to tackle those issues with the higher levels of government.
“I think that a lot of the things that have been done so far have been just a Band-Aid on the problem,” said Bloomfield. “And what we’ve got now is we’re trying to implement measures that worked 15 to 20 years ago, and unfortunately are enacted at this time, not effectively.”
Bloomfield made no grand promises or new initiatives.
“I believe it’s vital over the next four years to have a steady hand at the helm. I think it’s important that these issues are dealt with in a calm, thoughtful and moderate manner.”
This will be Bloomfield’s second run at the mayor’s chair, after a close shot against Dan Ashton in 2011. During that election, Bloomfield received 34.67 per cent of the vote, or 2,978 votes, compared to Ashton’s 36.37 per cent and 3,124 votes.
Asked what he had learned from that race, he said that he had learned a lot in the 10 years since, including his term on city council, and that he was going to work harder.
So far, Bloomfield and Vassilaki are the only two who have filed their nomination papers to run for mayor.
READ MORE: Penticton mayor announces re-election bid
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
<>Don’t miss a single story and get them delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up today for the Penticton Western News Newsletter.
<>@PentictonNews
newstips@pentictonwesternnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
