Four of Kimberley’s council members received an official send-off at the most recent meeting, as they will not be returning to chambers.
Councillors Kyle Dalum, Kent Goodwin, Nigel Kitto and Darryl Oakley did not run for re-election to council and parted on good terms during their last meeting.
“We’re going to be losing quite a bit of experience from around the table. Councillors Goodwin and Oakly have served for three terms, councillor Kitto two terms and Dalum served one term,” said Mayor Don McCormick. “When you add up all those years of experience, it’s going to be quite a hole.”
Oakley will not be retiring from local politics entirely, as he was elected to be a school board trustee for the Rockey Mountain School District (SD6).
That said, two council members will stay on the team, as Sandra Roberts was elected for a third term and Jason McBain will be entering his second.
The mayor said the veteran council members served Kimberley well.
“Everybody comes from a different background, with a different set of experiences. It was quite diverse, actually,” said McCormick. “At the end of the day, everybody was behind what was in the best interest of the community and it didn’t really matter what their personal opinion was. That’s a really difficult thing to do, to be open to persuasive arguments from others around the table.”
McCormick added that while the city will say goodbye to some long-serving council members, he looks forward to working with the newest members.
“As difficult as it is to see those who are leaving move on, it’s also very exciting having four brand-new councillors at the table with a new set of experiences,” said McCormick. “It’s going to continue to make the best decisions for Kimberley, but it always is nice to have new ideas and comments at the table as well.”
Sue Cairns, Steven Royer, Woody Maguire and Kevin Dunnebacke will fill the vacant seats alongside incumbents Roberts and McBain.