Bob Schewe wants to be Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 next mayor because, in his opinion, the current city council has taken Kelowna 乌鸦传媒渄own an unacceptable path.乌鸦传媒�

That path, he says, is the current 乌鸦传媒渙ffensive and unsafe乌鸦传媒� condition of the downtown, as well as other areas of the city.

乌鸦传媒淥ur parks, including many neighbourhood children乌鸦传媒檚 playgrounds, have turned into an uncivilized arena with associated transient presence and their activities,乌鸦传媒� said the retired former city bylaw officer.

He, like others seeking seeking seats on city council in the upcoming Oct. 20 civic election, has homed in on the downtown issue as a central plank for his platform.

乌鸦传媒淲e must pursue workable solutions for Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 complex issues of affordability, livability and safety for all residents,乌鸦传媒� said Schewe, who wants to see a tougher stance by the city when it comes to dealing with transients and drug users downtown.

乌鸦传媒淭hese are especially serious concerns for our vulnerable retired senior population.乌鸦传媒�

Schewe worked as a city bylaw officer for 12 years and said he has hands-on experience dealing with some of the issues and serious problems in the Kelowna and claims to know what does and does not work.

But, while the downtown issue may have prompted Schewe to run for mayor, it is not the only area where he said he wants to see changes at city hall.

He said Kelowna needs to slow down what he sees as a rush to become a big city 乌鸦传媒渁t any cost.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淢oderate growth and careful development has to be good for all our existing businesses and residents,乌鸦传媒� said Schewe, adding they must also bring prosperity for all.

Schewe describes himself as a fiscal conservative and 乌鸦传媒渟omewhat of a Libertarian,乌鸦传媒� and says he is concerned about how the city is spending money.

乌鸦传媒淲hen it comes to spending money乌鸦传媒攖axpayers money乌鸦传媒攚e must be prudent and scrutinize carefully all projects and services,乌鸦传媒� he said.

Currently, all development proposals are vetted by city planning staff before they are presented to council and council goes through all new spending line by line during its annual budget process. Prior to that requests for new spending are been reviewed by individual departments and senior city staff. Reviews of current and on-going programs are also reviewed.

In addition to his career as a bylaw officer, Schewe has worked as a renovation contractor, has been a landlord with several rental properties, worked for the regional district乌鸦传媒檚 dog control department and was a firefighter in Westbank in the mid-1990s.

He joins a mayoral race with three other confirmed candidates, including incumbent Colin Basran and challengers Bobby Kennedy and Joshua Hoggan. Former Kelowna Chamber of Commerce president Tom Dyas is expected to join the race Wednesday.

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