Do you recognize him?

Young and hopeful – probably the youngest mayor elected in Penticton.

Hopeful for a second term.

(That is tough – no matter how popular in Penticton it is hard to get re-elected as a Mayor and sometime even a council member.)

Based on stories on the street – maybe no one from the present current council will be re-elected.  “That would be sad for one reason – “stability”  the word used  by Mayor Andrew Jakubeit to me this afternoon on the phone.

He wants to be re-elected and despite mistakes made – believes he is in the best position to lead a Penticton council into the future:

1. so many present councilors throwing in the towel or not stepping forward
2. Penticton’s history of “kick out the incumbents”.

Now to be fair – the electoral process will begin in late August/early September before candidates surface and reveal their intentions.

Jakubeit says he is proud of his leadership in 4 years and the policies and decisions made by council  – but admits not all hit the mark with the public.
Controversy  surrounded a private proposal from a developer for land adjacent to Skaha Park that that did not sit well with the citizens.

But he says it’s a learning curve for any new mayor or new council and all should be given a chance to move forward with the experience gained.

Jakubeit: ” I hope there is lots of new comers into this election process with unique ideas when attemptint to get elected. ” at the same time – ” I hope the incumbents with all that experience stand again for re-election.”