IN THE RUNNING | Two more candidates announce plans for Vernon city council [A7]
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Mund taking aim at mayor’s chair RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
Community involvement is important to Akbal Mund and he says the next logical step is entering politics. The 54-year-old announced Thursday that he will let his name stand for Vernon mayor Nov. 15. “I want to help out more people than I have through all of the other activities I’ve done,” he said. A previous owner of the local Wendy’s franchise, Mund was president of the Greater Vernon 2012 B.C. Winter Games, cofounder of Wendy’s Dreamlift Day, president of the North Okanagan Sports Society and president of the Vernon Soccer Association. “I’m strong at leadership,” said Mund, who has lived in Vernon since 1993 and was named Citizen of the Year in 2012. “I understand the people of Vernon as I have been involved in numerous cultural and sports fundraisers and events since I moved here.” A primary focus for Mund, if elected mayor, would be improving economic conditions.
LISA VANDERVELDE/MORNING STAR
Akbal Mund announces he is running for mayor of Vernon Thursday at Hillview Golf Course. “There needs to be an industrial park somewhere and downtown needs buildings taller than four stories, perhaps with housing on top,” he said. He also wants to see more
emphasis on sports and culture and enhancing key infrastructure. “I have a long-term vision for the city, one where my grandchildren can enjoy the community by residing here, not elsewhere,
because we have all of the amenities they require for a healthy and prosperous life.” But while he says the city must meet the public’s needs when it comes to services, financial
responsibility is required. “We have to look at how to create a surplus so we don’t have to raise taxes every year,” he said. “We will run the city like a business and create a healthy tax base so that in the future, we can look at the possibility of lowering tax rates.” While some residents have pushed for amalgamation of Greater Vernon’s jurisdictions, Mund says regional governance is not part of his agenda. “I will focus my thoughts on Vernon. People need to decide what they want to do. Other communities need to decide what they want to do with governance,” he said. There are four other candidates for mayor — Victor Cumming, Jamie Morrow, Mary-Jo O’Keefe and Klaus Tribes — but Mund believes that is a positive. “If there are five different people with five different walks of life, people have a choice,” he said of voters. “I hope voter turnout comes out and people can make a decision that is best for Vernon.”
Fundraiser takes hit from thief ROGER KNOX Morning Star Staff
LISA VANDERVELDE/MORNING STAR
Jim Tennant, Save-On Foods manager, reels up a food donation with a smile despite the rainy weather Wednesday on top of the store at the Village Green Centre.
Jim Tennant suffered a small setback in his efforts to do something good for the community. The Save-On-Foods manager, who has been camped on the roof of his store at the Village Green Centre since Sept. 19 to raise money and food for the Salvation Army Food Bank, was the victim of crime Tuesday. Somebody stole his Salvation Army kettle where he was accepting financial donations. “It kind of sucked, but somebody cut the cord,” said a disappointed Tennant
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Wednesday morning. “I don’t even know when it happened. I didn’t hear anything. We even had the Salvation Army bells on the kettle and I didn’t hear anything. It was a nice, clean cut on the rope and it’s gone.” The kettle hangs from a rope and Tennant said he would pull up the kettle at around 5 or 6 p.m. each day to empty it. He ate dinner a little later than usual Tuesday and, after dinner, when he went to pull up the kettle, all he got was the rope. “I never wanted it hanging over the end with too much money, so I’m guessing there was maybe $100 in it,”
he said. “Losing the kettle and bells from the Salvation Army, along with the money for the food bank, it’s all bad.” H o w e v e r, only Wednesday’s rain was dampening Tennant’s spirits. While the theft hurt, he hopes something positive comes out of it. “I hope whoever did it wakes up this morning, and maybe it’ll be a turning point in their life,” said Tennant. “I hope they realize they stole from the food bank and from somebody trying to do something good in their community and, who knows, maybe they’ll turn their lives around and go, ‘You know what? I
don’t want to live like that anymore’ and make a change in their life. I have to try and hope for something positive to come out of it.” Something positive did come later Wednesday from the Vernon Rotary Club, which donated $1,000 after hearing the kettle had been taken. “That was awesome,” said Tennant. “Jack (Peters) brought it up at their meeting and everybody wanted to get on board to help out.” Tennant hopes to stay on the roof long enough to raise 25,000 pounds of food. As of noon Thursday, he was at 12,000 pounds.
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