VIDEO: Kelowna realtor Greg Dahms vows to deal with repeat offenders if elected to council

When Greg Dahms last ran for city council four years ago, he was the owner of the Kelowna SPCA Thrift Store.

He was forced to pivot during COVID and today he's working as a realtor, and he's back at it, campaigning for a second time.

As a realtor, he was there watching as prices headed to the stratosphere.

"Well, the market does what the market does," he admits. "We're now finally in a level market."

But at the same time, he believes city council plays an important role.

"We need to look at affordable housing, we need to look at new housing starts that are for rental," he said.

Topping his list of issues is crime and public safety.

"I get clients that will say Hey, you know what? I don't want to live in that community and I'll ask them why and they say, I have a friend that lives over there and they've had their place broken into three times."

Dahms said the so-called "catch and release" cycle has to stop.

"We're letting them back on the street and it's costing the taxpayer a huge amount," he said. "Not just their anxiety but also dollar figures for the taxpayer."

Still, he's not overly critical of the council he's seeking to join.

"Council has been doing a great job over the last four years with COVID and everything else," said Dahms.

"They've had to really work hard. But we have a lot more to do."

Dahms platform calls for a vibrant, sustainable, and safe city for everyone to enjoy, and he's been reaching out to citizens asking them what they would like to see.

"I've asked a lot of people in the community what their issues are, what they'd like to see changed," he said, "and I think I can be a great voice in city hall to help this community on the right path."

He promises to be vocal to try to bring about some positive change.

"I feel I could be a strong voice for the community," Dahms said.

To check out all of the candidates, visit KelownaVotes 2022.

Voting day is October 15.