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Penticton’s new Mayor John Vassilaki promised the newly-elected Penticton Council will be approachable, visible and transparent over the next four years.
With a crowd of about 200 local residents looking on, Vassilaki, a former Penticton councillor for 12 years, was sworn in and handed the Chain of Office during an inauguration ceremony Tuesday evening at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre.
Vassilaki was joined at the inauguration by returning Councillors Judy Sentes and Campbell Watt, former mayor and councillor Jake Kimberley, former councillor Katie Robinson, and newcomers Julius Bloomfield and Frank Regehr.
Provincial court judge Gregory Koturbash led the swearing in ceremony minutes after a colour guard made up of members of the Penticton Fire Department and RCMP paraded in Vassilaki and the new Council.
Koturbash got a big laugh when he commented the new Council has "been given a four-year sentence with no parole."
Admitting he was nervous in his first official act as Mayor, Vassilaki said he’s looking forward to leading this new Council over the next four years.
“I would like to start by thanking the citizens of Penticton for their overwhelming vote of confidence,” said Vassilaki, leading off his inaugural address. “I am truly honoured and humbled to be elected as your Mayor.”
He thanked his “incredible team of volunteers and especially my loving family” for all of their hard work and support over the election campaign.
Vassilaki thanked outgoing mayor Andrew Jakubeit for his dedicated service over the last term and his 10 years in total on Council.
Vassilaki congratulated the six Councillors who were successful in the Oct. 20 municipal election and said he’s looking forward to working with them over the next four years.
He wants members of the new Council to be “visible and approachable at all time” to the electorate moving forward, said Vassilaki. “I want us all to engage the community. It is part of our role … all seven of us have to be out there having ongoing conversations and I’m very committed to this.”
Vassilaki said one of his first moves as Mayor will be to eliminate the controversial medical benefits approved by the last Council.
“I do believe in fair wages and being competitive … but the process was not transparent,” he said. “I will propose that we immediately remove the benefit package and refer future compensations to an unbiased committee.”
Vassilaki said he values leadership and respect and will demand respect from fellow Council members, staff and himself when dealing with Council matters.
“Only then will we continue to earn the respect of the community,” he said.
He will also recommend new committees be formed to address key concerns such as community safety, seniors and arts and culture, said Vassilaki.
He will also focus on the City’s capital budget to address the community’s long-term needs and ensure the Official Community Plan being the blueprint moving forward.
“We can influence where and what gets built,” he said.
The new Council must learn from the past and not repeat mistakes, he said.
“What are we doing right and what is not working,” he said. “We need to ask the hard questions. What can we do differently. What are our best practices. What can we learn from other communities?”
He also promised to work with regional partners to increase community prosperity in Penticton, he said.
“Partnerships will make us more competitive viewing the bigger picture and creating win-win scenarios,” he said. “We will establish good-paying careers for our families.”
Vassilaki said he would also like to work co-operatively with the Penticton Indian Band Development Corporation (PIBDC) to create prosperity for PIB members and Penticton residents.
He has already met with PIBDC Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Baynes and he’s committed to continuing conversations to create parternships, he said.
Community housing and affordable housing will remain top priorities in the coming months and he’s encouraged Penticton is currently building dozens of housing units for low-income and homeless residents, he said.
Establishing community policing programs that are recognized as the best in the province is another major goal, he said.
“At the end of the day, it will be up to us to determine what we will or won’t tolerate in our hometown,” he said.
He ended his speech promising to be a “reliable and trustworthy” leader.