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Political hopefuls get election primer

Workshop to be held in Castlegar for those interested in running in West Kootenay municipal elections
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Thinking of running in the fall municipal election? If so, you may want to attend the workshop for potential candidates being held in Castlegar Monday, Aug. 27.

The four-hour workshop is being hosted by the cities of Castlegar, Nelson, Creston, Salmo, Rossland and Warfield at the Castlegar Community Forum, 445 — 13th Ave. starting at 4:30 p.m.

The workshop is described as a time to foster community engagement and candidate readiness in an entertaining, thought-provoking and engaging experience that will leave you more strategic in your voting and more intentional in your candidacy.

The promotional material puts it this way: “It is more than just scooping a headline or pounding a gavel. Like never before, we need relevant, authentic and forward-thinking leaders who understand the complexities of governing during times of uncertainty and change.

“We need leaders who are going to be proactive and intentional instead of reactive and accidental. If you are thinking of running for council or if you want to be wise with your hard fought vote, then you need to take this course. Run informed and vote intelligently.”

Some of the topics that will be addressed are:

The roles and responsibilities of local government

How do we attract and elect the best people for the job?

What to consider before running for office

How do we embrace leadership practices that promote long term sustainability for future generations.

The workshop speakers are Christina Benty and Caleb Moss.

Benty is the former mayor for the Town of Golden. She retired after having served 12 years in local government. She has over 16 years experience on numerous policy governance boards spanning from health care, government, information technology, and community planning. Benty was also a director on the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and President of the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments. She has a political science degree and a Masters of Arts in Leadership.

Moss holds a graduate degree in Leadership in Human Systems and has over 20 years of consulting practice. He is a three-term town councillor, owns a highly successful and award winning independent bookstore/café, and has been instrumental in transforming numerous organizational boards, businesses and local government cultures.



Betsy Kline

About the Author: Betsy Kline

After spending several years as a freelance writer for the Castlegar News, Betsy joined the editorial staff as a reporter in March of 2015. In 2020, she moved into the editor's position.
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