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Castlegar city council issues message to the community

“It’s more important than ever to come together and … ensure Castlegar is a great place to live.”
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Castlegar City Council at a pre-COVID meeting. File photo

Dear Castlegar residents,

We want to take the opportunity to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2021.

This past year has been difficult for our entire community and emotions are high amidst the global pandemic and the recent resignation of Mayor Bruno Tassone.

Following difficult times, it’s more important than ever to come together and continue working hard to ensure Castlegar is a great place to live.

In the past year, we achieved so much and we are proud of the city’s accomplishments. We want the community to know we are committed to delivering on our 2019-2023 Strategic Plan which we set after we were sworn in to work on behalf of Castlegar residents.

As a council, we’ve got some big things to do this year and we want you to have confidence that we will work together for you and our community. Some of the city’s larger tasks include hosting a by-election, completing Phase 2 of the Columbia Avenue Redevelopment Project, revisiting our long-term Official Community Plan, creating a Downtown Area Plan and Housing Strategy, celebrating the city’s 75th anniversary, and adding new features at Millennium park.

We thank outgoing Mayor, Bruno Tassone for his years of elected public service and would individually like to share these messages:

“As a new councillor, Bruno was very supportive and always allowed us to speak freely and was always available. He appointed me to the Recreation Commission and supported me in becoming chair. I want to thank Bruno for his support - he was always there for me.”

Councillor Bergen Price

“I am saddened by Mr. Tassone’s decision to resign from Castlegar City Council, it certainly was unforeseen to me. I would like to thank him for his dedication to the city while as an employee and his last 6 years on council. As mayor he always kept council abreast of what meetings and events that he attended and how the city could be impacted. I look forward to working with council to complete many of the goals we set out as the priorities during our term.”

Councillor Dan Rye

“I would like to thank Mr. Tassone for his 6 years of service on council. Council is committed to focus on our mandate we set out to achieve in our current term.”

Councillor Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff

“As we look towards the future and continuing the work we do for our citizens, I want to thank Mayor Tassone for his dedication to public service and passion for this city. His contributions to our community over the decades is admirable and leave a lasting legacy. Yes, we disagreed on some topics but we have also collaborated on tremendous successes. We have broken bread together and enjoyed good laughs. We are, at the end of the day, just citizens giving back to the community we love.”

Councillor Florio Vassilakakis

“Bruno was the first person to ask me how I was doing and if I needed anything when I got elected. He always encouraged me to share my point of view, even when we differed on it. He always made the time to hear any concern that I might have and I always felt like he truly listened. His passion and sacrifice for this community can not be denied. Thank you Bruno for giving Castlegar your best.”

Councillor Maria McFaddin

“Bruno was an exemplary councillor and mayor. He led in a kind, compassionate and caring manner. I really enjoyed our two years together on council and I thank him for being such a great role model. His vast knowledge of our city’s infrastructure helped lead the city to asset management plans and the infrastructure investment levy being implemented. These two things will ensure stability of our infrastructure for years to come.”

Councillor Cherryl MacLeod