Written by Bruno Tassone
Well it has been almost one year since I retired from the City of Castlegar and started my new endeavor of being a City ofCastlegar Councilor. It has been an interesting year that has flown by.
Retirement has brought many changes to my life. Some of those changes have been good. I have gotten to spend more timewith my wife, my children and most especially my grandchildren. I have learned to value that time.
My year as a City Councilor has been an interesting change. There is a lot to learn, and I have read more in the past year than Idid in my 12 years of school and my life since. There are a lot more meetings to attend than I had been expecting. I havefound these meetings very interesting and informative, although there is a lot I am still trying to figure out. The politicalprotocol is another aspect that I am struggling with, being the odd man out, but I am confident that I am slowly getting thehang of it and I will continue to strive to be a great advocate for the City. My biggest fear is still public speaking but I amgetting more and more comfortable with this as my confidence in City issues increases.
My biggest surprise and enjoyment has been meeting other Councilors from other Communities near and far. It is reallyinteresting to find out that we all share similar concerns and issues. Learning how other Communities deal with these issues,strengthens my resolve that working together anything can be accomplished. We have a vast region of knowledge around usand I hope that we can strengthen those ties in ways that will benefit our City.
I feel that Council has made some very good decisions in the past year and as I am sure you are aware I have stronglydisagreed with others. I have learned that patience is a virtue, but I am not one for giving up. I stand strong in my belief thatwe have a great community for raising families, for building business, industry and tourism. I hope that I have been and willcontinue to be accessible to my fellow Castlegarians and I look forward to another 3 years.