On Nov. 7, the new Cache Creek council was sworn in at its inaugural meeting.
The meeting began with three members of the former council — councillors Wendy Coomber and Annette Pittman, who will not be returning, and returning councillor Sue Peters — at the table. Outgoing mayor Santo Talarico was not in attendance, while outgoing councillor Lisa Dafoe attended virtually due to illness.
Deputy mayor Sue Peters took the chair and invited Pittman and Peters to say a few words. Pittman had nothing to say, while Coomber said it had been her honour and pleasure to be able to serve the people of Cache Creek as a councillor for the last six years.
Peters called the last four years “interesting”, with a variety of ups and downs, from having no senior staff to COVID-19 to raging inflation to wildfires and floods. She added that Cache Creek had worked well with neighbouring First Nations and the villages of Ashcroft and Clinton, and said she hoped to see those relationships grow over the next four years.
She thanked Chief Administrative Officer Damian Couture and Chief Financial Officer Christina Martini for their patience, guidance, and knowledge, acknowledged office staff and public works for their input and hard work, and thanked the residents of Cache Creek for helping their neighbours and being involved.
Council members who have served for more than five years are given a gift, and the two qualifying people — Coomber and Dafoe — asked that in lieu of a gift, the money that would have been spent be donated to the Cache Creek Community Fund instead. The three outgoing councillors also received plaques.
After a brief recess, the new council — returning mayor John Ranta, Peters, returning councillor David Dubois, and new councillors Kelly Debert and Carmen Ranta — took their oaths of office.
Ranta thanked the previous council and staff for their four years of work, and welcomed the new council members. He noted that while council members run and are elected as individuals, it is important to build a team. “I believe we can do that; we’ve got a great council, and I’m looking forward to the next four years working with all of you.”
He said that three issues he heard a lot about during the campaign were the park, the pool, and tidiness in the community, and noted that everything he said was subject to the village’s financial constraints and to the will of council as a whole. “I did say to people that I would do my best to get the pool open for the long weekend in May in 2023. We’ll see how that works; I can’t do it by myself.
“Tidiness: I think we’ve seen the downtown core to a certain extent erode a little bit, and we need to tidy it up. I think we need to ensure that there are not unsightly premises in the highway corridor; that’s what people see when they come to the community, and I think we want to have the community reflect the pride I believe we all feel in our hearts.”
He added that he had also heard from residents about the recent tax and utility rate increases. “I would like to see us address some of those issues so we can at least stop the increases that have happened over the last four years, and if we’re able to identify reductions in spending, efficiencies in the community, we should be able to pay for getting the pool open, and I hope reduce utility costs and taxes.”
He stressed the need for better communication with the public, and encouraged residents to come forward with their questions or concerns: “We want to hear from you.”
Committee appointments were made, and Ranta was appointed to the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board.
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