Former School District 57 chairperson and long-serving trustee Tim Bennett announced his candidacy for city council in a social media event this evening.
Bennett is the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern B.C. and has served as a school board trustee since 2011 – including four years as vice-chairperson and four years as chairperson. While the issues are different, Bennett said the city and school district are similar organizations in their size, budgets and complexity.
“Representing you as a trustee, board chair and on the provincial stage as a director and most recently vice president of the BC School Trustee Association has been a great honour and a responsibility I have taken very seriously,” Bennett said in a statement issued to the media. “I strongly believe in the power of public education and know that it plays a critical role in our society. As I enter my 12th school year, I have seen almost a generation of students through the system. Just as I have watched these students contemplate their next steps, as they move along different paths and careers, I have made the difficult decision that I, too, am ready to make a change. “
Bennett said he hopes to bring his inclusive style of leadership to city council.
“The way we govern in 2022 is not the way we governed in the past,” Bennett said. “We can build a strong Prince George, but it is going to take everyone working together. The city can’t do it alone.”
The social issues facing the downtown is one are where the city will need to forge partnerships with other agencies and levels of government to make meaningful change, he said.
Bennett said his top four priorities, if elected, would be: commitment, accountability and accessibility; building a sustainable Prince George for all; creating change together; and families and future generations.
As a father with a young family at home, he said he understand the issues facing families in the city, and wants to ensure that Prince George is a place where young people can grow up, stay and build a life. That means addressing issues ranging from parents trying to get their kids into swim lessons, up to the city’s lack of a nightlife for students attending UNBC and the College of New Caledonia.
“After looking at the realities and struggles faced by families and other community members over the past few years, I felt it was important to step forward and advocate for a collaborative and responsible way to build a stronger community,” Bennett said. “I love Prince George. I grew up here, and this is home for me, my wife and our four kids. Prince George is changing, and our city must adapt to address the needs of all citizens in 2022 and beyond.”
Bennett also said he’s committed to growing as a leader, being willing to hear the community and take ownership for his decisions, he said. He said he’s learned the lessons from the naming process for Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary School.
“That process… did not play out the way we originally hoped it would,” he said. “You’re not going to make the decisions all the time. My commitment is to do better today than I did yesterday, and better tomorrow than I did today.”
More information about Bennett’s campaign can be found online on his campaign website.
