Basran vows to keep Kelowna moving forward and not step back to the past
Kelowna, BC – Supporters of Colin Basran spilled out onto Bernard Avenue as a crowd gathered to mark the official opening of his election campaign office in downtown Kelowna. Basran is running for Mayor of Kelowna in the 2014 civic election.
Basran made a special acknowledgement to his supporter and mentor Mayor Walter Gray, who Basran has served with on City Council for the past three years, and to the diverse crowd of supporters from across the political spectrum and from every corner of Kelowna.
“All of you being here sends a strong message that you want our City to build on the last three years of progress,” Basran told the crowd. “I am so proud to have been born and raised in Kelowna and to have been part of a team that has made Kelowna move forward. That is what we were elected to do.”
For Basran, the current race for Mayor offers citizens two very distinct choices: “do we move Kelowna forward or do we step back into the past?”
“Experience is one part of the equation, but you need to be innovative, have the energy and have clear decisive leadership.”
The night also marked the unveiling of the full platform for a connected community on his website colinbasranforkelowna.com.
Basran wants to encourage growth in town centres, providing a diversity of housing options that are open to all ages and all incomes, and connecting those town centres with transit and active transportation corridors. His prioritizes include development of housing at the Capri Centre Mall and revitalization of Centennial Park in Rutland. Basran serves on the Uptown Rutland Business Association.
Key to his economic approach is working with industry, UBC-O, Okanagan College, Interior Health and two higher level of government on projects like the new Innovation Centre and Interior Health buildings downtown.
“These are projects that create good paying jobs that are good for the environment,” said Basran. “People at those jobs are going to come downtown and see that things are happening and will want to live downtown too — that creates the vibrancy that this downtown needs to support our local business owners.”
The Basran campaign office is open now until Election Day on November 15 for citizens to share their ideas on moving Kelowna forward.
To follow Basran’s “Connecting Our Community” campaign, visit www.facebook.com/ColinBasran2014 on Facebook, @Basran on Twitter, or the campaign website www.colinbasranforkelowna.com.
Supporter Stavros Angelatos and Jason Richards join the crowd at Colin Basran campaign office opening in downtown Kelowna.