Kelowna councillor Colin Basran announced today that he would be running for mayor.

(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

KELOWNA – First term councillor Colin Basran will run for mayor of Kelowna.

The news came during a press conference held today at Earl's rooftop patio overlooking downtown with Basran's wife and parents at his side.

“It’s been a nerve-wracking couple of days,” he says. “We are about to embark on an amazing journey over the coming months that could potentially elevate our city to a whole new level."

Basran was introduced by campaign chair Rick Pushor and one of the founders of Club Penguin Lane Merrifield.

“I’m truly honoured to be a part of this event,” Merrifield says. “The efforts of our current council and mayor have had a tremendously positive impact over the last three years. I believe with the right unity and the right leadership from the top we will be able to move the innovation and technology economy to the next level. This is just the beginning.”

Basran says part of the reason he decided to announce his candidacy this early is because of how well the tactic worked for him in the past.

“When I ran for council (in 2011), I was the first to announce my candidacy and the other reason is that if I’m going to run the campaign that I believe I need to in order to have a chance to become the next mayor I need to get the ball rolling and I really want to get started.”

Among those in attendance were business leaders, farmers, artists and teachers who turned out to show their support.

“People from every part of our community are represented here today,” he says. “You may not know it, but we are all connected…around a common hope. We all want to see a better tomorrow.”

Since Basran announced he was considering running as long as current mayor Walter Gray did not, there has been criticism suggesting Basran is too inexperienced, something the long-time Kelowna resident disputes.

“My potential political opponents, my detractors, are going to focus on the things that I’m not,” he says. “I can only control the things that I am and what I am is somebody who was born and raised in Kelowna and whose family has been around a long time. I’m a father of two young children and I want to have a great city for them to grow up in.”  

When asked what issues he would focus on, Basran said today was about making the initial announcement and that details of his plans would come out at a later date.

“I am still part of a team that has six months left in a mandate to move Kelowna forward,” he says. “I’m not going to get into specifics or lay out a platform today but there is a time and place to do that once we get closer to the election.”

The municipal election will take place November 15.

Basran was introduced by one of the Club Penguin founders Lane Merrifield.

(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)