Bloomfield challenging for mayor’s job
Voters seeking a more progressive vision for Penticton should elect Julius Bloomfield as mayor, the candidate told supporters Tuesday during his official campaign launch.
Bloomfield, a local realtor who described his current term as a city councillor as a “four-year apprenticeship,” is the second declared candidate for mayor in the Oct. 15 municipal election, following incumbent John Vassilaki’s announcement last week.
“I appreciate John. I appreciate the service he’s given to the community. I get along well with John, but there are issues that we have differences of opinion on,” said Bloomfield.
“I have a different, and perhaps more progressive, vision as to what the future of Penticton looks like.”
Bloomfield, who delivered his remarks in front of about 50 people at the Japanese Gardens, said that vision extends through social, economic and development issues, with community safety as one of his priorities.
“I think a lot of the things that have been done so far have been just a Band-Aid on the problem. To deal with the problem, you have to get to the root issues,” he said, citing modern street drugs, “which are far, far different to the drugs we saw on the street 15 to 20 years ago,” as one of those root issues.
And on the development front, Bloomfield said he supports for urban infill, provided it’s done thoughtfully.
“I’ve been particularly critical of developers and architects that have brought development plans to us at the city that have not been mindful of what the quality of life is going to be for the residents,” he noted.
Bloomfield, who promised a “calm, thoughtful and moderate approach,” to the issues of the day, offered no signature campaign pledges, but rather steady progress.
“It’s about dealing with the situations, dealing with what comes across the table, it’s about pushing forward on the North Gateway redevelopment of that area, but it’s also about concentrating on what makes Penticton a great place to live,” he said.
Three other sitting councillors – Frank Regehr, Judy Sentes and Campbell Watt – were in attendance Tuesday. Sentes and Watt also attended Vassilaki’s launch, while Watt’s signature appears on Bloomfield’s nomination papers.
Bloomfield emigrated from England to the South Okanagan in 1988 and has worked in the real estate business since then.
A former deputy leader of the Green Party of B.C., Bloomfield in 2011 squared off against four others in the Penticton mayoral campaign and finished just 148 votes behind winner Dan Ashton.
Bloomfield, who’s known for his environmental bent, lives in an off-the-grid, strawbale house in Naramata.