Skip to content

Former Lantzville councillor wants to return to the table

Former three-term councillor Doug Parkhurst wants to rejoin Lantzville council
13894527_web1_181011-NBU-accountant-Parkhurst-wants-to-rejoin-Lantzville-council_1
Former Lantzville councillor Doug Parkhurst wants to return to the district council chamber. Photo submitted

A former Lantzville councillor wants to return to the district council chamber.

Doug Parkhurst, an accountant, has decided to run for a seat on Lantzville council. Parkhurst, a former three-term Lantzville councillor who served between 2003 and 2011, will be competing against nine other individuals in this month’s municipal election.

“I am very familiar with how municipalities work, because I am not just a councillor, I actually audit municipalities,” Parkhurst told the News Bulletin. “I understand how municipalities work, I understand the process of decision making and I have experience of working in a team, which is council, and arriving at a decision that benefits the community.”

Parkhurst, who also ran in the 2014 municipal election, said he decided to run again because he believes Lantzville has an opportunity to start fresh.

“We have a chance to approach Lantzville with a clean state and there a lot of opportunities … I want to help contribute towards seeing Lantzville grow in a manner that it wants to grow,” he said.

Priorities for Parkhurst include the implementation of the official community plan, ensuring water distribution throughout the community, improvement of the village core and adding more trails.

“It’s time to get back to the business of making Lantzville a better place to live,” Parkhurst said.

On the issue of water, Parkhurst said areas that need water should get it. He said one challenge will be the cost of building a water pipeline to areas like Clark Road, adding that he would be open to working with developers and exploring grants to make that happen.

“We need to find ways to get those kinds of people water over the long term,” he said. “We should be trying to get water to those people who want it and need it. There are areas … such as Blackjack where there are people who have wells that run dry.”

Parkhurst, who owns an accounting firm that is located beside Lantzville’s district hall, said the village core is in need of a “refresh” and more businesses and could be far more walkable.

“Everything in here is from the ‘60s and ‘70s and it looks it,” he said. “We have an area that is not pedestrian-friendly. It’s an area that we’ve lost certain businesses and services over time and it is time to create that environment where we draw the people of Lantzville back into the village and we draw businesses that they would like to use back to the village.”

Parkhurst said he would like to see more trails and walking areas added in the community over time.

“One of the last things we did was build the E&N connector trail and … I’d like to find other experiences like that or other parts of the trail system that we can look at building,” he said.

Parkhurst also said he believes people want to see a Lantzville council that can work together, adding that he knows the importance of working with people and the duties of an elected representative.

“I also understand, certainly, what it takes in terms of the workload,” he said.

To read interviews with other local government election candidates, click here.





nicholas.pescod@nanaimobulletin.com 
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram