MacDonald (Mac) Campbell will not only be running as a candidate for re-election on the Board of Trustees for School District 6, but will also be running as a candidate for Kimberley City Council.
Campbell says his many years of experience will serve him well as a City Councillor.
“I have substantial community, business and executive board experience,” said Campbell, whose career focus has been on research, analysis, finance and development.
Campbell’s education includes a BA in Economics and Math from MBA Western, along with attending the Corporate Finance Program at Harvard. He was born and raised in Calgary, AB and has lived in many other cities including Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal before selecting Kimberley as his home.
Campbell was a two-term elected Trustee on the Rocky Mountain SD6 Board of Education and is standing for re-election. In the region, he previously served as Chair for one year on the Transition Committee for the closing of the Sullivan Mine, Founding Chair of the Kootenay Rockies Regional Economic Alliance, and Director on the Board of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce for East Kootenay.
“I’ve been impressed with the solid constructive steps taken by successive Councils reacting to the announced closing of the mine and other significant economic events,” Campbell said, on why he is running for Council. “I believe my unique education, broad experience, research, analytical and people skills will be productive and appreciated complementary additions to City Council.”
Campbell pointed to Kimberley’s aging infrastructure, saying that when the mine closed the City received a lot of carry-forward costs from infrastructure that the current population simply can’t keep up with.
“Fortunately, we’re growing,” he said.
He believes that his experience as a Trustee for SD6 will help to move decisions forward in Council, specifically when it comes to sustainability, economic growth and development. Campbell says that Kimberley is growing and attracting young families who “need options”.
“Young families are choosing to live in Kimberley and they need options for affordable housing and education,” said Campbell. He pointed to the proposed International Education School, stating that he is in favour of it and would like to see it bring new money to Kimberley’s economy.
“I think a strong attractant for people moving to Kimberley is the quality of our school system and our international education program,” he said.
In terms of how he will achieve the goals of Council, Campbell says, “listening, observing, caring and analyzing are positive steps, in my view, to coming up with the positive solutions options for Council consideration and timely decisions.”