Don Maroc

News Leader Pictorial

Although Mike Coleman is much too unpretentious and humble to suggest anything like it himself, the motto of his campaign to regain the Duncan mayor’s chair could be words written by another notable Canadian, Joni Mitchell: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”

Mike spent 20 years as mayor, and 10 years before that as councillor (or alderman as they were called then) for the City of Duncan which, though small in area and population, is the glue that pulls together the disparate parts of the Cowichan Valley.

According to Paul Douville, retired city administrator who spent 30 years working with Mike, “he really respects the human resources on his team.”

That trait resonates with the name given by the Kikuyu of Kenya when they adopted Mike as an elder of their nation, giving him the name meaning One Who Brings People Together.

Those who have, along with Mike, watched the growth of bitter feelings between the Duncan maintenance crews, senior staff and politicians during the past three years, want to return to the harmony of the years he and Douville spent in harness together.

Detractors say those were unspectacular times and they may have seemed that way because both Coleman and Douville believe the process of government goes ahead smoothly if you get good people working for you and treat them fairly, with respect and dignity.

With a nod to seniors who make up the backbone of Duncan’s population Coleman said if he is returned as mayor:

“We want to improve the quality of life for young people. We want to increase the livability of our city by promoting proper day care and affordable housing. This is a lifestyle vision, not a facilities vision.”

This awareness of the needs of young families may be the result of having his son Jamie join his law firm.

“We have the equivalent of a Mediterranean climate and should take advantage of it,” Coleman said, emphasizing that we need a Farmers’ Market that is central and one not two. He will do everything possible to make the weekly market in downtown Duncan the envy of all Vancouver Island.

“People of this community want a rural lifestyle,” he noted, “we want our Farmers’ Market to reflect the flavour of this valley and to tie in with our promotion of tourism.”

In the long term he wants to enable a unified Farmers’ Market to have a building large enough to run a year-round market

Conscious of the growing need for local food security, Coleman wants to make sure Duncan’s bylaws support the expansion of urban agriculture, both on private property and any spaces owned by the city.

Even weighed on the scale of crass political advantage Coleman’s leadership days with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities means he has the connections to get things done for the City of Duncan.

Got a tip or a comment? E-mail me at maroc@islandnet.com

Response from the right

Don paints an intriguing picture of how much Duncan needs Mike Coleman.

We must remember, however, that Duncan had the advantage of the combination of Coleman and Paul Douville.

Will Coleman, by himself, re-create the performance Don attributes to him?

— Patrick Hrushowy. Read Hrushowy’s From the right Saturdays in the News Leader Pictorial.