Another former West Kelowna city councilor will try to win his seat back this fall.
Bryden Winsby was on council from 2008 to 2018, winning election three times before losing his seat along with two other incumbents.
“I enjoyed it, I liked the work. I’m hardly the consummate politician but I liked the give-and-take and the cut-and-thrust. The debate around the table is really what I enjoy, as opposed to getting out and about with photo-ops and all that business,” Winsby said Monday.
Winsby, a long-time local newspaper man, was involved with a Westbank incorporation study in the early ’90s. Voters rejected at the time creating a new municipality but in 2007 they voted for incorporation rather than joining the City of Kelowna.
Given his three terms of office, Winsby said he was surprised to have fared as poorly as he did in the 2018 election. He finished five spots out of a council slot; fellow incumbents Rusty Ensign and Rosalind Neis were also defeated.
“The result of the last election wasn’t too gratifying. I was quite surprised that they spanked me as badly as they did,” he said.
Asked what his priorities would be for the next four years if elected, Winsby cited working to improve traffic flow on approaches leading to the WR Bennett bridge. “This summer probably has been the worst in terms of traffic, long lineups for no particular reason other than it’s a choke point,” he said.
He would also encourage smart growth where residential densities in established neighborhoods such as Lakeview Heights increase in a way that’s acceptable to existing residents.
“I think I can bring experience and common sense to council,” Winsby said. “The learning curve isn’t as steep as it is for eager beginners.”
Ensign is also trying for a political comeback this fall. Neis has moved away from West Kelowna.
