The general election is under a month away and there are 13 candidates vying for one of the six councillor seats in West Kelowna.

One of those candidates is Tom Groat, a former teacher from Lloydminster, Alta. Groat says he worked as teacher for about 30 years

Groat retired in 2013 from high school teaching and became an instructor at Lakeland College before he and his family made the move to West Kelowna in 2017.

Groat is the president of the Shannon Lake Neighbourhood Association, volunteers with Cycling Without Age, is a member of the Kelowna and Area Basketball Officials and is a shareholder at Shannon Lake Golf Course.

Photo Credit: Tom Groat

This will be Groat’s first run in municipal politics.

His campaign slogan, “A Welcoming Future,” focuses on fostering a strong community environment, improving transportation infrastructure, revitalizing the downtown core and creating an Affordable Housing Reserve Fund.

Some of those infrastructure projects would include improvements to vehicular, pedestrian, cycling and transit, Highway 97 congestion and wildfire emergency egress.

“West Kelowna is a collection of unique neighbourhoods, each with their own strong identity,” states Groat.

“Within the backdrop of a growing, vibrant city, it is important to find the common threads that will weave West Kelowna together. I have a strong desire to work with our city and its residents to identify these common threads.”

Residents of West Kelowna can learn more about Groat, and all the other candidates, at the all candidates forum being held at the Lions Hall on Oct. 2 from 1 pm to 3 pm.