Talk is cheap, sound bites don’t mean anything and experience and leadership are what counts when it comes to running an effective and progressive City, says incumbent Mayor Andrew Jakubeit.

Jakubeit has called Penticton home with his wife for the past 27 years, where they have raised two children and are proud grandparents of one grandchild.

His experience over the past 10 years on City Council, including the past four as Mayor, can’t be ignored, said Jakubeit, who is also a former president of the board with the Downtown Penticton Association, where he helped spearhead the beginning of the downtown community market.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in the last 10 years, but the funny part about politics is you’re only as good as your last vote,” he said. “The minute you support or don’t support an issue somebody is passionate about, everything you’ve done or voted on in the past is forgotten.”

Photo Credit: NowMediaPhoto Credit: NowMedia Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit says his experience and leadership during the past four years as Mayor and past 10 on Penticton Council make him the clear choice to win the mayoral race heading into the Oct. 20 municipal election.

However, leadership is not about telling people about what they want to hear, but “is based on making decisions based on the good of the many, rather than the few or the loudest.

“Leadership is working through challenges and making the community better through that experience.”

Jakubeit acknowledges that his role in the Skaha Lake Park water slide controversy was easily his biggest mistake and regret over the past four years.

“We didn’t just say we will do better next time,” he said. “We created a parks use and protection policy, updated the parks dedication bylaw and started a new parks committee.

“We have dramatically shifted the way we engage and include the community in the decisions that will shape the future of our City. Your voice is now the foundation of the decisions we make.”

When the South Okanagan Events Centre opened 10 years ago, it also had a “rocky start” and was mired in controversy, however, it has become one of the community’s most prized and irreplaceable assets, he said.

“If you look at any successful business, in spite of the success, they still have challenges,” he said. “When they struggle, they improve their systems, processes, technology and work hard to understand the needs of their customers.

“Council is no different. There’s no manual. It’s learned experience and it can be deeply personal as the decisions we make impact people’s daily lives. Sometimes they leave happy and at times, disappointed.”

Photo Credit: NowMediaPenticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit (centre) participated in a debate earlier this week against top challengers Jason Cox (left) and former Penticton councillor and well-known business owner John Vassilaki.

If he and members of Council are doing their job right, any final decision on important issues made should be clear, trusted and meaningful, he said.

“This is something we’ve worked hard to improve on,” he said.

An assertion by challenger Jason Cox during another all-candidates forum last week that the current Council remains engaged in back room deals, nepotism and “constantly moving goalposts”, is unfair and untrue, said Jakubeit.

Such assertions denigrate the good work done by staff and Council, he said.

“You need the consensus of Council to create the policy and staff implements it,” he said. “Council and staff are bound by the Community Charter to operate within strict rules and in a transparent manner. I was disheartened to hear him dismiss the importance of Council and question staff’s work ethic, integrity and professionalism.”

Photo Credit: NowMedia

It’s the same members of City staff who are repairing water main breaks in freezing cold temperatures in the middle of the night, ensuring power stays on, toilets can flush when an emergency arises, water is safe to drink and parks are pristine and beautiful, he said.

“I’m proud of our staff and the work they do,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a better team in place than we do today.”

It’s very common for political neophytes to engage in hyperbole and political rhetoric about lowering taxes, cleaning up crime, holding people accountable for mistakes and doing more with less, he said.

“When challenged … you usually get a vague answer or I’m a quick learner or I will just make things happen, trust me,” he said. “It’s easy to offer soundbites without substance. Neither candidate (main challengers Cox and John Vassilaki) has any context about the reality of leading Council because they’re watching from the sidelines.

“I can tell you it’s not as simple as you might think. It’s complicated, it’s slow moving and it involves several levels of government, social complexities and market economies.”

Photo Credit: Facebook Andrew Jakubeit

Vassilaki has been successful in business, but he’s “never had to answer to anybody” and that’s not the case running a City, he said.

Council can only be successful when a leader accesses and respects the opinions, life experience and passion of his fellow elected officials, he said.

“The Mayor does not pick the Council, you do,” he said. “So you need someone who has demonstrated bringing people together and finding some common ground.”

Under his leadership, Penticton has seen its tourism industry skyrocket and he’s convinced that by working with social and faith-based agencies, senior government and other community leaders that the current issues relating to homelessness, addiction and crime can be successfully tackled, he said.

There will be a “steep learning curve” with at least three new members being elected to Council on Oct. 20, “so having some stability and consistency will be critically important.”

Jakubeit said he’s clearly the best man for the job and he wants to continue good work done by Council over the past four years.

“You have a choice to make,” he said. “Put your money on someone who has grown significantly over the past 10 years and is best positioned to leverage the current momentum and optimism or roll the dice and start all over again.

“I bring fair, balanced and reasoned leadership and I’m asking for your support.”