Last year he said he wouldn’t run, in March he said he may consider it after all, but two months later and after 13 years on the board, Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) director Garry Nohr said he is bowing out, reverting to the original decision he made in 2017.
The Halfmoon Bay director said he had initially considered entering the ring for a fourth term if a nominee in his electoral area ran unopposed. So far, only one candidate has come forward: Lori Pratt, who is serving as chair of the Sunshine Coast School Board.
He said the decision not to run had “a little bit to do” with his wife, but also because of the four-year time commitment. “What happened is two or three people have come up to me and said they were interested; for whatever reason they’ve stepped aside,” said Nohr. “I wasn’t going to go on forever and I’ve decided for my own well-being I don’t think I could do another four years.”
He also said he is willing to step aside because he feels his major priority – seeing the Chapman Lake Expansion Project go through – “is very close.”
As the October local government elections approach, four of nine SCRD directors have announced they will not run, including Egmont/Pender Harbour director Frank Mauro, Roberts Creek director Mark Lebbell and Ian Winn, director for West Howe Sound and vice chair of the board, all of whom have voted in favour of the project.
“It is unusual,” said Nohr of the changeover. “That was one of the reasons I hung on a little bit, because I figured there should be one person in favour of the water movement.”
Nohr has been director for Halfmoon Bay since 2005, and served as chair of the board from 2011 to 2017.
