Cavers seeking city council seat

DONOVAN CAVERS: From a federal-election campaign to a civic race.

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Donovan Cavers has set his political sights on city hall.

The former federal Green party candidate will run for a seat on city council, continuing the flurry of recent announcements by non-incumbents.

Cavers said he made the decision to run locally some time ago.

But, he had to delay his announcement when he was asked to step in and represent the Green Party of Canada in the spring federal election when original candidate Kevin Ortner quit.

Cavers owns Conscientious Catering, which won a 2010 Chamber of Commerce Business Award and has been nominated for an award again this year.

As a business owner, Cavers said, he recognizes small businesses are the stable core of the Kamloops economy.

As a councillor, Cavers said he will focus on encouraging and supporting innovative, local businesses, in particular the expanding tourism sector.

When Cavers ran for the Greens in the past two federal elections, he said he did so primarily to include certain perspectives in the federal debate and was aware that he had little chance of winning a seat.

However, Cavers said he is running in November’s civic election to win and occupy one of the nine seats in the city council chamber.

Cavers has long advocated for the diversification of transportation options in Kamloops and, in early February, made a presentation at the city’s annual public budget hearing.

Cavers said his ability to attract widespread public involvement in civic matters is an important asset.

He views quality-of-life projects as vital components of a healthy city and has vowed to ensure initiatives such as Music in the Park and Project X Theatre receive adequate, on-going funding.

Cavers noted his grandfather, Henry Grube, was a longtime school trustee and respected for his work ethic and focus on education — something Cavers feels has influenced his community involvement.

He is active in a wide range of organizations, including the Bike to Work Week committee, the Kamloops chapter of the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association, Kamloops Food Policy Council, Transit Riders Union and Network of Kamloops (TRUNK), Thompson-Shuswap Chef Farmer Collaborative and the Kamloops Farmers’ Market Society.

Cavers joins Arjun Singh, Ray Nyuli, Nelly Dever, Bryce Eberle and Andy Philpot as challengers to the incumbents.