BANFF – Banff council candidate Hugh Pettigrew won’t take a run for the mayor’s job following Stavros Karlos’ withdrawal from the race – unless the remaining mayoral candidate Brian Standish has no competition.
Pettigrew, who filed his nomination papers for the Oct. 18 municipal election in mid-August for a councillor’s seat, said he was shocked to hear of Karlos’ withdrawal from the mayoral race on Sept. 7 due to a severe concussion while mountain biking in British Columbia in July.
“I am staying the course, I am running for council, however I do hope for competition for the mayor’s job, and if not, everything can be rethought,” he said.
“It would be hard for me not to consider that, but I am hoping all the right players show up and that we have a really good election.”
Pettigrew had an unsuccessful run for mayor against then-incumbent Karen Sorensen in the 2017 municipal election. Sorensen won 56.1 per cent of the vote with with 1,223, votes, while Pettigrew secured 43.9 per cent of the vote with 958 votes.
The current mayor, Corrie DiManno, has yet to say whether she take a run for the mayor’s seat or councillor. She was elected by her peers in August after Sorensen was appointed to the Canadian Senate.
Standish filed his nomination papers for the mayor’s job in August.
Meanwhile, Pettigrew said he texted Karlos to wish him a speedy recovery upon hearing the news he had bowed out of the race.
“I was looking forward to hearing Stavros’ platform and ideas in the coming weeks,” he said.
“It’s a small town and we need to work together to get through the next few years and I am pretty sure Stav will continue to provide input into the process and I am looking forward to hearing that.”
Banff council candidates who have filed nomination papers to date include Jessia Arsenio, Allan Buckingham, Dana Humbert, Hugh Pettigrew, Shawn Rapley, Mark Walker and Lesley Young.
