While the nomination period for the 2014 Prince Rupert Municipal Election won't begin until the end of September, two candidates have already announced their intentions to run for the mayoral position.
Prince Rupert Mayor Jack Mussallem was early to declare he will be seeking re-election, publishing an ad in the Northern View in May, with Rupertite Lee Brain publicizing his campaign for the mayoral seat in June.
Mussallem has a decade of experience as mayor, holding the position since 2009 after his first term in the mid-'90s. Throughout the duration of his nearly 30 years in local government, Mussallem spent 19 years at the executive management level. His experience consists of involvement with five local governments, along with various committees, boards and societies including the Board of Trustees of the Municipal Finance Authority of B.C., the Board of Directors of the Western Transportation Advisory Council, the Coastal Community Network, the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District and the WESCAPP/Fisheries Legacy Trust.
A member of a pioneer family, Mussallem has worked in the fishing, forestry and marine towing industries while in Prince Rupert.
While Brain has not been elected for a local government position previously, while enrolled in the Dialogue program at Simon Fraser University he worked with Vancouver's city council in a mentorship role learning the logistics of managing city affairs. Brain also studied Developmental Psychology, Sustainable Community Economic Development at SFU, and has more than five years of professional facilitation experience and training, and experience in conflict resolution and mediation.
Brain is a fourth-generation Rupertite, and while in the community has been a youth program and activities coordinator, small businesses owner and network systems analyst for the Prince Rupert School District.
City councillor candidates have not made their intentions to run public as of yet.
The Prince Rupert Municipal Election will take place on Saturday, Nov. 15.