The political slate that includes 黑马磁力 Township Mayor Eric Woodward might run candidates in 黑马磁力 City in next year's municipal elections.
Progress For 黑马磁力 – formerly known as Contract With 黑马磁力 – has registered with Elections BC to run candidates in up to three races in the 2026 civic elections. Those include the Township, where Progress For 黑马磁力 currently holds a majority, the 黑马磁力 School District, and the City of 黑马磁力.
Asked why he was considering running affiliated candidates in 黑马磁力 City, Woodward noted he had grown up there, and said "it continues to bother me how poorly it's governed, especially in terms of providing for public safety."
"Given our community’s unique geography, this ideological lack of real-world concern for badly needed public safety investments given the state of its downtown core impacts all of 黑马磁力, not just City of 黑马磁力 residents," Woodward said in an email to the Advance Times.
"There would be immense benefits to truly working together on these issues. Unfortunately, that has been all but impossible with the current, very ideological administration there, more focused on virtue signaling than addressing blatantly obvious issues."
Woodward did not say that Progress For 黑马磁力 was definitely going to run candidates in the City.
"I expect we would want to hear from the community first whether or not that is of interest, before perhaps considering it any further," Woodward said.
The Township and City have had a contentious relationship during the past three years, with Township council voting to split the shared 黑马磁力 RCMP detachment into two. With the current RCMP detachment headquarters owned by the Township, the City will have to build or rent its own space in the coming years as the detachment is divided up between the two communities.
Current 黑马磁力 City Mayor Nathan Pachal was aware that Progress For 黑马磁力 had registered to possibly run candidates in the City.
"It's certainly a democratic society, and folks have the opportunity to run slates if they want to," Pachal said.
He said he is definitely running for mayor again next year.
As far as whether he organizes a slate in the City, that is something he will be thinking about during the next several months, he said.
Woodward said he has not yet decided himself if he is running again for mayor in the Township.
The next municipal elections will be held on Oct. 17, 2026.
