OLIVER PAIPOONGE - Rick Potter has returned to the Oliver Paipoonge municipal council after a more than 20-year hiatus.
"I'm fulfilling a vacancy created when Alana Bishop left. She had to resign because she moved back to the city, so she was no longer a resident of Oliver Paipoonge," said Potter.
"Alana did a great job. It's my pleasure to try and fill her shoes."
Potter, who has frequently been at odds with this council, over proposed subdivisions and the amalgamation of Oliver Paipoonge with Conmee says he wants to work with this council and to collaboratively bring a new perspective to some issues.
"I'm looking forward to a really positive working relationship. I respect everyone on that council. I have differed in the past, certainly with some of the calls, but that doesn't mean I hold anything against them," said Potter.
"They're professional people trying to do the best for their community, and I think in the democratic process, if someone has strong beliefs, as I did against the amalgamation for example, that they should, and it's a responsibility to express those beliefs."
Councillor Potter will fill the vacancy until the next municipal election in October and says that it will be a great test period to wet his feet to see if he wants to make a commitment in the fall and run again.
