Get To Know The Grand Forks City Council!

Brian was born in 1946 in the old Oliver Hospital. His father and grandfather were fruit packing house managers in the Okanagan Valley. Brian spent 35 years working with youth and handicapped children and adults.

He has operated a number of small businesses including publishing an international magazine. Brian was the Mayor of Grand Forks from 1997 to 1999 and has volunteered with many local non-profit organizations. He is currently the Mayor of Grand Forks and the City Representative to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary.

Brian has two girls and two grand children and enjoys entertaining seniors with his band.

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Councillor Gary Smith’s bio is coming soon!

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I was born in December 1954 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I moved several times but remained in the Yorkton area. My upbringing was in small town Saskatchewan and spent a lot of time on the family farm. I received my high school diploma in 1972, and worked underground at the potash mine in Esterhazy, Sask. I then had the opportunity to go to trade school in 1974, and enrolled at Kelsey Institute in Saskatoon for a plumbing apprenticeship. Over the next few years, I achieved Red Seal Journeyman status in Plumbing, Steamfitting/Pipefitting and Gasfitting Trades.

My family and I have been involved in several businesses over the years including a: restaurant/catering business; office equipment distribution business; auction/tool distribution business; and a Heating/Air Conditioning/Fireplace business which we operated for 23 years.

My family and I were fortunate to sell our business in 2002, and decided to head west for a new adventure. We initially moved to Kelowna where we built a new home in a Gated Community. I was privileged to sit on their Strata Council for two years. We came to realize that gated living was not for us and began a search for a less hectic place to live. We decided on Grand Forks and moved in 2005.

After arriving in Grand Forks, we started a small HVAC business. I am currently involved in golf, curling, ATVing and operating the business.

I am blessed with a lovely wife of 32 years, a daughter/son-in-law, and three grandsons.

We have come to love the Grand Forks area and the people, and hope to remain here for a long time.

I feel especially proud to have been elected to City Council and promise to work hard to move our community forward.

Sincerely,

Robert (Bob) Kendel

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Councillor Patrick O’Doherty’s bio is coming soon!

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Councillor Neil Krog’s bio is coming soon!

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I was born and raised in this wonderful small town back in 1981. Born into a culturally diverse family, I learned early on the importance of culture, beliefs and a strong value system. I attended John A. Hutton Elementary School and went on to Grand Forks Secondary where I graduated in 1999.

I left Grand Forks in 1999 to attend the University of British Columbia in Vancouver where I studied Urban Geography and Political Science. I must say that at 18 I was very keen on leaving Grand Forks for the “bigger and better” City, but realized not too long after arriving in Vancouver, that I had left the best City, where you were a “part” of a community, not an individual in a metropolitan area.

In 2003 I met my future wife, who was raised in Vancouver, and we decided that we should move to back to Grand Forks, where we felt we could give our children the best opportunities to succeed.

In 2007 we made the move and haven’t looked back. However, in the time I was gone, I realized Grand Forks had not looked forward, which was why I decided to run for public office. Grand Forks has a lot of potential and if you are reading this and are thinking about moving to the area, I strongly advise it. Grand Forks is a work in progress, but you can easily see that once it is steered in the right direction, it will become a masterpiece. Grand Forks has a mix of young and old, culture and diversity, urban amenities and most importantly – nature and green spaces- that which metropolitan areas cannot offer. Retirement, recreation, relaxation, a vacation… young families, old families, we can offer it all.

If you are on the fence about relocating to this part of the world, come and take a look, you will not be disappointed. If you want a tour guide, call me personally, I will be more than willing to point you in the right direction.

You will not find a more beautiful area in the world, I promise that. In Grand Forks, you are not an individual; you are a part of a community. In Grand Forks you have a voice; you are not forgotten.

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This is Cher Wyers’ first political position in municipal government after receiving a strong mandate in the 2008 election. She is currently into her third year as manager of the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce that has included the operation of the Grand Forks Visitor Centre and City Park Municipal Campground.

Outside public office, Cher has enjoyed a career in general aviation including managing a flight training facility at Boundary Bay Airport in the mid 90s. The lure of the academic aviation program offered by Coastal Pacific Aviation in Abbotsford provided the opportunity to work on behalf of Transport Canada as the authorized licensing person (AP) in flight operations. Past careers included customer service and management positions with Avis, Budget and Hertz Car Rentals, two of whom supported her vision in promoting commercial air service at the Grand Forks Municipal Airport from 1998 to 2004. A background in accounting has given her the ability to manage small businesses and non-profit organizations on marginal budgets.

She has served many years as a community volunteer, particularly with the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, the Spirit of BC Community Committee program as local Chair, BC Chamber Executive District 8 Director, Boundary Musical & Theater Society, Grand Forks Flying Club and an advocate for fair treatment of all citizens and organizations that led to her current interest in public service. A Rotarian, Beta Sigma Phi Sorority member, the Slavonic Seniors organization and the Boundary Air Quality Committee continue to keep her active in the community today enhancing her commitment to achieve sustainability and community economic development.

Cher was raised in Brandon Manitoba, the eldest daughter of Robert and Margaret Rosenberg. Her father served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and later joined Canadian Brown Steel Tank Company as a partner in finance. The company fabricated the first steel tank delivered to the northern Alberta Tar Sands in the 1960s. Cher and her husband Ron share their love of flying and have traveled extensively prior to settling in Grand Forks in 1997. They have three adult children, one grandchild and their Lhaso Apso Chloe keeps the family active and healthy.

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