Mayor Richard Ireland has announced he will stand for reelection. Ireland has been Jasper鈥檚 mayor since the town was incorporated as a municipality in 2001. Before that he was the chair of Jasper Town Committee.
On Aug. 25, long-time Jasper resident Jack Templeton announced his candidacy for town council.
Templeton, who鈥檚 lived in Jasper for 31 years, is a retired businessman with a background in finance, administration and accounting. He and his daughters opened the Ashlar Ridge Cafe and Gift Shop at the Miette Hot Springs in 1996 and ran the business for 15 years.
Templeton is only the second person to confirm candidacy for a council seat in the Oct. 21 election鈥攖he other is current councillor Rico Damota.
Templeton hopes his announcement will encourage others to 鈥渟tep forward, come out of the woodwork and make a commitment.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to see six people run for six council seats,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want an election. If it was an election by acclamation, I wouldn鈥檛 have a right to be there. I want a choice and I think everyone else wants one, too.鈥�
