Local election guide: Colwood candidates for mayor and council

In this year’s election on Saturday, October 17th, Colwood voters will have 11 candidates to choose from for council and mayor. 

In the mayoral race, incumbent Mayor Doug Kobayashi is seeking re-election for his second term as Colwood’s mayor. Previously, he had served as a councillor in Colwood between 2018 and 2022. 

Kobayashi is running against former mayor and councillor Rob Martin and longtime Colwood councillor Cynthia Day. 

Among the candidates for council, there are four incumbents running for re-election and five newcomers seeking one of six council spots. 

Who is seeking re-election?

Incumbent Mayor Kobayashi is running for re-election against former mayor Martin and former councillor Day.

Among the council candidates, there are four incumbent candidates seeking re-election:

• Ian Ward
• Misty Olsen
• David Grove
• Kim Jordison

Candidates for mayor

Doug Kobayashi, incumbent

Doug Kobayashi is seeking his second term as mayor of Colwood in the upcoming election. Last election, Kobayashi beat out former mayor Martin by 1,343 votes. 

He grew up on the West Shore and later attended Royal Roads Military College for engineering and went on to earn a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Cranfield University in England.

Kobayashi became a lieutenant colonel with the Royal Canadian Air Force before retiring at age 34, when he began building a career in the private aerospace sector.

He returned to Colwood in the early 2000s, opened Bitez Bistro and became involved in the local business community, served as president of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce and was elected to Colwood council in 2018.

As mayor, Kobayashi developed a municipally supported medical clinic and focused on keeping taxes affordable while investing in parks, transportation, road safety, economic development and programs supporting children, youth and families.

His focus this election is on healthcare, housing, climate change, transportation, education, economic development and responsible municipal finances.

Some priorities include keeping property taxes as low as possible, delivering improved infrastructure, expanding Colwood’s municipal primary healthcare clinic model, investing in safer street initiatives, protecting the environment and good governance. 

More on Kobayashi can be found online here. 

Rob Martin, former mayor

Rob Martin has been a West Shore resident for 30 years, served as mayor of Colwood from 2018 to 2022 and spent seven years on council before that. 

His campaign emphasises that he knows the community, the responsibilities that come with public office and what can be accomplished when council is honest with residents about the challenges council faces. 

Martin believes that in recent years, Colwood has lost some of that focus and raised questions about transparency, accountability and long-term planning.

Since losing the 2022 election, Martin has been working for BC Ferries at Swartz Bay as a relief terminal manager and equipment operator. 

His priorities include accountability, establishing a West Shore ferry service to help ease traffic congestion, to establish dedicated bus lanes before eventually implementing light rail transit and establishing better public trust. 

Find more about Martin online here. 

Cynthia Day

Cynthia Day has over 20 years of experience on the Colwood council, and is now running for mayor.

She says she is running for mayor to ensure Colwood’s growth is matched by robust infrastructure and transparent leadership. 

Day supports responsible growth where essential systems like transportation and sewers keep pace with development. 

As a fiscal conservative, Day says she advocates for transparent budgeting and infrastructure lifecycle planning. 

She also emphasizes the distinct roles of council and administration, valuing accountability and ethical conduct. 

More information on Day is available online here. 

Candidates for Colwood council

Eugene Tseng

Eugene Tseng lives in Royal Bay with his wife and two children and is running for the first time to become a councillor in Colwood. 

He says that as a transplant to the region, he understands what it means for families to build a new life in a new community, which has shaped his views on inclusive, affordable growth and why it matters to every family in Colwood.

Tseng works as a public servant now and has served as chief of staff to two former Ministers of Energy in BC, worked as a senior advisor at BC Hydro and holds a master of public administration degree in energy and environment from Columbia University in New York. 

He also holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science, with a minor in urban and regional studies, from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Tseng also has board experience with several charitable non-profit organizations such as Pacific Centre Family Services Association, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Foundation and the Progressive Housing Society.

His priorities include sustainable growth in housing and infrastructure, expanding services such as childcare programs and creating a safe, connected community through fiscal responsibility, traffic calming and arts and culture investments. 

Find out more about Eugene Tseng online here. 

Ian Ward, Incumbent

Ian Ward was first elected to Colwood’s council in 2022 and is now seeking re-election. 

He has worked for over 20 years in various business disciplines such as private practice healthcare. For the last seven years he led mergers and acquisitions for the Canadian retail arm of the world’s largest hearing healthcare organization. ​

Ward says that his approach to council business has reflected his belief that Colwood can prosper while protecting taxpayers, investing in infrastructure and maintaining a decent quality of life throughout his last term. 

His priorities include working to address infrastructure delays, ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with growth, financial oversight and accountability, improving transportation and traffic congestion, being selective about housing development and prioritizing public safety. 

In September 2024, Ward came under scrutiny when a 2007 photo of him in blackface emerged online. 

After the photo came to light, he apologized publicly, calling his actions “offensive, shameful,” and a “naive and ignorant” mistake. He then stated that he had grown in the 17 years since the photo was taken. 

Find out more about Ward online here. 

Jennifer Parlee

Parlee is running for office for the first time this election after calling Colwood home for the past 16 years. 

She is a former small business owner, school teacher and choir director, and in October 2023, was appointed as a citizen representative to the Sooke and West Shore Region Literacy Project by Colwood council. 

Parlee has also served as an Island Health volunteer and previously held the role of vice-chair for Esquimalt Parks and Recreation. 

She says she has always been drawn to municipal government because it’s where individual citizens can work together to make a real difference in their community. 

Her priorities are to ensure building and developments align with Colwood’s big picture growth, advocate for clear communication and regular reporting, expand Colwood’s municipal healthcare clinic model and protect parks. 

Find more about Parlee online here. 

Misty Olsen, incumbent

Misty Olsen first ran for council in 2018 but was unsuccessful. Her 2022 campaign was successful and she has since served one term as councillor. 

She has lived in Colwood for the past 14 years, and both she and her husband are small business owners in the community. She has worked in tourism, events, local business and community partnerships. 

During her first term, Olsen says she focused on environmental protection, age-friendly planning, waterfront stewardship, supporting local business, being a voice for Colwood on regional boards and committees and collaborative leadership. 

Going into this election, her priorities include investing in services and infrastructure residents rely on, improving access to doctors and primary care, expanding recreational and shared spaces, good governance and fiscal responsibility. 

Find out more about Olsen online here. 

David Grove, incumbent

David Gore was first elected in 2022 and is now running for a second term. 

Grove says he believes that healthcare, housing, food security and employment are interconnected with the quality of life in a community. 

He describes serving Colwood as one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of his life and says that the experience he gained from his first term would help him to contribute effectively to another council term. 

His priorities include four pillars: health, home, food and good ideas. 

Under these pillars are initiatives such as expanding Colwood’s first municipal primary care clinic by supporting a second full-sized clinic, creating more housing for all types of families, helping make existing older homes more energy efficient, supporting more community gardens and other food security measures and improving Colwood’s financial reporting.

More about Grove is available online here. 

Kim Jordison, incumbent

Kim Jordison is running for her second term as Colwood councillor after winning in the 2022 election. 

Jordison listed her residence as being in Langford and is the only candidate not residing in Colwood. 

On her candidate website, she explains that she moved from her former Colwood home for personal reasons after a friend died by suicide. 

She emphasizes that she did not want to leave Colwood or abandon her commitment to the community, but says she could not find a home that would work for her family in the community. 

Jordison’s career spans the private sector, provincial government, non-profits and Island Health. 

She is currently pursuing her master of arts in executive leadership at Royal Roads University and has completed graduate education in values-based leadership and change management. 

Her priorities in this election include fiscal responsibility, reducing congestion, improving traffic flow, better transit, planning for the future, building housing for every stage of life and government accountability. 

Jordison recently came under public scrutiny after reports from two separate independent investigations were released to the public detailing misconduct on her part. 

Find out more about Jordison’s platform online here. 

Deborah Law

Deborah Law is running for the first time to be a councillor in Colwood. 

She grew up in Colwood and moved away for education and to pursue a career. She then returned for a time before moving her family to Australia for three years. Law then returned a second time to her Colwood roots in order to retire in Royal Bay. 

Professionally, Law has spent over 25 years as an accountant auditing the BC public sector with the BC Auditor General’s Office. 

She believes that experience gives her a unique perspective because she has had the opportunity to see what works for public sector organizations large and small. 

Her priorities include putting more focus on the City’s finances, building infrastructure that keeps pace with the growing community, planning efficiently for every neighbourhood and its needs and doing a better job of listening to residents’ needs before making decisions. 

More information is available on Law online here. 

Harold Bloomenthal

Harold Bloomenthal is a 20-year Colwood resident and 40-year West Shore business owner who is running to be a Colwood city councillor for the first time this election. 

He says that for more than four decades he has built businesses, created jobs and volunteered his time to strengthen the region’s recreational opportunities and youth sports, specifically hockey.

Bloomenthal says that, if elected, he will take the skills he has learned as a businessperson and volunteer to serve Colwood.

His priorities include creating a livable and well-planned Colwood through smart planning, investing in youth sports and recreation facilities, responsible taxation and budgeting and creating practical solutions to traffic congestion. 

Find out more  information about Bloomenthal online here. 

Terrilynn Gee

Terrilyn Gee is a first-time candidate for Colwood city councillor. 

She believes that as a parent raising a child with developmental delays, she has first-hand knowledge of the unique hurdles and daily challenges our local families face.

Gee says that she helped deliver over 500 rental units in the West Shore, including essential affordable options for the community and that her relationships with local small business owners have helped her understand the economic pressures they face. 

Her priorities in the election include helping small business owners, bringing more high-quality out-of-school childcare programs to Colwood, building more housing and supporting more services for youth and seniors. 

Find more about Gee online here.