Local election guide: Central Saanich candidates for mayor and council

Central Saanich politics will see a bit of a shakeup no matter what this election as Mayor Ryan Windsor is not running for office. 

Windsor, who is now running in the provincial election, was elected mayor in a 2013 byelection, won again in 2014 and went on to win by acclamation in both the 2018 and 2022 elections. 

In the upcoming election, one currently sitting councillor is running against a newcomer for mayor and there are 10 candidates vying for a seat at the council table. 

There is one official elector organization, or political slate, with candidates in the region called Sustain OUR Central Saanich. 

The slate is critical of some decisions made by the previous council regarding development, engagement and transparency. 

According to Sustain OUR Central Saanich, their four candidates would tackle issues of transparency, unsustainable tax increases, “out-of-control” bureaucracy and development and, lastly, alleged erosion of public trust and participation. 

Who is running for re-election?

Currently sitting councillor Zeb King is running for mayor in Central Saanich. 

Among the 10 candidates for Central Saanich council are three incumbents:

• Christopher Graham
• Sarah Riddell
• Bob Thompson

Candidates for mayor

Zeb King

Zeb King has been a member of the Central Saanich council for 21 cumulative years. 

He was first elected in 2002 and served until 2008 when he lost his seat by a mere 58 votes. He then was re-elected in 2011, has served as councillor for four more consecutive terms and is now seeking the mayor’s office as an independent candidate. 

King is a third generation Central Saanich resident who believes the community is at a crossroads.

Throughout his years on council, King has advocated for transparency by webcasting council meetings, protecting natural areas, protecting farmland from urban sprawl, engaging in meaningful reconciliation and fiscal responsibility. 

In this election, his priorities include listening to residents and understanding their needs, supporting balanced growth that respects farmland and building a strong community.

More specific priorities were not available. 

Find more information on King online here. 

Pat Bryant

Pat Bryant has not held elected office in Central Saanich, but has had a long history of public service in the community as a Central Saanich police officer. 

He has spent 21 years of his 37-year-long policing career in Central Saanich and is now seeking the office of mayor as an independent candidate. 

Outside his police work, Bryant has supported and raised funds for Wounded Warriors Canada, Special Olympics and Cops for Cancer. 

His platform in this election is based on four principles: community safety and wellbeing, responsible growth, an accountable and transparent government and a strong, connected community. 

Find more information on Bryant online here. 

Candidates for Central Saanich council

Rafael Regalado Fuentes

Rafael Regalado Fuentes is running for office in Central Saanich for the first time as an independent candidate, but had previously unsuccessfully run for mayor in the City of Victoria in 2022. 

In the 2022 election, he was a resident of View Royal, but for the upcoming election, his municipality of residence was redacted and unavailable to the public. 

Fuentes works in customer service at the Victoria International Airport and has previously run a pre-school/small business. 

He said in a Facebook post that if elected, he would be in favour of holding referendums for major decisions in Central Saanich and that he is looking to be elected in order to gain experience in politics. 

Fuentes does not have a candidate website. 

Christopher Graham, incumbent

Christopher Graham was first elected in 1996 and served for 12 consecutive years until 2008 when he unsuccessfully ran for mayor in the district. 

He was elected as councillor again in 2014, 2018 and 2022, serving another 12 years while seeking another four as an independent candidate.

Graham says he has deep roots in Central Saanich as his family first settled in the area in the mid-1800s. 

He is an accountant and has owned Beacon Tax Services since 2012, which operates out of Sidney. Graham is also an active farmer and has served as a CRD Regional Water Supply Commissioner. 

Graham does not have a candidate website detailing his platform or priorities in the community. 

David Lawson

David Lawson is a newcomer this election and is part of the Sustain OUR Central Saanich slate. 

He was born and raised in Nanaimo and attended UVic for the business administration program before moving to Japan for a number of years where he studied further. 

Upon his return, Lawson operated a business that served the Central Island region, studied computer programming and after eight years of operation, sold his business and transitioned into consulting, specializing in accounting and IT systems. 

He is now retired and has lived in Central Saanich for around 40 years. 

Apart from the slate’s issues and priorities, Lawson’s priorities include committing to honesty and integrity, financial accountability and serving the community. 

Lawson does not have a dedicated candidate website. 

Ben Michell

Ben Michell is an independent candidate running for council in Central Saanich for the first time. 

He was born and raised in Central Saanich, where generations of his family have lived and worked before him.

Michell manages his family farm and has a background in small-business operations and residential projects. 

He says he wants to bring an independent, practical and next-generation voice to the decisions that will shape Central Saanich for the years to come.

His priorities include protecting farmland in the district, supporting new housing in the urban areas of the district, ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with growth and spending taxpayers dollars responsibly. 

Find more on Michell online here. 

Sarah Riddell, incumbent

Sarah Riddell is finishing her first term as a councillor in Central Saanich and is seeking a second as an independent candidate. 

Riddell is the executive director of a local non-profit healthcare organization and one of the Saanich Peninsula’s largest primary care providers. 

Prior to this role, she held leadership roles with the BC government and has nearly two decades of public-sector, leadership and governance experience. She holds master’s degrees in health administration. ​

In her time on council, Riddell says she was primarily focused on turning community priorities into results. She says the new splash pad, multi-sport box and parkland, child care, more affordable housing options, safer streets and new sidewalks, trails and multi-use paths were some of the products of this focus.​ 

Her priorities in this election include continuing to improve infrastructure; expanding parks, recreation and public spaces; creating housing options for all; protecting agricultural land; and making long-term decisions. 

Find out more information on Riddell online here. 

Anny M. Scoones

Anny M. Scoones is running as an independent for the first time in Central Saanich, though she has previously served as a councillor for North Saanich from 2002 to 2012. 

Aside from her council work, she is a published author working on her seventh novel, an instructor of English and business to refugees and a board member for the Saanich Inlet Protection Society (SIPS).

Her priorities in the upcoming election include protecting agricultural land, reducing the development of overly tall buildings, enhancing village centres, spending responsibly, voting against an increase in remuneration for council, meeting with residents and supporting community endeavours. 

Find more on Scoones online here. 

Lori Anne Shaw

Lori Anne Shaw is running for council for the first time in Central Saanich as an independent candidate. 

Shaw has no candidate website. 

Bob Thompson, incumbent

Bob Thompson has served as councillor in Central Saanich for 17 non-consecutive years and is running for another term as an independent candidate. 

His first term saw him serve from 1993 to 1996, his second and third terms lasted from 2002 to 2008 and his fourth to sixth had him in office from 2014 to 2022. 

Thompson has been a Saanichton resident for 35 years and has volunteered with local organizations such as the Saanich Fair, Peninsula Country Market, Flavour Trails, Southern Vancouver Island Direct Farm Marketing Association, Island Farmers’ Alliance and BC AgriTourism Alliance.

He believes his experience will make him an asset to the next elected council. 

His priorities include reviewing processes to improve public satisfaction and transparency, reconciling the Official Community Plan (OCP) and its policies with community expectations and reviewing what the community needs versus what it wants to manage reasonable tax increases. 

Find more information on Thompson online here. 

Susan Zedel

Susan Zedel is running for the first time in the upcoming election and is affiliated with the Sustain OUR Central Saanich slate. 

She was born and raised in Victoria and has lived in Central Saanich since 1985 where she raised two daughters in the community alongside her husband.

Zedel holds a bachelors in natural resource management and has worked for BC’s Ministry of Forests for 35 years before retiring in 2019.

She has been a longtime volunteer with the Girl Guides of Canada and she belongs to a long list of local environmental organizations. Since retiring in 2019, Zedel has kept herself busy as a director of the Beaver Elk Environmental Stewards Society (BEES) and is also a member of the Central Saanich Advisory Planning Commission.

Zedel says she regularly attends council meetings, follows what is happening with local developments and the decisions council makes that impact the community. 

Her priorities include improving transparency, providing the public more opportunities for feedback, planning with long-term growth in mind, connecting with the community and advocating for environmental matters. 

Find more on Zedel online here. 

Kathleen Zimmerman

Kathleen Zimmerman is a first-time candidate in Central Saanich and is running as part of the Sustain OUR Central Saanich elector organization. 

She was born and raised in Kamloops to Swiss immigrants and retired to Brentwood Bay in 2021. 

Before retirement, she worked as a professional agrologist with a very strong public service focus. 

Although she is running as part of a slate, she made a campaign promise to always vote independently on council matters if elected. 

Other priorities include establishing tax rates that are closer to cost-of-living increases, promoting and approving development that is consistent with the community’s needs and respecting the OCP. 

Find more information on Zimmerman online here.