Langford voters will see one fewer name on the ballot for mayor next month, with one of the three announced candidates dropping out of the race.
Dan Oickle said he handed in the paperwork to formally resign from the race on Thursday (Sept. 15) afternoon due to a family emergency, which came up just after he submitted his nomination paperwork.
“I turned in the paperwork and my mom ended up in hospice that night, and it’s not going the best right now,” said Oickle on Friday. “It’s family, and that’s the most important thing honestly.”
Oickle said he had also become concerned about the possibility of the vote being split between him and Scott Peter Goodmanson, with whom he shared many policy points and is now endorsing in the race against the other remaining mayoral candidate Stew Young.
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“The decision was really tough. I kind of thought I could carry on with it, but I realized I wouldn’t be in the right state of mind even if my mom passed in the next week. It was family first in the end, and it just had to be.”
Oickle, 63, said he would certainly be interested in running for public office again in the future.
Asked to comment on Oickle dropping out of the race, Young said he wants to wish Oickle well during this difficult time.
“I want to wish him well, it was great he stepped forward and it is unfortunate he had to step away,” said Young on Friday. “Democracy is what it’s all about and I support that, so it is really unfortunate he had to step away.”
Young said he remains committed to his own campaign as he is passionate about his community and wants to have a chance at continuing Langford’s growth and development.
Goodmanson said he was “sorry to hear what (Oickle) was going through,” and he is more committed than ever to his campaign with only two candidates left in the running.
“We all have one mom, and I feel for him because I know he and I both entered because we wanted change for Langford. To have to pull out that way, has got to be disappointing,” said Goodmanson.
He said he remains committed to the race as he has heard growing discontent from Langford residents over the past year with regard to how council has been operating, and he wants to offer a change he feels there is a desire for within the community.
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@JSamanski
justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com
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