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Newly elected Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas said he feels a good team spirit in the group that gathered for the first time in council chambers Monday.
"The feeling around the table was great," said Dyas.
But that's not because he sees a group that will always agree on the path forward, in fact, he sees good potential for disagreement.
"Residents of the community want to see different opinions on items," said Dyas.
"I hope that there is that discussion because I believe the community wants it."
He anticipates a good cross-section of interests to come up in council discussions.
"My hope is definitely that debate happens," he said, "and then moving forward after a healthy debate."
Dyas is actually looking forward to some disagreement.
"There are nine individuals here, nine distinct, unique individuals."
What he hopes to see some cohesion on, are some priorities as council sets its course for the four years ahead.
That's expected to come up during some upcoming strategic planning meetings.
"When are we going to look at establishing those key priorities," he said, "and our action items on those priorities and then moving forward with them."
But before any long-term strategies can be set, the new council was faced with an agenda full of rezoning applications land use amendments and other development applications to consider.
The day started with a report from staff about how many committees this council wants to establish, those decisions will be made in the weeks ahead.
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