Tell us a little about yourself and your connection to Golden: My name is Wes Routley, and I’m running for Mayor. My family moved to Golden in 1998, so for my entire conscious life I’ve called this town home. I’m a product of Golden, and the community has had a lasting impact on me.
Early on, I wanted to contribute to the town I loved. That started with fundraising for winter bird feed at age six and kept going: helping get the Youth Centre started, the Interact Club of Golden, Army Cadets, Columbia Basin Trust’s Youth Advisory Committee, and grad exec and valedictorian at the high school.
In my adult life, that’s carried on as a business developer and a continued volunteer. Stolen Bell Distillery has been the bulk of my adult career. I was the project manager and now run the admin side. I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished there so far and grateful for the team.
The volunteering takes some fun shapes these days. You might catch me at a community weed pull, lending my voice to EmberFest as a narrator, wearing a silly bear onesie in a Tourism Golden video about being Bear Aware, or in waders and a fish hat for another one about invasive aquatic species and the importance of Clean, Drain, Dry.
When there’s time left over, I’m usually on a bike or Nordic skis, with the odd game of pickleball.
Why have you decided to run for Golden Town Mayor? I’ll be honest that the title has never been the draw for me. What draws me is the work.
My journey with Council started in the public gallery. I began going to meetings and asking questions as a resident because so much of daily life runs through local government, and I wanted to understand how it all worked. In 2022, with encouragement from sitting Councillors, I put my name forward, and Golden gave me the chance to serve. I have loved every minute of it, even the tougher bits. So much of these past four years has been about setting the next term up for success, and I’m running for Mayor to support Council in seeing that through.
It helps to know that BC municipalities run on what’s called a weak mayor system. The chair isn’t a bigger vote. The Mayor’s real responsibility is the smooth flow of the meetings, something I’ve had the chance to demonstrate when I chaired meetings this term, so that Council’s direction is clear and acted on at the political level. Add to that being the spokesperson and carrying Golden’s advocacy with the Province and our other partners.
There are practical reasons why I’m running as well. More than half of the next Council will be new faces, and continuity on the files is going to be critical.
