From the Mayor

Mayor of Nelson, John Dooley 

Where did you grow up?

County Armagh, Ireland, about 50 miles north of Dublin in a little farming community called Fork Hill.

Where did you go for post-secondary education and/or who was a mentor for your career path?

My dad. He tried to make sure I got a trade. So I went to trade school in Belfast where I worked in bricklaying and plastering. After I got into the workforce and eventually worked for myself here in Canada, I understood how to manage a business and finances. That was a great opportunity and I was fortunate to get it. I used it for many years in my life afterwards.

What brought you here?

I was looking for a better life. There was a lot of conflict in Ireland when I lived there and unemployment was high. Myself and a couple of friends talked about immigrating to another part of the world. Canada came up on the radar, so we made an application and were accepted. The rest is history. That was in 1967.

I met my wife Pat in Vancouver and she was raised in Kaslo. She got offered her first teaching job in Nelson and she wanted to be closer to her family. I had been to Nelson several times before we moved here. I really liked the area, so it was fine with me.

What was your first job and how old were you when you started working?

I was 16 when I first went to trade school. That was basically my first job. In Ireland you have to  have an employer to qualify for trade school.

What kind of challenge brings out the best in you?

If I put my mind to something, I don’t look at it from the perspective of failing. I always look at it from the perspective of succeeding.

When I first ran for mayor it was a big challenge. But I didn’t really look at it that way. I just looked at it it like everything else in my life: you work hard at it and do the best you can. Whatever the outcome is, you can’t change it. You do your very best and hope for success.

If your city were a person, what would you say is its dominant personality characteristic? Can you give an example of that?

Resiliency. A lot of things have happened in our community that would have made other people just give up. But people in Nelson really want to be here, so they find ways for success. We constantly succeed.

We always have people with ideas and suggestions to keep up ahead of the curve and diversify the community.

What do you especially love about this community?

Once you get past the great people here, there’s just the whole ambience and setting of the community: the breathtaking vistas, the scenery, the lake and the mountains. We are very fortunate.

Before you became mayor, where might we find you on a Saturday night?

Maybe at the hockey rink. When my son was playing I coached and I always enjoy a hockey game.

And now, where might you be on a Saturday night?

Still at the hockey rink. Generally on Saturday I’d go for a beer at one of the hotels and then go to the rink. It’s fun because my son is one of the coaches of the junior team.

As mayor, what would you like your legacy to be in your city?

That’s a difficult one because you don’t do anything on your own. I’m fortunate enough to be mayor at a time when I’ve had a couple of good councils to work with and stay focused on rebuilding our infrastructure and our reserves and putting some really good plans in place for our community.

I think my legacy my be my ability to work with different people. I suppose I’m always putting the community first and not allowing politics to get in the way of decision-making.

Can you tell me how you’ve begun to achieve this?

My dad used to say you have to be able to run with the fox and the hound. You have to be able to work with other people if you want to have success. You can’t dig your heels in. You have to do what’s right for the greater community. I’ve always taken that approach.