About the webmaster

My Name is Peter Kelly. I was born in Comox in 1974. I moved to the Greater Nanaimo in 1996 when I was enrolled in the cook trades program at (then) Malaspina College.

I moved to the Harewood neighbourhood in 2001 and have considered it home ever since.

I have a full time job that occupies most of my time at BC Ferries. At home, my wife and I are expecting our first child soon and are excited about our new arrival.

I've been active in federal, provincial politics before, and even took a shot at civic elections as a volunteer for Mayoral candidate Larry Whaley in 2002.

What inspires me the most in activism is to be in a room full of virtual strangers and discover you have more in common than you might have expected...even if the person sitting next to you has a different federal or provincial political mindset...some issues cut across party lines and need unanimous support.

I watched the campaign of Barack Obama in 2008 and saw his rise from an obscure Senator from Illinois to become the President of the United States. Setting aside ones' personal political views, can you imagine a more dramatic story? I can't.

The lesson in his story, is that if a black boy who grew up being raised by a single mom; living off the system from time to time, can grow up and become the President, then there is no limit to what anyone of us can do...and no excuses for not trying.

Barack Obama had a volunteer army of probably 10 million people that had no other experience in activism but wanted to make a difference. That is the power of the individual when moving in large groups. Change can happen if we choose.

As far as how that applies in Harewood, I know we're not the same size as any USA state...but we are taxpayers and voters. We are concerned about the ongoing issues that threaten the lifestyle we enjoy here in our community. So if the incumbent politicians (no matter what their party affiliation) cannot listen, then we must find one who will.