Ron Waller was born and bred in Chemainus before his career took him far afield.
Now he's back and wants to represent North Cowichan folks on council.
"I have decided to run mainly because I believe we need change," he said.
"I've been highly critical of our North Cowichan council, especially some of the special projects they do: for example, the artificial turf being put at Sherman Road soccer field.
"I asked a councillor they voted, 'Didn't you check into it? Everywhere else in the world they're taking out artificial turf. It looks good, but $1.1 million is a lot of money for something that's only going to last 10 years. Why didn't they put the grant money into the new skateboard park in Chemainus and then put the other money into operations to reduce taxes? Things like that bother me," Waller said.
He is annoyed with what he sees as wasteful municipal spending.
"I was driving in Chemainus the other day and there was a worker there and I asked: 'Are you putting a sidewalk up the rest of Pine Street?' And he said: 'Yeah, we've got the money in Chemainus so we have to spend it.' "Wrong answer! Whether it comes from federal, provincial or municipal funds, it's the taxpayers' money. There's no such thing as free money."
Although he knows most about his home community, Waller has been making the rounds, assessing North Cowichan's strengths.
"We have to look at the municipality as a whole, to look at what the various parts bring into it. Every area brings something special to the family," he said.