Guenter Rieger, Mayor of the Township of Spallumcheen
First Term 1989-1993   Second term1993-1996
    Mayor Guenter Rieger, re-elected for a second term as Mayor for the Township of Spallumcheen. The community has spoken. "Mayor Guenter Rieger was the only incumbent mayor in British Columbia re-elected, with a brand new  Council. Mayor Guenter Rieger with his brand new Council stearing ahead.... Congratulations, and all the best for Spallumcheen Council 1993-1996.

     Front: Administrator Georg Sawade, Mayor Guenter Rieger, Coun. Elsie Gerdes, Coun. Paul Zyri. Back left. Coun. Adolf Ruscheinski, Coun. All Hall, Coun. Bev Torrens and Coun. Ernest Haller.
Editorials  Municipal Election election, November of 1993
    "Rieger seeks second term in Spallumcheen. Citing solid community support, Spallumcheen Mayor Guenter Rieger has anounced he will seek re-election. Mayor Guenter Rieger is so far opposed by only one other candidate, Coun. John Low, a frequent sparring partner with Mayor Guenter Rieger around the council table....Low said. ." We have to oust him out of his office."
        Victory tastes sweet to Rieger.
Re-elected Spallumcheen Mayor Guenter Rieger was savoring a victory over his rivals Sunday and predicting a new era of stability in Spallumcheen's votatile politics.
Rieger, whose three years on council have been punctuated by pitched battles with fellow council members and the  media, had the last laugh Saturday amid election results that left his opposition tatters.
The incumbent topped the polls with 657 votes, defeating is political rival John Low by a 30-vote margin. Newcomer Gisele Russel got 106 votes.
"The taxpayers have spoken clearly, and I am very, very pleased," a beaming Rieger said.
          "But Mayor Rieger's real victory came in the Spallumcheen council race, which saw all three incumbent councillors - Bob Hay- Dave Jordan including Harold Norris, who was defeated in the 1989 municipal election as an incumbent mayor by Rieger, and was coming back as a councillor in a by-election in 1992, defeated in favor of his own supporters.
The sucessful candidates were, Al Hall, Bev Torrens, Ernest Haller, Paul Zyri, Adolph Ruschenski and Elsie Gerdes.."

    A new direction for Spallumcheen
The new council wasted little time in getting things done.
     Council passed several motions, including a motion to support the principle of recall and referendum, a process Mayor Rieger lobbied unsuccessfully for in his previous term.
    
" A Very significant step for community involvement is the step to offer Spallumcheen taxpayers Citizens Initiative Referendum and Recall, Mayor Guenter Rieger said in his inauguarl address." This council will go into Canadian history, since Spallumcheen will be one of the first community in Canada to make such an important move."...
    Official Community Plan: After 18 months of public consultation and involvement, the Official Community Plan for Spallumcheen was adopted in May of 1996. This Official Community Plan based on a 30 year vision for Spallumcheen, and was recognized and accredidet by many different government agencies including the Agriculture Land Commission. If future councils will follow the guidlines set out in the Offcial Community Plan, Spallumcheen will experience orderly growth for the next 30 years, without destroying farmland, or jeopardizing existing farm activities.
     During his administration many companies were re-located to Spallumcheen's industrial park. This provided more than 400 jobs, almost 9% of Spallumcheen's population.The expansion of the existing and new industrial park will guarantee Spallumcheen taxpayers a healthy tax base for the years ahead.
    
The Road Inventory Study, completed in October of 1996, examined all roadway segments in Spallumcheen and developed a raod maintenance and upgrading plan for the 240 km roads in Spallumcheen. This was the first road inventory study  in Spallumcheen's history.



    Spallumcheen known as  the largest farming community in British Columbia with over 64,000 acres.
Mayor Guenter Rieger is presenting a prestigous Award , from the PNE to Jim Saiko, Grandview Flats Nursery, for growing the best Tomatos in 1995 in British Columbia. 

     Many more awards were achievd by local  farmers, like dairy, chicken and grain farmers and there is so much more to tell about farming in Spallumcheen.
The IPE , is one show case, each year in September, were farmers from all over British Columbia, Alberta and other provinces  demonstrate and getting judged for their products......

    Mayor Rieger said: " I have enjoyed my life as mayor of Spallumcheen. Working with two differet councils, many improvements were made for the betterment for Spallumcheen's future, including the city of Armstrong.
     The new Council (1993) continued with the so called "Committee of the Whole", which Mayor Rieger  implemented during his  first term on council. Each Council member chairs at least one Committee, and each council member is a part of that committee. Therefore, council members are familiar with all  the issues, and were able to make educated and informed decisions.........
    
From 1989 to 1996 many roads were upgraded, but no tax rate  increases in Spallumcheen. During that time Spallumcheen tax payers enoyed the lowest residental taxe rate in British Columbia.
    
Mayor Rieger decided in 1991 to print his own Mayor Report,  funded with his own money, providing citizens of Spallumcheen with information about municipal business first hand.........
     The mayority of Spallumcheen residents liked him very much. A small vocal group worked very hard to discredit him and have used a lot of ink to undermine Mayor Rieger and council's achievements..
     During his second term as mayor, Councillor Bev Torrens recommened to Council  to award Mayor Rieger, for his dedication and open and honest  government, by naming a municipal road after him, known today as Rieger Avenue......
     In 1996  Mayor Guenter Rieger decided to retire  from municipal politics, to be able to spend more time on the family farm and with his family." We wish him and his family all the Best.. He promised to write a book about politics. " I think there should be a place for honest people in every level of government.".
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