The vice-chair of the Regional District of Central Okanagan is looking to expand his political usefulness.

Rutland native Kevin Kraft, current RDCO Electoral Area East representative, is seeking to be the candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2025 in the new Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee Riding.

鈥淚 am deeply honoured to announce that I am seeking the Conservative nomination to represent the residents as the candidate for our new federal riding,鈥� said Kraft in a release Monday, June 3.

This new riding was officially formed on April 22, 2024 with an upcoming federal election slated for October 2025, with the new Conservative Electoral District Association (EDA) officially formed on Sunday, June 2.

Kraft holds multiple positions on local boards including 琉璃神社-Lake Country Conservative EDA, Airport Advisory Council, Okanagan Regional Library, Okanagan Film Commission and Okanagan Mainline Football Association (Okanagan Sun).

He also sits as an alternate director on the Okanagan Basin Water Board and the Okanagan Economic Development Forum.

鈥淚 am very excited at the opportunity, this is a large new riding in B.C., and it will also be one of the fastest-growing ridings in Canada,鈥� he said.

The new federal riding is a split of the electoral district areas currently represented by Conservative MPs Tracy Gray, Dan Albas, and Mel Arnold.

鈥淲ith a new hub in the central Okanagan comes the responsibility of creating strong relationships with the constituents, recreationists, industry and businesses, emergency services, community groups, and local governments,鈥� said Kraft. 鈥淚 aim to be reliable and accessible for this new riding and take those principles of governance to Ottawa.鈥�

A father of three, Kraft shares the frustrations of many constituents with the current state of affairs, including the rising costs of living, issues around crime, safety, and the growing disconnect between the government and the people they represent.

鈥淢y goal is to bring positive change to the residents of the Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee riding,鈥� said Kraft. 鈥淢Ps Gray, Albas, and Arnold have done an incredible job representing our communities. I would be both grateful and honoured to carry on the torch in the years to come, and I wish the other nominees luck in this race and look forward to the candidate nomination election.鈥�

The Conservatives have three other candidates for the riding, all from Vernon: Scott Anderson, Teresa Durning and Rachel Enns.