Aaron Dinwoodie has died

[Jo]

Aaron Dinwoodie died last evening at VGH of lymph cancer.

Aaron was a Westside Regional District Director for a number of years and served a Vice Chair of the RDCO Board. He was President of UBCM for a term, and was a member of the Westside Governance Committee.

[mexi cali]

He ran for Mayor in west K last election didn't he?

He was young.

That sucks.

[grammafreddy]

http://www.castanet.net/news/West-Kelow ... al-pioneer

Westside loses political pioneer
by Wayne Moore | Story: 114692 - May 7, 2014 / 1:23 pm

West Kelowna has lost one of its more polarizing but effective political figures.


Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet File Photo
Aaron Dinwoodie, seen here checking election results during his 2007 mayoralty bid in Westside, died Tuesday at the age of 54.

Aaron Dinwoodie, who spent 11 years as a Westside Director on the Regional District, passed away Tuesday night.

He was 54.

He passed away at Vancouver General Hospital after a battle with cancer.

Dinwoodie served four terms as an area director for the Westside. He was first elected in 1996 and served until resigning in 2007 to run for mayor of the newly formed Westside District Municipality.

Dinwoodie finished second in that election to Rosalind Neis.

"We was very energetic and liked to take charge of issues on the westside," said Regional Board Chair, Robert Hobson.

"He was ambitious. He was interested in becoming the UBCM president and became the UBCM president through a lot of hard work."

Hobson recalled Dinwoodie as a smart politician who was able to get along with other politicians at all levels of government.

"He was quite good at lobbying for things that he felt would be of interest to his taxpayers. He knew how to talk to those folks."

West Kelowna mayor, Doug Findlater, sat across the table from Dinwoodie on the Westside Governance Committee for four years.

After the region voted to incorporate in 2007, Findlater served as Dinwoodie's alternate on the regional board for six months before elections were held.

"Aaron did a lot of good for this area despite his problems. He was an effective Regional District Director for this area," said Findlater.

"He was very good at getting access to grants for us for infrastructure. That's one of the advantages of being president of the UBCM - you have access to those folks and committees that allocate the funds."

Dinwoodie was also instrumental in a change of governance which saw the westside go from two separate regions with its own area director to one region represented by three directors.

Since losing a bid to recapture his regional seat in 2011 Dinwoodie had returned to private business and spent a lot of time in the Philippines.

There is no word yet on when funeral services will be held.

[southernfrau]

From the first comment, sounds like he passed before seeing his only son being born. How sad. Condolences to the family...

[Jim Dixon]

I've known Aaron since he started campaigning for the first election. We spent many evenings at our kitchen table going over the could-be, and should-be, and all in how to make it a better, cleaner, green Westside. As a politician, it could be said that he was a politicians politician.

Contrary to local story medium print he was Director of Area H, or Lakeview, (which includes, West Kelowna Estates, Shannon Lake, Rose Valley, Lakeview Heights and not Director of Westbank (Area H).
Len Novakowski was Director of Electoral Area H (Westbank and area). Both areas remained under Central Okanagan Regional District (CORD) AKA RDCO government until the first council election, which was a referendum in disguise.
I wish, especially with a write-up in a local print story-paper about the passing of a well known person, that the higher-ups that write the stuff could get their stories straight. Castanet did a OK job.

Aaron could do things to irk the ire of some residents, or peers, but he did so believing that what he was doing was the best for the future.

As a politician, he always worked hard for the betterment of the Westside, now called District of West Kelowna.

I am very sorry to see him leave.

L8TR Aaron

Jim

[occasional thoughts]

Aaron

[occasional thoughts]

*removed*

[Jim Dixon]

*removed*

[omisimaw]

How sad... he was a young man..
I knew him well and although thought he was way out of his league, especially at the end of his run here, he was a hard working individual.
Unfortunately, his past and his private lives were somewhat tumultuous and spilled over into the media at times which I am sure was uncomfortable for all including his children.
Where had he been since his last days in public life?
Condolences to all left behind. He will be missed.