Wanting to help out his employees by getting out of their way at the shop, the former mayor of Enderby is throwing his hat into the provincial politics ring.

Greg McCune, business owner, announced Monday, Nov. 27, he will seek the BC United nomination in the Shuswap riding.

Current sitting MLA Greg Kyllo announced in October he would not be seeking re-election in the 2024 provincial vote, slated for the fall.

鈥淲hen Greg announced he was going to finish out this term and retire, I gave it (running) a lot of thought,鈥� said McCune, 61. 鈥淚 talked to my kids. My business is running well on its own 鈥� I鈥檓 mostly in the way there 鈥� and I still need some sort of challenge.鈥�

McCune is a two-term former mayor who served eight years as the head of Enderby council, defeated in the 2022 municipal vote by Huck Galbraith. McCune was a councillor for four terms prior to running for mayor. His 20 years of municipal experience played a part in his deciding to run provincially.

鈥淲hen I was mayor, I would listen close enough to the community to truly understand what they need,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n this riding, I would be active among the citizens, trying to get a clear understanding of what each community is looking for and go fight as hard as I can.

鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not just about municipal politics, but the individuals. The families trying to feed their kids, and deal with mortgage issues and inflation, that sort of thing.鈥�

Kyllo is finishing out his third term as MLA. He was first elected to the position with the then-BC Liberals in 2013, and his drive and dedication left an image with McCune.

鈥淚 was always impressed by how Greg handled things, working as mayor with him,鈥� said McCune. 鈥淧rovincial politics is fascinating. It鈥檚 interesting.鈥�

No date to elect the BC United candidate in the riding has been set, but McCune expects it will be early in 2024.