Ray Baylis
Background, public record, forum positions and unanswered questions for Ray Baylis, a 2026 Armstrong councillor candidate.
Office: Councillor
Ray Baylis lives in Spallumcheen but is eligible to run for Armstrong council.
He brings agricultural and organizational experience, including years with the BC Chicken Growers Association.
At the forum, Baylis repeatedly returned to communication, but his emphasis was on two-way communication.
Sending information out is not enough, he argued, if residents do not believe their response has been heard.
He suggested council experiment with less formal ways of meeting people. Not every engagement session needs to be an evening meeting in a municipal building.
A Saturday event where families can attend, for example, may reach residents who would never appear at a traditional public meeting.
His answer on taxes was also notable for what he did not claim.
When asked what he would cut, Baylis said he could not honestly answer without being at the table and seeing the actual choices.
That is less satisfying than a list of cuts, but more precise than pretending every future budget decision is already obvious.
Previous public office: None identified.
Community record: Farming, fire service and agricultural-board leadership.
From the forum: Emphasized informal, accessible public engagement and declined to name hypothetical budget cuts without seeing the actual budget.
Another way to look at it: Refusing to promise cuts can be caution rather than indecision. Voters may still want clearer fiscal priorities.
What I’d like to know: When Armstrong and Spallumcheen interests genuinely diverge, what principle would Baylis use to decide where his duty lies?