Background

Ruttan was born in Anchorage, Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 and later moved with his parents to Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...

. He was educated at Monterey Elementary School, Oak Bay Secondary School

Oak Bay Secondary School

Oak Bay High School is the fourth largest secondary school in the Greater Victoria School District. It is located in Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada. Roughly 1200 students attend in grades 9 to 12 in both regular and French immersion programs in two buildings, called East and West. The first high...

 and Victoria College

Victoria College, British Columbia

Victoria College was a two-year college in Victoria, British Columbia founded in 1903 with sponsorship from McGill University. It was one of the first post-secondary institutions in British Columbia...

. He has lived in the Nanaimo area for over 45 years.

Ruttan has owned Nanaimo Travel and Cruise since 1980. He has also been president of Ruttan Holdings since 1993. In 2008 the Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce recognized Ruttan with the Sterling Community Award for "Citizen of the Year". He currently resides in Lantzville, British Columbia with his wife Dianne. They have two adult children.

2008 Election

He was elected in Nanaimo's 2008 municipal election

British Columbia municipal elections, 2008

Municipal elections were held in the Canadian province of British Columbia on November 15, 2008.The following is a list of mayoral races in selected municipalities.-Abbotsford:-Burnaby:-Campbell River:-Castlegar:-Central Saanich:-Chilliwack:...

 receiving 9032 out of 19539 votes compared to 6975 votes received by city councilor Diane Brennan. Incumbent candidate Gary Korpan received 3119 votes and Larry Iwaskow came in fourth place with 413 votes.

External links

• Campaign website