Born in and raised in Philadelphia, the Melamed family moved to Montreal. He arrived in Whistler in February of 1976, spending his winters working on Whistler Mountain.
Ken worked in the construction trades before starting his own artisan masonry company, Ken Melamed Stonework, which he folded after 15 successful years in order to focus on his duties as mayor.
He co-founded the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) and led the largest volunteer organisation in Whistler for six years as president. During that time they initiated municipal recycling, habitat protection, and environmental education.
In 1996 he was elected on council, a position he served for 3 terms, while still holding down his other jobs on the ski patrol and stonework.
From ’99-’02 during Ken’s second term on council, he guided the early Olympic engagement, which resulted in Guiding Principles and the Multi-Party Agreement. In the same period, Whistler undertook another bold initiative; the development of a strategic community shared long-term vision for Whistler. Whistler 2020 became the first Integrated Community Sustainability Plan of its kind in Canada and won the 2005 Liveable Communities Award as best in the world.
Ken served 2 terms as mayor from 2005-2011 championing Whistler 2020 and overseeing its implementation and integration across the community. He lead the community through the planning and hosting of the spectacularly successful Games.
Ken served as a director of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District for six years during his term as mayor.
Ken served on a number of panels, boards, and committees including the Premier’s Citizen’s Conservation Council on Climate Action, BC Mayors for Climate Action, the Fraser Basin Council, Smart Growth BC, and the coalition for a BC Endangered Species Act.
In six years on the Whistler Housing Authority he played a major role in turning the corner on the longstanding housing shortage in Whistler. Serving on the Development Corporation Board which built the Whistler Athletes’ Village, Ken helped ensure that the largest development project ever undertaken by the RMOW met the community’s goals for resident housing, green building, and smart design.
Ken has spoken about Whistler’s initiatives across Canada, Europe, and the US, actively promoting Whistler’s leadership in the areas of community visioning, collaborating for success, responsible tourism, strategic planning, and sustainability. Whistler is recognised for having achieved a high level of agreement on values and a shared vision which is a platform for partnership and collaboration and a key factor to its success.
Now out of politics, Ken is pursuing new ways to engage in building a better, more sustainable future.