Where’s local leadership on the economy issue?

Today’s We Say editorial in The Daily News takes a strip off municipal politicians and they deserve it.

“Kamloops City Council, as well as candidates in the current civic election campaign, are missing in action on what promises to be the most important upcoming challenge to the community,” the editorial says. “The slowing economy should be front and centre at council meetings as well as candidates’ forums, but it is not.”

It says the current council has been asleep at the switch on the issue, apparently hoping it will go away. Candidates — veterans and newbies alike — haven’t come to the table with any significant ideas during the civic election campaign, either.

Mayoral candidate Peter Milobar has taken a Stephen Harperesque stay-the-course-and-don’t-screw-it-up approach. Murphy Kennedy challenges that approach but while he’s announced several policy ideas, none of them involves a comprehensive strategy on dealing with the sliding economy. Brian Alexander, likewise.

The editorial proposes a task force be called together immediately, one that would include homebuilders, realtors, manufacturers, the chamber of commerce, business improvement groups, industry, labour and retailers.

What could a task force do? What can we do locally about an economy that is determined by global factors?

In my view, a task force could, first of all, analyze the expectations for the Kamloops economy — what’s going to happen with jobs, consumer spending, housing prices, local investment capital, and so on. Secondly, it could agree on a strategy aimed at reducing the negative impacts on the local economy — a new marketing plan for the city, a buy-local campaign, business-attraction, a municipal tax-reduction strategy, for example.

First and foremost, how can we promote the Kamloops advantage — set ourselves apart from the others, and make it clear that our city remains a great place to live and work?

Many ideas might come forward that would prove impractical; many might be doable. We can rest on our laurels and talk about all the fine things we’re already doing, or we can recognize that a special challenge is heading our way and determine to take special measures.

Point is, civic leaders are supposed to lead. They’re supposed to come up with ideas. A large part of being a civic politician involves bringing people together. The fact that so little has been done on the economy issue during the past several weeks in council chambers or during the current election campaign suggests leadership might be in shorter supply than we’d like.