That was quite the year, wasn’t it?

Armchair Mayor column, The Kamloops Daily News, Jan. 2, 2010

Well, wasn’t that quite the year? There were natural disasters, political intrigue, and open warfare — and that was just in City council meetings.

Outside of council chambers we had another bad fire season, a provincial election, discord in Copenhagen, death in Afghanistan, and — the really bad news — more Stephen Harper.

In my second (or is it 22nd?) annual edition of the Armchair Mayor Awards, I give you my list of those locals who warrant recognition, for the best or worst of reasons, for who they were and what they did in 2009:

Newsmaker of the Year — Kathleen Scherf, the going-concern president of Thompson Rivers University who was supposed to bring a new sense of energy and personality to the local institution of higher learning. Instead, she was turfed amid stories about her sometimes-questionable turn of phrase and the lack of teamwork in upper administration.

Story of the Year — Last year’s top Newsmaker, Allan Schoenborn, switches categories with his weeks-long trial — and some of the most disturbing evidence ever heard in a judicial proceeding, becoming the Number One story. Never in our lifetimes have we listened to such sad, outrageous stuff; may we never have to hear it again. Silver medal goes to the never-ending story of school cutbacks, with the Juliette Bombardier tragedy worthy of consideration.

Worst Dressed Politician of the Year — Hands down, no question, Chief Shane Gottfriedson. No matter what the event, no matter how formal or important it might be, the man walks in, sometimes late, looking like he’s just come in from doing chores. The only thing less organized than his outfits are his speeches. C’mon, Chief, being casual has its place, but there’s nothing wrong with demonstrating some respect for the occasion. Second place goes to the rest of our local politicians.

Business Story of the Year — Sedric’s theme park was announced with much fanfare at a press conference last spring, and it’s been generally downhill from there. The multi-million-dollar project has failed to get off the ground and is currently mired in internal disputes. Tom Aubrey, the point man, assures all that an overdue bill for promotional services will be paid and that just as soon as finances are arranged and badgers are evicted from the KIB property on which the thing will be built, all will be copasetic. Meanwhile, award-winning builder Doug Wittal, another of the principals, is staying low-key. He’s probably the most credible part of the project right now and I expect he’ll have to take a more high-profile role. Either that, or he’ll find a way to extricate himself entirely.

Embarrassing Moment of the Year — This one has to go to James McLeod, the cheeky son of MP Cathy McLeod. “Your mother will be so proud,” TRU chancellor Nancy Greene told him as he came onstage during convocation ceremonies. At which point he dropped ‘em and mooned the audience for what one grad described as “shakin’ it for 10 seconds.” What did mom think? “I was not amused,” commented the rookie MP. ‘Nuff said. Second place in this category goes to the two TRU administrators who were caught with their hands in a Prada bag, prompting a review of the university’s policy on accepting gifts.

Human Interest Story of the Year — Possibly the most contested category of 2009, I award this one to Lou the Cat in a squeaker. Lou miraculously survived a Cherry Creek barn fire and showed up days later horribly burned but purring. Lou the barn cat is now a house cat and doing fine, though he’s not much of a looker. In second place is the story of Tony and Judy Smith, who built their own log cabin in the woods. Trouble was, the woods belonged to government, and they were evicted. Abby the dog of Aberdeen was a late entry but came on strong to pick up quite a few votes (that is, if there had been votes).

Entertainment Story of the Year — After many successful years of bringing in top-rank C and W performers for an annual summer weekend whoopup, the Merritt Mountain Music Festival folded its tent. Then, the event was on again. Then it was off again. Then it was on again. Maybe. I’ve lost track; hopefully, the public won’t totally lose interest and go elsewhere.

Most Mishandled Crisis (Or Was It?) of the Year — Ha, you were wondering if I was going to forget H1N1, weren’t you? After dire warnings and an astounding level of disorganization, the government finally got its vaccine and the health-care system finally got everyone vaccinated. That is, after thousands spent a lot of time standing around in lineups waiting for Christmas and their shots. And now, there’s a bunch of the stuff left over. Could have been Story of the Year but I’m not sure if it would win for being an actual crisis, or for not being one.

Welcome to 2010.