EDITORIAL – Where, oh where, is that one good man or woman to lead city?

Posted on August 9, 2017 in Editorials, Page One, Rothenburger // 4 Comments

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat…

— William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

THE UNFORTUNATE withdrawal of Dr. Cynthia Ross Friedman — for family health reasons — from the mayoral race leaves civic politics in Kamloops in a bit of a pickle, for at this point the by-election is set to become nothing more than a coronation for Ken Christian, and that’s not a good thing.

Nothing against Ken, but without a serious opponent (and nothing against the other two guys in the race, either, but let’s face it, they can’t win) the local democratic process will be short-changed.

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mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca

About Mel Rothenburger (11804 Articles)

ArmchairMayor.ca is a forum about Kamloops and the world. It has more than one million views. Mel Rothenburger is the former Editor of The Daily News in Kamloops, B.C. (retiring in 2012), and past mayor of Kamloops (1999-2005). At ArmchairMayor.ca he is the publisher, editor, news editor, city editor, reporter, webmaster, and just about anything else you can think of. He is grateful for the contributions of several local columnists. This blog doesn't require a subscription but gratefully accepts donations to help defray costs.

4 Comments on EDITORIAL – Where, oh where, is that one good man or woman to lead city?

John Noakes // August 10, 2017 at 8:10 AM // Reply

Mel, it is too bad that running for public office does come with such a high price tag. That in itself can lead to “difficulties” down the road if ever a supporter feels there is a payback expected for campaign donations.
Even with the remuneration level that comes with the Mayor’s chair, why would anyone invest $30K of their own money to run for Mayor, especially for a one year term?
This, more than anything else, can put a stumbling block in the way of someone who may be a very capable “people person” and would make a good Mayor who is seen as a person who represents the fabric of a city.
That is why we see the status quo and that is why we will end up with a Mayor whose name is well known and why that “good woman or man” will not let her or his name stand to run for Mayor.
Cindy would have made a great Mayor, in my opinion.

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Pierre Filisetti // August 9, 2017 at 8:57 AM // Reply

Any progressive people are not interested in having their name slandered in the local press, hence please enjoy the nothingness of Christian and others like him who will uphold the tradition of…”nothingness”!

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- Mel Rothenburger // August 9, 2017 at 9:15 AM // Reply
  
  Being able to deal with the media is a prerequisite for running for public office. Some go to war with the media; some use it effectively.
  
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  - Pierre Filisetti // August 9, 2017 at 9:41 AM //
    
    For a truly progressive politician, it would be a full time job just fending off the local mouth pieces. Who would want to do that?
    
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