BY-ELECTION – Nominations close, six in running for mayor, 22 for City council
Six candidates are in the running for the mayor’s job and 22 for two vacant City council seats as nominations closed at 4 p.m. today (Friday, Aug. 25, 2017) for the Sept. 30 by-election.
The vacancy in the mayor’s chair was created when Peter Milobar quit to make a successful bid as a BC Liberal in the May provincial election to represent the Kamloops-North Thompson riding.
Two council seats came open when Marg Spina resigned for health reasons and Ken Christian stepped down so he could run for mayor.
Several last-day filers boosted the number of candidates. One of them was former MLA Kevin Krueger, who held several cabinet posts before leaving provincial politics in 2013.
Among others filing today were mayoral candidates Glenn Hilke and Mike McKenzie, and council candidates Nancy Bepple (a former councilor who announced her candidacy a few days ago but hadn’t filed yet), Ashlee Hudie and Jim Johal.
Reo Rocheleau, who had said he would run for mayor, did not file nomination papers.
Successful candidates will serve until the next general civic election Oct. 20, 2018. Those listed as having filed nomination papers are:
Running for Mayor
Running for Councillor
- Jennifer Dawn ADAMS
- Nicholas ADAMS
- Nancy BEPPLE
- Jesse BOCHEK
- Ray DHALIWAL
- Jon EADIE
- Dennis GIESBRECHT
- Ashlee HUDIE
- Sadie HUNTER
- Jim JOHAL
- Stephen KARPUK
- Caroline KING
- Kevin KRUEGER
- Leslie LAX
- Jeanne MARR
- Jim MICHALS
- Barbara M. MORIN
- Bill SARAI
- Tracy SCHMIDT
- Brad SERL
- Kathy SINCLAIR
- Gerald Kenyon WATSON
Details on nomination papers are available by clicking on the name of each candidate.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Why are so many people running for Mayor and Council? This is a question many people must be asking, and I bet the Armchair Mayor himself is crafting an editorial on the subject (I seem to think very similarly to Mr. Armchair, for better or for worse, excepting statue removal, which I wholeheartedly support. DOWN WITH JOHN A.! But I digress…)
People I ask about the unwieldy slate say, “everyone must really be disgruntled with the was City Hall is run.” I don’t think that is the case. Rather, I think Kamloopsians are seeing a Council that looks like a lot of fun to be a part of, and that a shift to “bigger and better” is just around the corner. Sure, there are some operational facets that need streamlining (like Pierre F. and Bill Mc are proposing). But I think people feel that change and growth is in the making, and want to be a part of it. I sure did.
In addition, seeing so many names makes me think, “Kamloops is very diverse.” Apparently, every single person who is stepping forward feels he or she is not represented by any of the current council or official candidates. Personally, I look at the list of Council candidates and see at least six whom I feel could do a super job. Likewise, I look at Hilke , McKenzi, and McQuarrie, and I see they share generally similar progressive thrusts, and I share a lot of their views.
Which brings me to the conundrum: is Kamloops diverse or seriously divided? Why do so many people feel that no one whose name has come forward could do the job, and instead feel the need to step up themselves? I have to confess I was surprised Caroline King did not declare immediately, as she is only one with a distinctive platform (I disagree with it vehemently, but there is a unique voice there). I suppose what I am saying in a roundabout way is for all potential candidates to seriously consider the other candidates running. Would it be better for Kamloops as a whole for you to not run as a candidate but instead step in to support someone who shares your view but perhaps has better name recognition or experience. I am not trying to dissuade democracy; rather, I am trying to encourage cooperative democracy.
The long list also makes one ponder the merits of a Ward System again or perhaps even a party system. I personally don’t go for partisan politics, but this by-election — and it is only a by-election for one year! — will be alphabet soup to many voters.
Why so many running? $ 40,000 for (almost) nothing…that seems the case with presently…so cynical or brutally truthful?
Truthfully (again) I just don’t see a “fighter” among the group, except for McQuarrie.
To bad, no females running for the office of mayor. Going to be a lot of split votes. However, if you are running for the next election, you probably won’t mind.