ROTHENBURGER – How about we tell drop-in politicians to stay home?

Posted on August 11, 2018 in Armchair Mayor, Page One, Rothenburger // 4 Comments

Jagmeet Singh. (Image: Facebook)

AS LONG AS WE’RE TALKING about electoral reform, how about we do something about drop-in politicians?

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has announced he’ll run in a by-election in the Burnaby South riding. Singh lives in Toronto.

That riding is being vacated by NDP MP Kennedy Stewart. He lives in downtown Vancouver, and he wants to be a mayor, But instead of running for mayor of Burnaby, he plans to run for the mayoralty of Vancouver in the upcoming civic elections.

At least he’s going home. (He used to be the MP for Vancouver Centre but when he lost this seat there, he moved next door to Burnaby, politically that is.)

Whatever happened to living in the place you represent?

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops, former school board chair, former editor of The Kamloops Daily News, and a current director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He was awarded the Jack Webster Foundation’s lifetime achievement award in 2011. His editorials are published Monday through Thursdays, and Saturdays on CFJC Today, CFJC Midday and CFJC Evening News. Contact him at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Jagmeet Singh

About Mel Rothenburger (9358 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 ROTHENBURGER – How about we tell drop-in politicians to stay home?

Grouchy 1 // August 13, 2018 at 4:15 PM // Reply

I don’t think that politicians should be allowed to just ” drop in ” , and run for a seat either. In Singh’s situation, I think he knows he most likely won’t be elected elsewhere, and he was shopping for what looked to be an easy seat.
Cynthia Friedman // August 11, 2018 at 3:59 PM // Reply

I posted my previous pro-Ward system comment on James Peters’ story before I read this article.

But I still think Kamloops is ready for the ward system. It is a geographically large city with a decently similar population across the city (excepting of course very dense or sparse regions, which could be accommodated by proper boundaries). The city itself has a very “city-like” population size. Too many non-“core” Tournament Capital residents have longingly eyed Downtown Kamloops in similar fashion to how Kamloopsians as a whole glare jealously at Vancouver’s bridge network while staring wistfully at the Singh Street bridge pillars…
- Grouchy 1 // August 13, 2018 at 4:10 PM // Reply
  
  This has nothing to do with the city , and a ” ward ” system Cynthia. Me thinks you are confused.
Ross Lowndes // August 11, 2018 at 10:00 AM // Reply

So milobar can stay on south side