ROTHENBURGER: Conflict rules for City councillors a case of ‘if it ain’t broke’
(Image: Mel Rothenburger)
CONFLICT OF INTEREST rules are something no politician wants to run afoul of. It can cost them their job. That’s why they tend to be extra-careful, even overly careful, about conflict situations.
At the same time, the public is distrustful of politicians and ever watchful of anything that might smack of a conflict.
A local Facebook forum called Politics Kamloops drew my attention this week to a proposal it has put forward on that very subject, and it’s worth discussing.
Politics Kamloops has been around for a couple of years and consists mostly of re-posted anti-Trudeau, anti-politician, right-wing material. I like these pages — Kamloops Discussion Nexus is another one — regardless of their political leanings because they bring a more rational discussion to issues than the usual social-media trolling.
The post to which I was alerted is original to the PK page and declares the need for better conflict-of-interest guidelines for City councillors. The author says the purpose of the proposal is “to avoid any future perceived conflicts.”
Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
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