EDITORIAL – O’Reilly’s mayoral candidacy sets up year-long campaign

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

SO MIKE O’REILLY is going to run for mayor. His announcement today (Oct. 2, 2025) is hardly a surprise, as he’s been widely expected to be a candidate.

The only curious thing is that it has come so early, more than a year before the next civic election. His motive for coming out so far in advance may be to discourage competition from others with similar ambitions.

O’Reilly told the media today he has spoken to other City councillors, giving them the heads up, so the question will be whether than means they’re going to stand aside and give him a clear path. Coun. Katie Neustaeter, for example, has also long been speculated at having her eye on the City’s top job.

Regardless, there’s going to be an election, and it will be exciting. Former councillor and previous mayoral hopeful Dieter Dudy hasn’t ruled out running for council again, possibly as mayor, and incumbent Reid Hamer-Jackson has confirmed he definitely intends to be on the ballot again.

Without doubt, others who have previously been on council, and several who have not yet served, will join the fray. It could very well result in a vote-splitting situation similar to the 2022 election. It sets up a classic confrontation, though, between Hamer-Jackson and O’Reilly, who have been at odds since the current council took office.

O’Reilly, in fact, has been one of Hamer-Jackson’s main detractors, frequently criticizing him in the media and during council meetings. It might be a smart move to focus on hot button issues such as street disorder and homelessness, as he indicated today, since those have already been the Number One target espoused by Hamer-Jackson.

But Hamer-Jackson’s efforts on that file have been constantly stymied by the council, and O’Reilly has been at the forefront of that obstruction. So, when he says a new approach is needed, what new can he offer that hasn’t already been put on the table? And he’ll have to answer the question of why he hasn’t done so already.

And while he can certainly regurgitate old grievances against Hamer-Jackson, O’Reilly has had a few controversies of his own, as well as his own detractors. The campaign could become an extension of the animosity that regularly makes the headlines. In the meantime, everything he says from this point on will be judged as to whether it’s motivated by his quest for the mayoralty.

Bottom line: this election, though a long way off, instantly shapes up to be a vindication of Hamer-Jackson’s style and aspirations, or a signal that change is needed. And getting to that decision might not be pleasant.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.