EDITORIAL – Voters deserve a choice for mayor, including Reid Hamer-Jackson

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

DIETER DUDY, the former Kamloops City councillor and two-time mayoral candidate, stirred up some lively online conversation this week by asking Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson — in a sort of open letter to him — not to run again.

“At some point even you would have to admit that yours has been a failed experiment,” he wrote, in part. “I ask you with complete respect, consider community over self. Don’t! Please don’t run again. Allow this city to receive the leadership it deserves.”

That’s a very interesting position to take. Hamer-Jackson has a strong, faithful following. Whether it’s big enough to get him re-elected is hard to say, because he has a lot of detractors too.

But what Dudy proposes is that voters be deprived of making a choice. He wants those who support the incumbent mayor to be disenfranchised. That’s not what our democratic municipal election system is supposed to be about. It’s supposed to be about candidates putting forward their credentials and ideas and letting voters compare them with what the other candidates have to say.

It’s not about discouraging somebody from running just because you happen to disagree with their policies, their demeanour or their record. Dudy followed up his initial post with another one commenting on a response he received saying he, Dudy, is no longer relevant to the local political scene. He promised to take the comment seriously and to think about it.

Dudy hasn’t yet decided whether or not to take another swing at election either as a councillor or as mayor. It’s up to him to decide if he’s still relevant and should run again, and up to the voters to decided if he’s someone they want to see on council. Nobody should tell him whether or not he should run.

As for the mayoral race, let this be a referendum on the last four years. If people like Hamer-Jackson for his principles and his style, he deserves another chance. If not, the question of whether or not it’s time for a change will be answered.

It’s not for Dieter Dudy or anyone else to dictate — or even politely ask — whether the incumbent mayor should run.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, writes for the Kamloops Chronicle 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.