ROTHENBURGER – Another candidate for mayor, and a council slate to come

THINGS ARE HEATING UP on the civic election scene. Yesterday, incumbent councillor Dale Bass, one of the more divisive voices at the table, announced she’ll run again and, today (May 8, 2026), a third candidate joined the mayoral race, with details to come. Plus, a slate calling itself “Team Kamloops” will be announced next week.

The new mayoral candidate, who will go up against incumbent councillor Mike O’Reilly and incumbent mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson for the top job, is Nelly Dever.

She was a councillor during the 2011-14 term, distinguishing herself for her push to get bigger paycheques for council members and for later leading opposition to the performing arts centre in 2015.

Dever’s announcement of her candidacy and of the slate was an announcement of an announcement, which will happen next Wednesday at the Jenn Casey memorial park.

Dever wrote she’ll be joined by a diverse group of community leaders and council candidates to launch an election campaign.

The group’s name — Team Kamloops. No hints of who will be on the slate other than herself as mayor. Details, she said, are embargoed until the official announcement.

As a councillor a dozen years ago, Dever had a knack for summarizing things with catchy phrases. When she spoke in favour of major increases in pay for council members, Dever advised her fellow council members to “suck it up and just do it.”

On the other hand, Dever became known for wanting to keep a tight rein on project spending. She opposed the $4.8 million purchase of the former Kamloops Daily News property on Seymour Street for a new performing arts centre, questioning the cost. After her defeat in 2014, she led a group called the PAC Not Yet Committee opposing approval of a $49 million loan to build the facility, saying it was too costly. The referendum that would have approved the loan was defeated.

(By the way, “Team Kamloops” is a name I initiated while I was mayor for a group of regional politicians to promote economic development. But, hey, a good name is worth using more than once.)

Meanwhile, Bass made the rounds of local media with her decision to run again for a council seat. She directed much of her concern at the provincial government for what she sees as a failure to support various municipal needs. And, she defended what some call the “hateful eight” council, telling CBC Daybreak’s Doug Herbert this morning “We are fantastic.”

So, we’ll have at least three candidates for mayor, and so far there are a half dozen candidates for councillor, with more to come. Bass’ fellow incumbent Nancy Bepple is ramping up her campaign, letting it be known this week she’s ready to start door-knocking, and that her brochures and business cards have arrived.

O’Reilly has been getting the jump on media, buying advertising in local outlets.

The other councillor candidates up till now are Rob Bertrand, Cindy Sonne, Nevin Webster and Joe Mauro. Bertrand, a tire shop manager, has a Facebook page going, pledging “accountability, hard work, real results.” Describes himself as “just a working guy.”

Cindy Sonne is a provincial government worker backed by Hamer-Jackson, Webster is a “social media personality,” and Mauro is a retired carpenter.

Solving crime and homelessness, and transparency and unity at City Hall, promise to be central issues in the campaign. The prospect of a slate adds interest, as it’s been tried before with mixed success. Who knows, maybe its time has come.

The campaign can be said to have truly gotten underway.

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 was 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.