SINGH – When elected officials wake up and candidates stand up

Arjun Singh.

I’ve met hundreds of local elected officials across the country, served with dozens of them, and have become good friends with a fair few of them. I have been so impressed by an overall ironclad commitment to the health and wealth of the people they represent.

Does this mean they won’t make mistakes? No. Does this mean you have to always agree with them? No. But it does mean, and I must emphasize this, that these are people with good intentions and with the desire to serve others.

So, I raise this dark question that almost never enters an elected officials head (whatever time of day) because recently I have been unfortunately doom scrolling through some really depressing Kamloops politics facebook groups. According to many of the posts, almost every elected official is corrupt and/or incompetent and/or hell bent on driving our beloved community into the ground.

I exaggerate, but only a little.  And I also don’t want to minimize legitimate strong frustrations and concerns with our local leaders. I likely will not vote for all the incumbent councillors running for reelection. I most likely will not vote for our current Mayor. But I don’t think those left out of my choices are bad people – quite the opposite in fact. I simply disagree with them on policy or their approach to council work.

Huge thanks to all the candidates in the civic elections, standing up, when few do, to serve. In the past couple of civic elections, about 25 to 30 people put their name forward on the ballot.

This will be the first civic election since 2005 where my name won’t be on the ballot. If candidates will indulge me, here are some thoughts for you from six civic election campaigns.
Campaigns can be tough and they can also be really enjoyable. People will sometimes doubt your good intentions, you should still hold on to them dearly.

It is such a wonderful experience to learn about our community, to listen to your fellow citizens, and to share your ideas and questions. Savour that. Kamloopsians are good people and so many people will open their minds (and sometimes even their hearts) to you.

There also will likely be some tough questions and people who will act selfishly. Prepare yourself the best you can, read up on city operations and community topics and opportunities, and don’t overpromise. If you don’t know an answer or haven’t given something a lot of thought, say that and commit to getting back to people when you have learnt more and thought further.

Give people your attention and also decide where your boundaries are if things get a bit much. I had someone who used to love calling at 11:30 p.m.

And remember the loudest voices and the most negative voices are not representative of the vast majority of us who wake up indeed wanting Kamloops to be a better place every day.

Arjun Singh is a former Kamloops City councillor and is currently the executive director of the Kamloops Local News Society, which publishes the Kamloops Chronicle. This column also appears in the September edition of the Chronicle. He can be contacted at info@kamloopschronicle.com.