EDITORIAL – What Kamloops needs is One Big Forum for the civic election

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

WHAT KAMLOOPS NEEDS right now is a good old fashioned town hall-style election forum.

A few forums are being planned but they don’t quite fit the bill. The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce and Castanet are teaming up for livestreamed forums on Wednesday beginning at 9 a.m. for councillors and 6 p.m. for mayoral candidates. But, while voters can sit in if they register, they can’t ask questions. Each candidate will be asked the same set of questions determined by the co-sponsors.

A “Kamloops Seniors’ Election Forum” will be held this Thursday at the Mount Paul Community Food Centre, 140 Laburnum St., at 3:30 p.m.. Coun. Nancy Bepple has organized that one. It’s more like a traditional forum, with people encouraged to bring questions about issues that affect seniors.

This Saturday, the Kamloops Farmers’ Market will host a forum between 10 a.m. and noon for candidates for council seats. The market will hold a forum for mayoral candidates, again at 10 a.m., on Saturday. Oct. 3. Questions from the public will be allowed at that one — it comes closest to being a truly open forum but the turnout is usually modest.

For those interested in school board elections, the School District 73 Parent Advisory Council will host a forum at the Henry Grube Education Centre at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

And, of course, various special interest groups will be sending out questionnaires to candidates and publishing the results. So, yes, there are opportunities for voters to learn about the candidates.

But, there’s nothing like a big, wide-open forum in a major venue such as the TRU Grand Hall on an evening when everybody who wants to can attend and speak directly to the candidates who want to be councillors or the next mayor.

Certainly, the large number of candidates is a challenge but it could be managed in a number of ways. First, split it into two forums — one for mayor and one for council — as the Farmers’ Market is doing.

Focus on questions and answers, not on rambling statements from candidates. Limit candidates’ introductory remarks to 15 seconds — yes, 15 seconds (we can read bios on their Facebook pages and websites) — apiece and turn it over to the audience. Use the challenge system, whereby each candidate gets a limited number of chances to chime in on comments/ answers by other candidates.

A good moderator can maintain control, as has been demonstrated in past years.

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson wants the City to stage a big forum but there are other obvious potential hosts, including the media. In the old days, local media used to set aside their competitive instincts to organize and co-host such forums.

There are lots of service clubs who could do the same thing. Maybe a few candidates could even get together and do it.

Whoever it is, both the candidates and the voters deserve an opportunity to engage in One Big Forum.

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.