EDITORIAL – Getting a KDLC endorsement isn’t necessarily a plus

 An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

SOME BAD NEWS arrived this past weekend for several candidates in the Kamloops civic election — the Kamloops District Labour Council endorsed them. Okay, maybe not the worst news, but while A KDLC endorsement might not be the kiss of death, there’s no evidence it does anyone any good. In 2014, for example, the council endorsed five candidates. One of them, Dieter Dudy, was elected, and I strongly doubt it had anything to do with being endorsed by the KDLC.

In 2018, labour endorsed five candidates. Two were elected.

In 2022, it endorsed 12, including one for mayor. The mayoralty pick polled poorly. Of seven picks for councillors, three were elected. The exception to this less than stellar record was in the school board election, where all four of its school board choices for City seats meeting with success.

Overall, that’s a losing record. No study has ever been done, to my knowledge, of whether voter intentions were influenced one way other another by KDLC endorsements. While these endorsements may or may not encourage union members to support endorsees, non-unionists may view them as being tarred with a lefty brush, and shy away.

For the record, this year’s KDLC endorsements go to Jo Kang for school trustee, Randy Sunderman, Brian Andrews, Kathrine Blair-Wunderlich, Christopher Metra, Jesse Ritcey, Rob Bertrand and Bill Sarai for council, and Nelly Dever for mayor.

They’re based on surveys filled out by candidates. Some have obvious labour ties, like Balir-Wunderlich, Andrews and Sarai. The latter, of course, has a badly blemished record but was a 31-year postie and CUPW member.

It’s doubtful, as I’ve written before, that endorsements from anyone help anyone. I’ve endorsed candidates on occasion and none of them was ever elected. I like to tell the story of the federal candidate I endorsed. He lost.

With that in mind, a provincial candidate later begged me not to endorse him. I didn’t, and he won.

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.