ISSUE 22 - A lot of West Coast flavour
Welcome to another issue of #munipoli Matters, where we discuss all about municipal elections and the often unreported area of local government across Canada and beyond.
Get ready for a heavily British Columbia-oriented series of stories to unpack this week, along with some stuff from one US state that caught my eye. Let’s get right to it.
Interior BC mayor not running again
The City of Kamloops will need a new mayor as incumbent Ken Christian announced he won't be running for another term. Christian was first elected mayor in a by-election after his predecessor, Peter Milobar, was elected to the BC legislature for the Kamloops-North Thompson riding during the 2017 provincial election.
Christian was reelected in 2018 for a four year term with 87% of the vote. He has spent a total of 37 years in either public health or elected roles, such as public health inspector, environmental health officer, school trustee, councillor as well as mayor.
“I am making this announcement now to allow those who would seek to become Mayor a clear runway to organize and finance a solid campaign and vision for the future of Kamloops,” Christian said in his press release. “I will not endorse nor become involved in the 2022 election except to correct the record should anyone misrepresent the work of this administration.
“The office of the Mayor is your office and who wills it will be your choice. Choose carefully.”
Such choices shouldn’t be lacking in this city of 97,000 residents, as names that have either announced they are running or could be running include:
Former councillor Ray Dhaliwal, who runs a lock and key business and served for one year on council, is running for mayor under a municipal slate called Action 22 Kamloops.
Current councillor Arjun Singh, who captured 59% of the vote in 2018, the most amongst the list of council candidates.
Councillor Dieter Dudy, who previously ran for mayor against Milobar in 2011.
Do British Columbia municipalities need wards?
An open letter from Kelowna resident Nicole Baer suggested that the city should start using electoral wards to elect councillors. In the city of some 144,000, city councillors are selected on an “at-large” basis, as voters rank their top choices for the eight council seats.
Virtually all of British Columbia’s major cities and towns use this method of electing councillors, from Chilliwack and Prince George to Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria. While this may work for smaller towns and villages, in more rapidly growing cities in Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland this system may not be as feasible or even representative of more diverse communities.
Under Mayor Colin Basran, Kelowna has experienced a 43% increase in the municipal workforce, and with it increased taxes. It would make more sense if strong, locally based representatives can speak on how such budget issues directly affect the communities they represent.
While Ms. Baer was mainly speaking about Kelowna; her words could also apply to other municipalities across BC.
“Dividing the city into geographic wards significantly simplifies the work of voters, which typically translates into more meaningful elections. Similarly, once installed in office, councillors elected at large need to know everything about every issue affecting the city, a depth of knowledge that will become increasingly unrealistic as our city continues to grow and develop.”
“Here (in Kelowna), a ward system would lead to better governance. A councillor elected in a specific ward can truly represent the interests of the people who live there — interests that might well differ from those of people in other areas of the city. That makes each councillor more knowledgeable, responsive and helpful to the citizens of his or her ward, and ultimately more accountable.”
Open mayoral race leads to speculation
Meanwhile on Vancouver Island, North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring says he will not be running for reelection. Siebring’s house has been put up on the market as he and his wife are planning to relocate to Alberta.
A former radio broadcaster and councillor since 2008, Siebring was elected mayor in 2018 by only 10 votes in a tight three way race. Names being bandied about to run for the open mayor’s job include former councillor Joyce Behnsen and former mayor Jon Lefebure, whom Siebring defeated for the job in 2018.
As he has apparently been very busy with his construction business, Lefebure seems unlikely to run again.
A new municipality in BC?
In British Columbia there are parts of the province that do not have traditional local government and are essentially unincorporated territory known as Electoral Areas. But according to a new study from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (see below image), there may be a new municipality coming soon.
The municipality would be called Sorrento-Blind Bay, carved out from Electoral Area C. But it’s not all good news for everybody, judging by this letter from a Blind Bay resident.
CSRD directors voted on March 2 to hold a referendum in an advisory committee and on March 17 the full board approved to have a referendum tentatively on April 30, which will have to be approved by the province.
If voters reject the incorporation of the Sorrento-Blind Bay municipality, Area C would then be divided into two smaller Electoral Areas, C1 and C2.
A municipal council would have to be elected if voters approve of the municipality in the referendum, which likely would happen during the October local government elections across municipal elections across BC.
Burnaby Teachers Association president to run for city council
The president of the Burnaby Teachers Association, Daniel Tetrault, is seeking a Burnaby City Council seat in the upcoming municipal elections, according to the Georgia Straight. He is also the son-in-law of former BC premier Glen Clark and is making housing one of his main issues.
“Burnaby had a reputation of demovictions and not looking after renters, and this plan provides support and policies for tenants who are facing displacement and other challenges,” Tetrault said. He will be seeking the nomination to run as part of the Burnaby Citizens Association, which currently has four councillors elected.
Current mayor Mike Hurley was elected in 2018 as an Independent defeating incumbent Derek Corrigan, who was the BCA’s candidate for mayor even though the party swept control of city council.
Colorado mayor uses unique way to figure out homelessness issue
Finally, I just wanted to highlight what I thought was a rather unique way for a politician to ‘gauge’ public opinion that went outside the norms of how an elected official usually did so.
In Aurora, Colorado, the city council voted 6-5 for an urban camping ban that will be used to justify dispersing homeless encampments. The ordinance was brought forward by Mayor Mike Coffman, who first proposed the idea of establishing a camping ban in October 2020.
During the end of that year, Coffman spent a week living anonymously on the streets of metro Denver; the mayor stayed in a shelter and also lived outdoors, where a camera crew filmed him in segments dubbed “Homeless Mike”.
The ordinance calls for banning encampments on public property and allowing city officials to sweep encampments after providing a minimum notice of 72 hours and ensuring that there is adequate shelter space available for encampment residents. Penalties for failing to abide by the ordinance could mean almost one year in jail and a $2600 fine.
While innovative, Coffman’s approach nevertheless received heavy criticism. Omer Cross, who identified himself as a homeless veteran living in Aurora, said “If you sweep me away, I’m going to die alone. Or you’re going to have your friends lock me up in jail. Is that what I deserve? Mr. Mayor, I officially challenge you for the title of mayor," Cross yelled, garnering a rebuke from the presiding officer.
Did Coffman just find the next challenger for his job?
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