ROTHENBURGER: Canada Day Ray ’90 per cent’ ready to kick off run for mayor

So, even if Christian decides to run for another term, Dhaliwal is going to be a challenger.

The popular businessman and former councillor has never made any bones about wanting the job. “Canada Day Ray,” as MLA Todd Stone once nicknamed him, is best known for his presidency of the Kamloops Multicultural Society and his incredible work putting together the annual July 1 celebrations at Riverside Park.

However, he dipped a toe into civic politics in the 2017 byelection, blowing past Bill Sarai, Sadie Hunter and a few others to take one of the two available spots along with Kathy Sinclair. He decided to leave his name on the ballot for the general election the next year but finished ninth, barely out of the running behind both Sarai and Hunter.

The fact he was the lowest spender in the campaign undoubtedly affected the outcome — he spent a miserly $199.50, the lowest of all 21 candidates. Sarai, who beat him by 800 votes, spent close to $13,000, and Hunter, who came in seventh, spent about $7,600.

Truth is, Dhaliwal had his eye on the future, which included getting his two businesses to the point he could put the time into the mayor’s job, and he said even back then he was looking to 2022 to do it.

He’ll certainly have competition, not the least of whom is likely to be Arjun Singh, who says it’s way too early to be thinking about it but does acknowledge that Christian’s decision might be a factor.

In my view, the moon would have to fall from the sky for the poll-topping, social media savvy Singh not to run for mayor if Christian does bow out.

Others, no doubt, would jump in as well. Names like Dieter Dudy (who has run for mayor before and almost won) and Mike O’Reilly come up in conversations but at this point it’s all speculation.

Singh vs. Dhaliwal or Dhaliwal vs. Christian would both be good contests — it’s been quite some time since there was a mayoralty campaign that included at least two candidates with really strong community profiles.

Trying to apply science to the question of who all will run for mayor or who would win is a fool’s game, though, even though a fun one. Very little ever adds up. Doing well in one political venue is no guarantee you’ll do well in another. Several past incumbent councillors have tried and failed.

Even experience in senior levels of government is no guarantee, and vice versa. Betty Hinton couldn’t get elected to City council but, party politics being what it is, later defeated 20-year MP Nelson Riis and went off the Ottawa.

Long-time former MLA Kevin Krueger lost in his bid for a City council seat in 2018.

And, of course, two-term former councillor Nancy Bepple ran provincially for the NDP, and Sadie Hunter came a very close second in the last provincial election. She, too, ran for the NDP, which is much stronger in Peter Milobar’s Kamloops-North Thompson riding than in Kamloops-South.

One thing seems certain — party politics will be involved in the election for mayor in 2022, though not officially. The local Liberal machine would certainly back Christian again — he’s a BC Liberal supporter — if he stays in it.

If he steps aside, the Libs will probably be looking for a successor first among incumbents. It’s of note that Todd Stone endorsed O’Reilly for council in 2018 with his “full support.”

The absence of a likely female mayoral contender is a little troubling, and here’s hoping at least one comes forward.

It’s not easy running for mayor. You need a war chest of around $35,000 or more, plus an experienced campaign manager and committee, a lot of energetic volunteers, a top-notch social media strategy, plenty of signs and a strong arm for knocking on doors.

There are two views on when to announce. One is that by announcing early, you get your name repeated every time the media do a story about the election, building recognition. And you get a jump on campaigning. The other is that announcing close to election time puts your name and candidacy top of mind as voters go to the polls.

Though Dhaliwal isn’t 100 per cent confirmed yet, 90 per cent is pretty close and he’s obviously thinking way ahead. We’re probably a year away from when other candidates begin letting their intentions be known but, in the meantime, we know we’ve got a race.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Mel Rothenburger

ROTHENBURGER: Canada Day Ray ’90 per cent’ ready to kick off run for mayor

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