File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Mayor of Kamloops

Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian will not run for re-election this fall

Feb 21, 2022 | 11:58 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian has announced he will not run for re-election in the 2022 municipal election.

Christian was first elected mayor in a 2017 by-election after his predecessor, Peter Milobar, stepped down to run in that year’s provincial election.

Christian was re-elected in the 2018 municipal vote, winning 87 per cent of the vote and defeating challenger William Turnbull.

In a news release issued Monday (Feb. 21), Christian says he is announcing his intentions now in order that any mayoral contenders this fall can have “a clear runway to organize and finance a solid campaign and vision for the future of Kamloops.”

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Christian goes on to say the last two years in office have been difficult due to the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. He says the toxicity of the discourse around elected officials has ramped up, but attributes that pointed rhetoric to the uncertainty of the time “rather than a reflection of who and what Kamloops is.”

Christian’s release thanks City of Kamloops employees and offers a re-commitment to his family as he steps away from public life after 29 years in various elected roles.

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