Image Credit: M. Rothenburger

By Mel Rothenburger

Armchair Mayor

ROTHENBURGER: Time for the keyboard critics to put up, shut up, or run

Feb 23, 2022 | 4:28 AM

ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS people run for public office is that they think they can do a better job than the people who are already there.

Or, at the least, they believe they have the qualifications, experience, vision and time to make their community a good place to live and work.

If you are among them, here’s your chance. Municipal voters will go to the polls this coming October to pick a new City council and there’s going to be at least one vacancy — Mayor Ken Christian has announced he won’t run again.

If you’re not all that familiar with the job, it pays about $100,000 a year for a 50- to 60-hour week and comes with a parking space and all the abuse you can handle. If this appeals to you, start saving and collecting donations — you’ll need $30,000 or so to run an effective campaign.

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If you’d rather get some experience under your belt before moving up to the top job, you can run for one of the eight spots as councillor.

It would be a good idea to put some thought into your platform before you declare your intentions. The keyboard critics — maybe you’re even one of them — will have lots of ideas for you.

Homelessness, housing, drug addictions and crime (which are all inter-related) are certain to be major topics once the campaign gets underway, which will be any time now. And then there’s the matter of the performing arts centre, which may or not come up as a referendum. But don’t let the bread-and-butter civic issues like potholes and bus service and plastic bags and such escape your attention.

It’s easy to criticize and to demand that City legislators “do something” about such things but what is the “something” you would do about them? I mean real, practical, creative solutions.

It’s your chance to be more than a complainer, and become a doer.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, 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.