Image Credit: M. Rothenburger

By Mel Rothenburger

Armchair Mayor

ROTHENBURGER: The case for better gender balance in civic election slates

Apr 13, 2022 | 5:35 AM

THE CIVIC ELECTION in Kamloops continues to warm up with yesterday’s announcement by former councillor Nancy Bepple that she’ll be in the race for a council seat.

Based on the history of Kamloops elections in years when the incumbent mayor steps aside, we can expect three dozen names on the ballot for the eight council seats, and probably a half dozen for mayor.

It’s notable that all four candidates for mayor so far are men. Reid Hamer-Jackson, Arjun Singh, Ray Dhaliwal and Dieter Dudy each brings his own qualities to the race but a little more gender balance would be a good thing. Kamloops has had only one female mayor — Kenna Cartwright — in its history, though others have tried.

Some say women bring a different approach to politics, that they tend to be more co-operative, more responsive to the public’s needs. That sounds condescending to me but it doesn’t mean women lack strong leadership or are afraid of tough decisions. We need only look at Margaret Thatcher, Christie Clark, Jacinda Ardern, Cartwright or countless other capable female politicians to know that.

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Fact is, women make up half our population but total only a small percentage of our politicians. And that doesn’t include the current multiple-gender discussion.

With such a large number of candidates likely to run this year, voters will have their work cut out. While it’s good to have plenty of choice, the job of figuring out what all the candidates have to offer is going to be tough.

Voters will have to do their best to match the attributes of the candidates with their own views of what type of council the city needs.

Does Kamloops need experience, or new blood? What do candidates say about key issues? What’s their style, and their substance?

Such considerations have little to do with gender but a more balanced slate makes for a healthier democracy, and better decisions on who should lead.

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.