Image: CFJC Today / File

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Kamloops voters choose change at the top, but Council maintains status quo

Oct 16, 2022 | 7:00 AM

Reporter Jessica Wallace tweeted “you could have heard a pin drop when the first polls came into City Hall last night.”

Businessman Reid Hamer-Jackson had the lead over the three incumbents who were trying to fill the chair left vacant when Ken Christian stepped down after a terrific job leading us through tough times.

But even with all the work on supportive housing, dealing with wildfire and flooding along with increasing crime, it was clear many Kamloops residents wanted more.

For most of the campaign, Hamer-Jackson spent a lot of his time pushing the need for more safety for residents. A crucial issue for sure, but one the Mayor hasn’t got much control over.

Hamer-Jackson maintained his lead right to the end. Dieter Dudy, considered the favourite by many going into the vote, was second, followed by Sadie Hunter, Arjun Singh and Ray Dhaliwal.

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Did the fact there were three current Council members splitting the vote in favour of the status quo help Hamer-Jackson to victory? Possibly, but the fact is, Reid got his people out.

I’m not sure I would call this a massive upset, but to many, it was a big surprise at the very least. And more so since the vote for Council members was almost the opposite.

Newcomer Katie Neustaeter led the polls, ahead of incumbents Bill Sarai and Mike O’Reilly. Businessman Kelly Hall, Margot Middleton, business owner and former head of Venture Kamloops, incumbent Dale Bass. chiropractor Stephen Karpuk and Nancy Bepple, who is back after a previous defeat at the polls, round things out.

Four women, four men, many divergent views and a variety of problems that need urgent attention.

There will be lots of chatter before the new Council is installed November 1st. We’ll find out pretty quickly whether or not the new Mayor has the ability to meld Council into a cohesive unit. I’m sure he realizes this, but selling consensus is a lot tougher than selling cars.

For School Trustee, no surprises. Anyone who didn’t expect John O’Fee to be at the top of the polls wasn’t paying attention. He has been one of the best trustees ever, and we’ve had some good ones. He tells me he’s going to keep a low profile. I hope that’s just a joke. Kathleen Karpuk and Heather Grieve provide experience and I’m really looking forward to see what Jo Kang and Cole Hickson will bring to the table. They certainly brought a lot of enthusiasm to a School Board race that is normally low-key.

Turnout was again pathetic, despite the introduction of mail-in ballots, more polling stations and more places for advance voting. With a 16 per cent increase in eligible voters over the last election, and concern about several serious issues, the turnout was unbelievably low. More on that in the days to come.

Let’s see what changes council makes in the next couple of years. There is real opportunity for change, if that’s what we want, but building a cohesive team that can effect that change may not be as easy in practice as it was on the campaign platforms.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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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.