PETERS: Opportunity cost is mounting for Kamloops council

Hamer-Jackson told Rothenburger he wouldn’t have participated even if he was in Kamloops, because he feels he should be leading these meetings, not someone selected by CAO David Trawin.

Regardless, it should be pretty well known by now that the mayor is on one planet and the rest of council is on another.

We don’t need to hear about his unusual behaviour unless that coverage makes clear what real impact it is having on the city’s operations and direction.

There is a concept in economics called “opportunity cost.” It refers to the potential benefit you miss out on by taking one path instead of another.

Right now, Kamloops council and administration are being forced into doing a lot of clean-up work due to the chaos Hurricane Hamer-Jackson leaves in his path.

As an example, council used part of this week’s team-building exercise to clarify and strengthen the terms of reference for the deputy mayor, knowing every month, the councillor in that role will be tasked with a lot of heavy lifting.

While council is spending so much time and energy on this, it’s falling behind on what it actually wants to do.

How is this group going to meaningfully address street issues, let alone move community plans forward and put together a budget, if every meeting is focused on the basics of group functioning?

How will other levels of government work with Kamloops if every month, they are liaising with a different deputy mayor because the full-time mayor is unreliable, unpredictable or unavailable?

This is the real cost of the gridlock at city hall and was the real risk of electing a neophyte so seemingly averse to teamwork.

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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 James Peters

PETERS: Opportunity cost is mounting for Kamloops council

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