What would you have done if you were the candidate?

May 3, 2017 | 4:53 AM

Sometimes we worry too much about what’s politically ethical and what’s not. Here are a couple of examples.

Imagine you’re the mayor of Kamloops. A former mayor, someone you knew for many years, passes away. The family asks you to speak on behalf of the City at his celebration of life.

But there’s a slight hitch: you are currently on leave from the mayor’s job because you’re running in the provincial election.

What would you do?

Say no?

Offer to speak as an individual and friend but not as mayor?

Ignore the leave-of-absence issue, allow yourself to be introduced as mayor, speak as mayor, offer condolences on behalf of the City, and present the grieving family with a City of Kamloops flag?

The latter, of course, is what Peter Milobar did with respect to the late John Dormer, a highly respected and popular past mayor whose service was held last weekend. This, I’m told, raised a few eyebrows after I mentioned it on my Armchair Mayor website as part of a report on the service.

Here’s another one — Fraser-Nicola NDP candidate Harry Lali reportedly has his shirt in a knot over a campaign event being held tonight by his Liberal opponent at which pizza will be served. He wonders whether it’s against the rules.

Naturally, we have to be careful about such things, but I don’t know anyone whose vote can be bought with a slice of pizza, so maybe Mr. Lali should lighten up.

Back to candidate Milobar, let’s consider this:

Neither the Community Charter nor the Local Government Act says what a mayor can or can’t do when on leave.

He certainly didn’t do what he did to court votes — John Dormer was a long-time BC Liberal organizer and I’d suggest most of those in attendance weren’t in the ‘undecided’ category.

If candidate Milobar committed any sort of infraction, I’d say that in view of the occasion, it was still the “right” thing to do.

But that’s just me. Since I asked you the question, what would you have done?

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.