By Plain Rhetoric

Politics can be a cold, hard, cruel world

Sep 18, 2018 | 5:00 AM

IN LAST WEEK’S COLUMN, Councillor Sinclair took me to task for not mentioning what a great job she was doing responding to emails and phone calls. Previous to that, she was complaining about how busy she was and that I hadn’t given her enough time over the July 1st long weekend to respond to a question.

I realize the life of a city politician can be busy, but one must not lose sight of the fact the she and other politicians wanted the job. In fact they wanted it so badly, they were willing – as they are right now – to campaign 24/7 and spend thousands of dollars fighting long and hard to get it. It’s what they signed up for and having little personal time and taking public criticism are part and parcel of the job.

Reassurance and validation are not the job of a political scribe; that’s for family and close friends. On the other hand, when departments or politicians have exceeded expectations or performed at levels beyond the job description, then we have a story.

An earlier column of mine on Venture Kamloops is a case in point. I went into the story expecting to find wasteful and misdirected spending and came away with a new appreciation for some of the exceptional work they are doing.

However, despite Ms. Sinclair’s assertions, answering emails and returning phone calls are not exceptional but simply what it is expected. On the other hand, it is when what is expected doesn’t happen and the public is impacted in a negative way that it does become a story.

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Adding some perspective, though, it is election time, nerves are frayed and the pressure is on for all candidates. It’s a stress-filled time for those willing to put themselves out there, especially if you are new to politics. I’ve done it, been on the receiving end of criticism and suffered the short-term discomfort and ego hit of an unsuccessful run.

As a result, I do know and do empathize with what candidates are going through and do my best to ignore the unintentional and minor faux pas that comes with the pressures of election time.

However, readers do expect me to write about issues, not fluff pieces. Balance is expected too, such as last week’s piece where I noted the issues were not representative of all public interactions between council and residents.

Accountability is always there and often happens through the comments section. In fact, there are times when you show me no mercy — but then I’d be nervous if everyone agreed with what I wrote.

Your comments are actually a very crucial part of every column as they encourage discussion and the exchange of ideas. And what the heck, even a little venting can help get your Tuesday morning off to a good start.

I have a secret, though (and this is just between you and me, so don’t tell anyone else): some of that online commentary and discussion has actually changed my mind on a few issues. It might even have gone as far as broadening my awareness and knowledge on a particular subject and I appreciate that.

However, if you are looking for reassurance, then the job of politics is probably not for you. But there’s always hope because even though it took years to happen, I actually have written nice columns about Councillor Lange and even my ex-mayoralty opponent, Mayor Christian.