Powering up with Watt

Looking back over the past four years, the brightest light on Penticton city council was Campbell Watt, one of four rookies elected in the unofficial “Time for Change” push of 2014.

He’s the one member of council who, in my opinion, deserves to be re-elected.

A mortgate broker and former assistant professional at the Penticton Golf and Country Club, Watt ran a strong second in what was his first bid at public office. He brought an impressive resume to the table as president of both the Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Penticton Association. He sat on two city committees — downtown revite and economic development.

Although sheepish at first, he quickly became an effective councillor.

Watt deserves credit for calling a special meeting at Day 29 following the approval of the Skaha Lake Park waterslide. Courageously, he made a motion to reconsider (there’s a 30day time period). He was polite and respectful and told fellow councillors that it could very well be a good idea, but there was still uncertainty about several aspects of the project, not to mention a backlash by 76 per cent of Penticton residents (Oraclepoll).

His motion was defeated 6-1. Had council listened to Watt, it would have saved the city $200,000, plus legal fees, staff time, and a whole lot of hard feelings.

Council also voted itself a raise in the form of extended medical and dental benefits, something Oliver council turned down. (Kelowna, three times the size of Penticton, offers this package to the mayor only.) Watt, who does not have benefits through his place of employment, not only voted “no” to all three motions, he hasn’t accepted the city’s package. It’s a little thing, I realize, but shows his respect for the taxpayer.

If he had he run for mayor, he would have won.

He’s taking nothing for granted and is campaigning harder this time than he did in 2014. When incumbents — even those who are a shoo-in — don’t campaign, it insults the voter. Exhibit A: Ron Cannan in Kelowna-Lake Country, one of Canada’s safest Conservative ridings outside of Alberta.

This could hurt Max Picton. The man who topped the polls in 2014 has been AWOL for much of the campaign. He skipped several candidate events, ignored emails from legitimate groups, and he’s been inactive on social media. At The Herald forum, he literally froze when asked to elaborate on a statement he made in his opening remarks.

My guess is on Saturday, Watt, Frank Regehr and Jake Kimberley are going to be elected. The next three of six spots are a toss-up.

Incumbent Judy Sentes, I think, is on the bubble. Traditionally, at least one incumbent gets turfed (Katie Robinson, 2014; Mike Pearce, 2011, Joanne Grimaldi, 2008, several in 2005 and 2002.) Sentes has a good record of attending community and civic events, but many citizens are displeased with her voting record.

My guess is Skaha Lake Park will be an issue (hence why Jake will be elected). Thousands of people signed multiple petitions, including one for a recall, and I doubt they will forget. This wasn’t the only contentious issue over the past four years. Failing to take an LED lighting contract for the SOEC to proper tender was abominable.

But, the two incumbents are legitimate candidates. Without mentioning any names, there are at least five who don’t deserve to be on the ballot because they clearly don’t understand what’s involved with being a candidate.

In order to get elected, you’re held captive by the public for 29 days — emails, pesky journalists, candidate forums, learning the issues, more emails, walking up and down the market on Saturday morning. It’s exhausting, but necessary.

Of the people on the ballot, I’m willing to give Julius Bloomfield a try. He was the best mayor Penticton never had, losing by 147 votes to Dan Ashton in 2011. Bloomfield is a bright guy who brings experience in both real estate and hospitality. Through his work with the Green party, he resonates well with the younger generation.

And I’d have to go with Lynn Kelsey, for no other reason than her incredible effort. She attended more public meetings than Coun. Tarik Sayeed and even lasted until 12:45 a.m. on the night of a seven-hour filibuster. She’s involved, serving on city committees and reaching out in the community. Three could be a charm.

As for the school board, I encourage everyone to elect some new faces. Incumbents have had their turn. Of the new people running in Penticton, I believe Dan Walton could be the game changer. As the youngest school board candidate in the valley, he will be able to connect more with students. His suggestion to have later bell times for high school is a good one. Progressive school boards in the U.S. understand that a teenager’s biological clock is different.

Kudos to Laurie Darcus, Penticton’s chief election officer. She’s working day and night to assure voters have a fair and well-organized election. Her efforts don’t go unnoticed. Also, critics of Elvena Slump and Hannah Hyland often say they just complain, but never offer to be part of the solution. That’s not the case. They too (along with others) have been working tirelessly as advance scrutineers, assuring a fair election. Their presence has been welcomed by city hall staff.

Summerland is going to be interesting. Two councillors — Toni Boot and Janet Peake — are fighting head to head to be the next mayor. It’s too close to call and will go down to who’s able to get their supporters out to vote. I think the four present councillors seeking re-election will all get re-elected, along with Marty Van Alphen, tossed in 2014 in the Summerland Sweep. A council with Boot as mayor, plus the four incumbents, will be pretty good. For school board, citizens need trustees who are willing to fight for Summerland — Dave Stathers and Peter Waterman.

To the south of Penticton, Ron Hovanes in Oliver, Manfred Bauer in Keremeos and Sue McKortoff in Osoyoos have all done a good job. All three will — and deserve to be — re-elected.

I’ve been following elections up and down the valley and, with the advent of social media, comes a lot of nastiness. I ask that whatever the results are on Saturday — and whether your favourite wins or loses — please accept the will of the people and welcome those who were elected. Give them a chance.

You might not like their viewpoints, but they’re all nice people. We’re all Canadians, we’re all neighbours, we’re all brothres and sister.

You can follow along on Saturday on The Herald’s website and our Facebook and Twitter feeds. We will be providing valley-wide results as soon as we get them along with in depth coverage and analysis.

James Miller is valley editor for Okanagan Newspaper Group. Opinions in this column are his own.