10 times we were left laughing or scratching our heads during the municipal election campaign
At times, the 2018 municipal elections in the Okanagan have been funny, but downright weird
Today is election day in British Columbia and by 9 p.m. tonight, we should know who our new mayors, city councillors, rural directors and school board trustees are.
Check the websites of both The Daily Courier (www.kelownadailycourier.ca) and Penticton Herald (www.pentictonherald.ca) for up-to-the-minute results and then see our print editions on Monday for detailed coverage and analysis. Back to the Okanagan Top 10. The past 29 days have been pretty stressful for the candidates and their supporters. Depending on where in the Okanagan you live, it has even, at times, been dirty.
So for today’s Top 10 list, we thought we would give everyone a breather and reflect on some of the lighter, funny and strange moments of the past 29 days.
THIS IS ME IN GRADE 6, BABY
Dermott Hutton is a first-time candidate for town council in Oliver. He faces an uphill battle against all four incumbents and a better-known candidate who finished second in a by-election last year. But, at a recent all-candidates’ forum, Hutton provided a welcome lighter moment, quoting his own slogan from a campaign for Grade6 class president: “Don’t be a hermit. Vote for Dermott.” This slogan will also be used in the future by any political candidates with the given named Kermit.
OH, THE GOOD OL’ HOCKEY GAME
Do hockey fans care who is responsible for bringing the Memorial Cup to Kelowna in 2020?
Tom Dyas, chief rival to incumbent mayor Colin Basran, certainly hopes they do.
Dyas has played up his role as head of the volunteer bid committee that persuaded Western Hockey League governors to pick Kelowna as host of the national hockey tournament next season.
At a forum this week, Basran noted mildly that he too was part of the bid committee, and his signature was on a letter requesting financial support from the provincial government to host the tournament.
Dyas immediately challenged Basran. “Just a point of clarification. I spoke with the minister (of tourism). I knew which minister it was going to. I drafted the letter, delivered it to City Hall, and it was signed.”
Mind you, the way Kelowna is playing to start this season (2W; 9L, and second worst overall in the 22-team WHL) don’t expect to see either Basran or Dyas wearing a Rockets’ jersey tonight.
Fringe Kelowna mayoral candidate Bobby Kennedy compared himself to a Kennedy during a debate this week.
Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn’t Bobby Kennedy. It was the big Kennedy, JFK himself.
But, it was a typical act of self-aggrandizement for Kelowna’s Bobby Kennedy, who at forums displayed a fearsome self-regard.
The skateboard shop owner, who admitted to illegally selling pot last year from his business, presented a half-baked collection of loopy ideas, such as developing a lightrail transit system throughout the Okanagan, establishing a SeaBus between West Kelowna and Kelowna, and housing the homeless in shipping containers stacked on farmland.
All the while he insisted he was a serious candidate. With the legalization of marijuana in Canada, it’s 4/20 for all of us everyday. Maybe Bobby Kennedy, Kelowna’s version, got here long ago.
MAKE THE OKANAGAN GREAT AGAIN
A Donald Trump reference popped up once during Kelowna’s mayoral campaign.
Given the large shadow the U.S. president casts over all politics, that might be considered a surprisingly low number. The former reality TV star himself might even be offended at his low ratings, if he knew where Kelowna was.
Incumbent Mayor Colin Basran said his chief rival, Tom Dyas, was guilty of “Trump-style politicking”. In Basran’s view, Dyas deserved this epithet for promising lots of things to lots of people, “saying anything in order to garner votes”, and offering “no clear vision”.
Even for Basran supporters it must have seemed a stretch, and the comment drew many audible groans from a big crowd at the Capri Hotel’s largest ballroom.
Basran never repeated the comparison at subsequent forums.
However, the animus between the two friends — who were so close they partied together in New York City last year to celebrate Basran’s 40th birthday — was obvious when they were forced to share a stage.
This past Tuesday, before a forum at the Third Space Coffee shop, Basran kept standing for several minutes before proceedings began, while the other three candidates sat together. Basran might have kept on his feet as long as he could because his chair was right next to Dyas’.
NAME THAT TUNE
For the Penticton Herald’s second mayoral debate (a joint venture with Castanet), where only the frontrunners were invited to participate, it was very businesslike, almost PBS-like. But, it began like a Vegas show as candidates were introduced to music as they walked through the audience. The three candidates were allowed to pick 15 seconds of music. Jason Cox chose the theme to “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.” Andrew Jakubeit went with “Don’t Stop Believin’” (right at the part where Steve Perry begins singing the chorus.) The best reaction came from John Vassilaki when he walked onto the stage accompanied by Herb Alpert’s version of “Zorba the Greek.” For the introduction of the media panelists, organizers appropriately picked “Dirty Laundry,” a 1981 scathing attack on the media by Don Henley.
POLICE STORY
There were three surprising suggestions made at the very end of a mayoral forum.
Challenger Tom Dyas said Kelowna should consider ditching the RCMP for a municipal force. He said a new City Hall — complete with a firehall and homeless shelter — should be built outside downtown, and the existing one repurposed for a convention centre and performing arts centre. And he said homeless people should be transported to a ranch a private family trust was willing to establish.
Incumbent Colin Basran prefaced his closing remarks by a quick jab at Dyas, his former friend: “Wow! He’s going to do all that and keep taxes low!”
In some quarters, Dyas’ credibility took a beating. In others, he was championed as a brave, outside-the-box thinker willing to take on the complacent city bureaucracy. Voters will make the judgement today.
SPLIT THE CITY IN TWO
Politicians have been known to divide a city, but on policy — not literally.
In a very unusual moment at an all candidate forum at the South Main Drop In Centre in Penticton, mayoral challenger Jukka Laurio raised some eyebrows.
“OK, my idea is: we got two lakes, two beaches, you take one end of the city and turn it into the seniors’ area, you take the other end of the city and turn it into the youth end area,” he said in a sudden rush when realizing he was out of time to speak.
The reaction from the crowd — unsure laughter — said it all.
UP IN SMOKE
“Go to the new prison and holler ‘We want our potheads,’ and quickly leave. (Then) more wine and then to the border — hollering “Are there any potheads over there?”
Mayoral hopeful Doug Pederson of Osoyoos is a one-issue candidate: his one commitment to his supporters is to set up a Pot Hall of Fame in his hometown.
Pederson couldn’t carry the day in 2014 — he got just 54 votes to Mayor Sue McKortoff’s 1,285 — but 2018 was certainly looking a whole lot brighter for “Stone Dan.”
That’s because the recreational use of marijuana was made legal on Wednesday — three days before general election day — and Pederson planned to make the most of the legalization day.
When asked how he would be campaigning Oct. 17, he was quick to note he would be engaged in a “Wine and Toke Tour” as well as participating in the aforementioned activities. And, he added, he would busy in town “planting some seeds around the lake and maybe the town planters.”
By the way, Doug Pederson made good on his pledge. He noted Oct. 18 that he did indeed visit the border, where two border security officers approached him.
“They were smiling broadly and wanted to know what I was doing. I said I was inviting potheads up to Osoyoos.”
SOGI 123
It’s an issue in many ridings across B.C. Some candidates are running on an antiSOGI 123 campaign. SOGI 123 is a set of resources available to teachers and principals to assist with sexual orientation and gender identity, when necessary. In the Central Okanagan, four candidates are either opposed to SOGI 123 or won’t go on record as stating they are in favour. In the Okanagan Skaha elections, it’s a non-issue. All 13 candidates seeking a position on their board support the resources. (Editor’s Note: Good for those 13 candidates!)
HEY HE’S GOT OUR VOTE
Art Gourley suggested that Vernon ‘s transportation problems could be solved with a skytrain. He also suggested that the city provide free helicopter rides to the top of a mountain so that handicapped people could then get their exercise by walking down.