The best way to get re-elected

Dear Editor:

Re: Council vote on raise remains logged as ‘unanimous’ (Daily Courier, April 24)

On April 22, three of four Kelowna councillors -- Ron Cannan, Gordon Lovegrove, and Mohini Singh -- failed to have their opposition to the hefty wage increases corrected in the final vote.

But even if the correction had been successful, I think the chances of any member of Kelowna city council being re-elected in the October 2026 municipal election -including Mayor Tom Dyas -- are slim.

Having said that, if any of the four councillors are planning to run again, and want to increase their odds of winning a seat, he or she could:

a.) publicly commit in a letter to the editor to donate their wage increase each month to a different charity or non-profit group i.e. Amnesty International Canada, BC-SPCA, Canadian Cancer Society, Doctors Without Borders, Food Banks Canada, Habitat For Humanity, John Howard Society, Kelowna Stands With Ukraine, Kelowna Women’s Shelter, Mamas for Mamas, Moms Stop the Harm, Okanagan 4 Ukraine, Operation Smile, PETA, The East Meets West Children’s Foundation, United Way, World Vision, etc. and

b.) post proof of the donation each month on their website, Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram account.

For example, to show that the monthly donation has been received by the charity or non-profit group, a scan (PDF) of the donation receipt should be publicly posted for all the Doubting Thomases to read, like me!

Those councillors who do not wish to receive this pay increase must notify the city clerk’s office by May 14.

David Buckna Kelowna

It almost sounds like the court is omnipotent in all issues. This is what might be called judicial review.

In enforcing its decisions, there are some issues that need to be addressed. The U.S. Constitution does not establish a basis for the court to enforce its decisions. Records show that there have been instances in history where the Supreme Court’s authority has not been recognized and its decisions not enforced. This is documented in Article III of the U.S. Constitution.

Also from Article III, comes what might be termed as “the scope of authority.” This article of the Constitution established it as one of the three main wings of the federal government. Article III of the Constitution deals with issues that protect minority populations against laws passed by majorities that could violate their rights.

Also, this article allows the Court to maintain and preserve fundamental American values at times when a popular majority may try to go away from them.

In the long run, even though the Supreme Court has significant authority in legal matters, it is not omnipotent. Its power is balanced by other branches of government and certain limitations as spelled out in the Constitution, Court decisions can be and have been overturned by constitutional amendments.

In summary, it will be interesting to see how things, related to Donald Trump play out at the Supreme Court level.

As the famous New York Yankee baseball catcher once said, “It ain’t over till it’s over!”

Ron Barillaro Penticton