Editorial
Throwing your hat in the ring in municipal politics is commendable. It takes a lot of commitment, not to mention courage to take on that kind of responsibility.
Running for council comes with some risk because your every move is scrutinized (held under the microscope) by local taxpayers. Sometimes your decisions are very difficult, which can make you suddenly unpopular or admired for your grit. Like the old saying goes —you can’t please everyone.
Kudos to the four candidates running in the Canal Flats by-election. They want to enhance the quality of life in the village and ensure the economy prospers while challenges are addressed. Each candidate brings a number of assets to the table, judging by their backgrounds, so it will be important for residents to sift through it all and vote for the individual who best represents what they want to see on council.
More transparency is one issue that some residents want to see from their elected representatives. You may have noticed a social media campaign by a group of taxpayers calling for more open discussion on various issues such as housing, health care and the contracts tied to them. Council believes it has been transparent on these matters, but as the mayor admits, there’s “always room for improvement.”
Being a member of council or village staff, you can run into problems or pitfalls, one of which is potential or perceived conflict of interest — a trap that is easy to be ensnared in.
This group or coalition of residents in Canal Flats believes there may be a conflict involving council’s contractual (paid) dealings with the chief administrative officer’s son on municipal issues. The village (mayor) defends the work of the CAO, pointing to progress made on childcare, housing, and health care enhancements.
Ironically, a similar situation occurred in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen where the board came under fire when its chief administrative officer was involved in awarding contracts to a company owned by his daughter. The CAO said there was no conflict of interest because he didn’t benefit financially. However, the board and the CAO subsequently parted ways.
Technically, there may not be a conflict of interest in Canal Flats, but the perception exists, and sometimes that’s all it takes. Simply put, council has a duty to address this in the name of transparency, and like the coalition, it must back it up with documentation, not just words.
No doubt the by-election in September will be very interesting.
Lyonel Doherty, editor
