Last Tuesday’s all-candidates forum gave an excellent chance to hear directly from the candidates for town council.
I’ve been covering municipal politics off and on over my newspaper career that started in 1980 and I can’t recall a municipal election with so many capable candidates.
That’s not to say all the candidates are perfect. Some will perceive imperfections differently – for example some believe a candidate should have lived a certain length of time in a community, while for others, it doesn’t make a big difference.
For most people, the choice of mayor is clear cut. I don’t agree with every decision Sue McKortoff has made, but her many hours as a capable representative and spokesperson for Osoyoos make her more than qualified to be re-elected.
Doug Pederson can be a very funny guy and we’ve shared laughs, though only his laughter was fueled by substances. But a single-issue candidate on a divisive issue should not be mayor.
All three candidates for school trustee are very capable, but we can only pick two. You can read about their views in this week’s Osoyoos Times and in previous issues online.
The choice of councillor requires the most research. We’ve presented profiles of all of them, and if you’re still stumped, you can watch the video of the forum, or parts of it, at this location.
While both incumbents, C.J Rhodes and Jim King are capable, Rhodes has probably been one of the most effective council members and he has 10 years of institutional memory on council.
Sy Murseli is certainly doggedly persistent.He’s run in numerous past elections, always being defeated and never giving up. But his conspiracy theories about town administration and allegations that present councillors are dishonest suggest he would not be a team player.
Myers Bennett has previous council experience in Vanderhoof and he’s well connected locally with the business community. His learning curve would be reduced.
Brian Harvey is articulate, with backgrounds in engineering and as a federal Department of Justice lawyer. He would be effective.
It’s important to have another woman on council. At the forum, I was most impressed by Shelley McIntyre, but Sherani Theophilus would also be capable.
Kenny Music was a pleasant surprise. He’s intelligent and has a career background with transferable skills. But he’s new to the community, is relatively unknown, and that could make him a better choice in 2022.
It’s very important to get out to vote, either Wednesday at the advance poll in the council chambers, or Saturday on General Voting Day at the Sonora Centre. Good luck!
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times Editor
