What a year for local politics (and we're only two months in)
OSOYOOS TIMES-March 4, 2009
The year has definitely started off with a bang in the political world that surrounds Osoyoos.
Oliver's Joe Cardoso has been axed by the provincial Liberals over a letter to the editor printed nearly three-and-a-half years ago.
The new Boundary-Similkameen riding is certainly starting off on the wrong foot in that regard.
The first candidate selected to run in this electoral district has the rug pulled out from under him less than three months before the election.
Sure, disclosure is, and should be, important when someone is stepping out to represent a party.
No one wants a skeleton from the past that could embarrass the candidate or the party to pop up at the wrong moment, especially during an election campaign.
To kick Cardoso out because he failed to mention the letter in his nomination application prior to being selected as candidate is an extreme measure, however, and appears more like punishment for a mistake than a party's efforts to keep its house in order.
Closer to home, claims of conflict of interest brought against Mayor Stu Wells last month present a challenging and possibly dangerous dilemma.
Again, keeping our leaders honest should be the mandate of every resident within a community.
The nature of the allegations raises questions, however, about what kind of limitations need to be placed on elected officials, especially in a small town.
Can a mayor or councillor still participate in the democratic process while maintaining a life and conducting business in his or her community?
If mayors and councillors had to withdraw from every vote that could favourably affect them in even the slightest way, would there be anyone left to vote on a development application or project proposal in a community as small and tightly-knit as Osoyoos?
If the answer to these questions is no, then every one of our leaders, past and present, may have to be investigated.
