After City Hall Chaos, Kamloops Prepares to Vote - The Tyee

Listen to this article 8 min For the last four years, politics in Kamloops have been anything but normal. There have been lawsuits, accusations and recriminations, more lawsuits, secret recordings, screaming matches at city hall and community events, and more lawsuits. ANNOUNCEMENTS, EVENTS & MORE FROM TYEE AND SELECT PARTNERS Take a Trip with Us: VIFF’s Documentary Series Spans the Globe ‘Insights’ takes audiences far and wide with stories of struggle, triumph and renewal. Current Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s house is set to be sold off to pay unpaid property taxes. His business is subject to foreclosure, and he has been taken to court by his former lawyers for allegedly unpaid legal bills. Despite all the troubles that have arisen since he became mayor, Hamer-Jackson is running for re-election. With five other mayoral candidates and 29 council candidates vying for office, Kamloops voters won’t be able to predict the shape of the city’s political future until results are finally announced on Oct. 17. As The Tyee has chronicled at length, Hamer-Jackson’s first term was tumultuous. He repeatedly breached council’s code of conduct and had most of his duties and responsibilities stripped from him. The rest of Kamloops’ council has operated as a united front, sidelining the mayor and pushing forward with infrastructure initiatives that include an expanded arena, a new arts centre and a new community centre for seniors. But the city also has spent close to half a million dollars on code-of-conduct complaints involving Hamer-Jackson and paid more than $400,000 in severance to its former chief administrative officer, who quit following intense and protracted disputes with Hamer-Jackson. Hamer-Jackson was elected to the city’s top job in 2022, amid a splitting of the mayoral vote. Of five candidates running for the mayor’s seat, three were incumbent councillors and another had formerly served on council. Hamer-Jackson, a local car dealer and the only political newcomer, won the race with just 31 per cent of the vote. Four years later, Kamloops voters will have six different mayoral candidates to choose from. In addition to Hamer-Jackson, they include: Mike O’Reilly, an incumbent city councillor and prominent local developer. Nelly Dever, who served on council between 2011 and 2014 before losing a bid for re-election. She is a corporate consultant and non-profit fundraiser. Ray Dhaliwal, a former councillor who ran against Hamer-Jackson for the mayor’s…