Kelowna council candidate dominates social media space

With less than three months to the municipal election it seems one candidate, Trevor McAleese, is dominating the social media video space in Kelowna.

McAleese, who ran, unsuccessfully, for the NDP in the last federal election, has been posting regular multiple short video clips on Facebook and Instagram since launching his campaign for city council late April. His platform is heavily focused on affordability and he’s accused councillors of “…demonstrating their disconnect from the costly realities of life in Kelowna on every vote.”

He says he’s surprised other candidates have not made similar extensive moves on social media to engage with voters.

“It’s a very effective way to reach the electorate and I hear from people when I’m out door-knocking, they’ll tell me they’ve seen my videos before I’ve actually gotten there; it’s remarkable ,” he told Vernon Matters. He said he’s posting videos about important issues as well as reflecting comment and feedback from what he’s hearing from residents.

McAleese has a head start on some other candidates given his comfort with video filming and more complex editing and captioning as he works as an independent video game developer.

He figures most viewers are of a young demographic and thinks its a missed opportunity that other candidates aren’t doing the same.

As for the increasing amount of candidates who are stepping forward to run for council, he said things are set for a major change with four incumbents not expected to run again.

“Absolutely, a renewal of leadership is all but guaranteed,” he said, noting more people are entering the fray because of the openings around the council table.

McAleese agrees in some way that he can step into the shoes of Loyal Wooldridge, one of those who is not seeking reelection.

“Loyal really did prove that it’s possible to be a young, progressive person on Kelowna City Council…and I hope he’ll consider coming back to Kelowna city politics in future, ” he said.

“We have a chronically low turnout in city elections and by presenting yourself as a young, compelling candidate who is genuinely connected to the economic realities on the ground, I think there’s a real potential to energize people who would otherwise not vote…as Loyal did,” he explained.

McAleese has criticized council for being out-of-touch with people who are struggling to get by.

“I believe council’s job is to prioritize people, not property developers, ” he states on his platform website.

“For too long the council majority acted as an easygoing rubber stamp, following along behind the mayor in support of staff’s recommendations. Deference to the mayor paired with overreliance on city employees has led to out-of-touch councillors who’ve stopped doing their homework.”