Kelowna mayor ‘risks betraying public trust’ : City councillor

There was tension at the first real Kelowna City council meeting of the new term Monday.

Incumbent councillor and leading vote-getter in the recent municipal election, Gord Lovegrove, suggested Mayor Tom Dyas and council “risks betraying the public’s trust” by failing to give reasons for not appointing him to the Regional District of Central Okanagan board. The mayor recommended councillors Les Bellamy, Davis Kyle, Mohini Singh, Laura Thurnheer and Rick Webber to the RDCO board, which council then voted to approve.

In a long overture to the mayor and fellow councillors, Lovegrove said his past experience and the tradition of appointing the top vote-getter to the RDCO board had been over-looked and, quoting media outlets who had contacted him about the issue, said “…there appears to be something at work here.” He did not elaborate, although suggested perhaps it’s because he did not attend the new council orientation meeting recently as he had a pre-booked family vacation.

Lovegrove said the move not to recommend him risked setting a bad tone for the rest of the four-year term and called on new councillors not be intimidated by the mayor in voting on who should be appointed to the board. Speaking directly to the mayor, Lovegrove said he suspected his criticism had “overly-offended” Dyas.

In response, Mayor Dyas said he had “not been offended at all” by Lovegrove’s comments. In a detailed statement to media after the council meeting Dyas explained his recommendations for who should serve on the RDCO board were based on input from councillors, their interests and experience, and where they can contribute most effectively.

Dyas added there is also value in giving members of council opportunities to broaden their experience and bring different perspectives.