I find it quite disturbing at this time in B.C.’s political landscape to find that 37 of B.C.’s mayors will be returning to office because no one ran against them. The following mayors (taken from the Province article above) have all won by acclamation:
“B.C. mayors who won by acclamation this year include: Dennis A Buchanan, Alert Bay; Joe Craner, Armstrong; Barbara H Roden, Ashcroft; Ward Stamer, Barriere; Mike Hurley, Burnaby; Ryan Windsor, Central Saanich; Ruth Hoyte, Coldstream; Nicole B. Minions, Comox; Michelle P. Staples, Duncan; Sarrah A Storey, Fraser Lake; Steve J Morissette, Fruitvale; Linda J McGuire, Granisle; Ken Williams, Highlands; Shane Brienen, Houston; Allen Miller, Invermere; Maureen Pinkney, 100 Mile House; Sylvia Pranger, Kent; Don McCormick, Kimberley; Phil Germuth, Kitimat; Aaron Stone, Ladysmith; Sheri A Disney, Masset; Alan Raine, Mountain Resort Municipality; Tom Zeleznik, Nakusp; Kevin Murdoch, Oak Bay; Martin Johansen, Oliver; Nicole MacDonald, Pitt Meadows; Scott Cabianca, Port Clements; Brad West, Port Coquitlam; Mark Baker, Sayward; Cliff McNeil-Smith, Sidney; Colin Ferguson, Silverton; Christine A Fraser, Spallumcheen; Sean Bujtas, Terrace; Dan B. Law, Tofino; Owen M. Torgerson, Valemount; Ed Coleman, Wells; Julie Colborne, Zeballos.”
My consternation with this stems from the fact that ever since the Covid-19 scandemic of 2020 B.C. and every other province and territory in the country has basically been under the rule of politicians at every level of government who have NEVER stood up to all the draconian, unconstitutional, inhumane mandates and restrictions that were imposed upon their provinces.
Here in the Cariboo we have two locations (Wells and 100 Mile House) where the local citizenry doesn’t appear to be concerned about the loss of freedoms and the horrendous repercussions that have resulted from all the forced vaccinations and the false mask mandates, etc.
Coupled with this disturbing issue is the fact that back in the 2018 civic elections held on October 22nd out of an estimated total of 7, 500 people entitled to vote in the City of Quesnel only 1,909 ballots were cast which, when translated into a percentage, meant that around 74% of voters were too apathetic to get off their butt that day and do their democratic duty for what was still (at the time) QUESNEL – Gold Pan City.
For those voters who’ve endured the slings and arrows of outrageous mismanagement and misfeasance by the previous Mayor and the majority of City Councillors it’s now clearly imperative that action is necessary to challenge the old regime and to light a fire under the 75% of potential voters who let their lines go slack back in 2018.
It’s time for the people to rise up and replace the old guard and elect those who are willing to stand up to all the feigned ‘authority’ that we’ve witnessed over the past 4 years and the best place to begin will be to support former City Councillor Ron Paull in his bid to be Quesnel’s next Mayor.
