Three of Kamloops’ eight city councillors have announced they will be running for mayor in this year’s municipal election and another three will be seeking re-election for their spots on council.
Councillors Dennis Walsh and Kathy Sinclair will not be seeking re-election this year.
The first incumbent, councillor Dale Bass, worked as news reporter for over four decades before running for city council in 2018 where she received 9,059 votes.
“There are issues I wrote about for years as a reporter that are slowly moving forward but still need work,” explains Bass when talking about why she chose to run for council again.
“Those include adequate transit for all areas of our city, dealing with vacant land that has spent years with for sale signs on it with no takers.”
Some of her key priorities include improving public safety by addressing the catch-and-release system, toxic drug supply and poverty. Bass also believes more needs to be done to address the lack of housing.
Other priorities include advocating for healthcare workers at Royal Inland Hospital, a sobering centre, making Kamloops more inclusive by supporting the LGBTQ2S+ community and maintaining a fiscally responsible council.
Photo Credit: Dale Bass
Councillor Bill Sarai is also looking to be re-elected onto Kamloops City Council. He secured 7,218 votes in the last municipal election.
“In my first term, I learned that implementing change takes time,” says Sarai, who worked for Canada Post for over 30 years before entering municipal government.
“This was witnessed through the many challenges of the global pandemic, severe fires and flood events, and then becoming the evacuation centre for our neighbouring communities.”
Sarai says he has found his position as a city councillor rewarding and is looking forward to another four years of engaging with his community.
A few of Sarai’s priorities in his second term will include advocating for transparency in the city, keeping tax increase to a minimum, supporting the Recreation Master Plan and putting pressure on judicial government agencies to provide increased support to businesses and citizens affected by crime.
Photo Credit: Bill Sarai
Finally, councillor Mike O’Reilly will be seeking another term on council. He was elected four years ago with 9,375 votes and narrowly missed being elected in 2014.
Over the past two decades, he has been a business owner, land developer and economic developer for Venture Kamloops.
“I believe that increasing our tax base will allow Kamloops to increase and improve our recreation facilities, safety and housing affordability without large tax increases,” explains O’Reilly.
“My experience in business and leading multiple non-profit organizations throughout the city and province has given me the tools needed to help lead Kamloops.”
Similar to his colleagues, O’Reilly would also like to continue supporting Kamloops’ Recreation Master Plan to support residents and attract newcomers.
Other priorities include increasing the number of Community Safety Officers, advocating for a mix of affordable housing types, securing more RCMP officers, streamlining the process for development and building permits and bolstering the local economy.
Photo Credit: Mike O'Reilly
