Tensions are already emerging on Kelowna’s newly elected city council, with councillor Gord Lovegrove challenging mayor Tom Dyas over appointments to the regional district board.
“You’re breaking with tradition and putting that trust at risk again,” said Lovegrove at Monday’s council meeting, directing the comment at Dyas. “I think this sets the tone for the next four years in council. I am very concerned.”
Lovegrove, who topped council votes in the municipal election, is questioning why he wasn’t among the councillors recommended by Dyas for a seat at the regional table.
“I’ve seen no precedent where the top vote-getter, the top qualified by the voters themselves councillor, is not appointed to the regional district,” Lovegrove told Global News on Tuesday.
The two-term councillor suspects politics may have played a role in the decision.
Lovegrove supported Dyas’ mayoral rival, Ron Cannan, during the election campaign.
“I think there is political payback involved,” Lovegrove said.
Dyas denied any personal vendetta, saying his recommendations were based on skills identified during council orientation-a session Lovegrove missed due to a family vacation.
“I have great confidence with regards to the individuals within Kelowna who elected council,” Dyas said. “They all have skills that will be extremely valuable on all of the different boards.”
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Dyas added that the mayor does not have unilateral say on appointments.
“What a mayor does is make a recommendation and then council needs to vote on that,” Dyas said.
But Lovegrove said new councillors may feel reluctant to challenge the mayor’s recommendation.
“With five new councillors, the mayor made a recommendation and they are not necessarily going to go against that,” Lovegrove said.
The regional district board is the only one of more than a dozen for which councillors receive compensation.
Other notable appointments include Dyas returning himself to the uptown Rutland Business Association board, an area where residents have long voiced concerns about feeling overlooked.
Dyas also recommended downtown business owner Brady Rogers for the Downtown Kelowna Association board.
Todd Daniels, owner of Gallery Streetwear, says he believes Rogers is the right person for the position.
Daniels previously took to social media to call for more city action on downtown social disorder.
“After we made our video back in January, we saw an uptick in the police force, the bylaw for maybe a month and then it went away,” Daniels said.
As for the regional district appointments, Lovegrove says he isn’t letting the issue rest.
He plans to bring forward a motion that would see future appointments determined by election vote counts, rather than recommendations from the mayor.
“Let’s just remove the politics from this,” Lovegrove said.
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