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Kamloops' new mayor says he has a lot to learn

Kamloops has voted Ken Christian into the mayor’s chair. Christian has sat at the council horseshoe since 2011, but he says the new role is a whole different ball game.

“I have a sharp learning curve. [Former Kamloops mayor] Peter Milobar could do this in his sleep,” he said “I'm probably going to make mistakes but I need to learn how to be the man and I'm up for that challenge.”

<who> Photo credit: KamloopsBCNow</who> Councillor (and acting mayor) Arjun Singh and newly elected mayor Ken Christian.

Christian finished with 63.91% of the vote in the mayoral race in the September 30th byelection. Kathy Sinclair was elected to city council with 12.29% of the vote and Ray Dhaliwal finished just behind her with 11.83%.

They will join councillors Arjun Singh, Donovan Cavers, Tina Lange, Dieter Duty, Pat Wallace and Denis Walsh at city hall to finish out the current four-year term ending in fall of 2018, when Kamloops will head back to the polls again.

“I think it’s very interesting,” Christian said. “Kathy Sinclair brings obviously a focus from the arts she's so engaged and just a great community member and Ray Dhaliwal's mother is a Freeman of the City for heaven’s sake and he has been in business in Kamloops forever. I think Ray brings a refreshing kind of business focus.

“I'm anxious to work with both of them. I know them both and I think they will be great additions.”

<who>Photo credit: KamloopsBCNow</who> Newly elected city councillor Kathy Sinclair.

<who>Photo submitted</who> Newly elected city councillor Ray Dhaliwal

Christian said the three months away from council have given him the opportunity get a fresh take on the city’s issues — and hear firsthand what changes Kamloopsians would like to see.

He said among the most surprising critiques he heard was the animosity residents feel toward seeing the city tear down the former Kamloops Daily News building, which it purchased in 2014.

Having voted in favour of the demolition, Christian had to defend that decision on the campaign trail and at the mayoral debates. He reiterated that the parking lot is only temporary solution for the site.

“To jump to something just for an election would be a big mistake,” he said “What we're going to have there is surface parking and it's not going to be expensive. And that is not the highest and best use of that land. That is primo land in downtown Kamloops...

“There's just a ton of different ideas, but it's part of city assets now. We bought it and we got good fair market value for it and I think it's good public policy for us to maintain that.”

<who>Photo credit: KamloopsBCNow</who>

With only a year until another election, Christian said now is not the time for radical changes, but one thing he does want to implement is a strategy for better engagement with neighbourhood associations. He would like to see councillors assigned to a neighbourhood association to ensure a better dialogue.

“This has given me a fresh perspective on the city and the role of government in this city and people are unhappy and they have expressed that to me,” Christian said. “I think that there are some changes we can make.”

Among the early priorities when he returns to city hall will be jumping feet first into Kamplan, the city’s official community plan that is in the process of being updated for the first time since 2004. Other things coming up include budget planning, a decision on Ajax expected within 60 days and big construction projects in the works for Royal Inland Hospital and the BC Lottery Corporation.



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