Crowded fields set in race for Kamloops mayor, city council

The field is set for next month’s municipal election, with more than three dozen people having put their names forward seeking seats at city hall and on the local school board.

Five people are seeking the mayor’s chair, while another 23 are running for eight seats on city council. Eleven candidates declared for five Kamloops seats on SD73’s board of education.

Ray Dhaliwal, Dieter Dudy, Reid Hamer-Jackson, Sadie Hunter and Arjun Singh are looking to replace Mayor Ken Christian, who will not seek re-election. Dudy, Hunter and Singh are currently on city council, meaning there will be plenty of turnover at city hall.

Jamie Allen, Dale Bass, Nancy Bepple, Bonnie Cleland, George Dersch, Dennis Giesbrecht, Mac Gordon, Kelly Hall, Stephen Karpuk, Caroline King, Francois Lambert, Darrell LaRiviere, Margot Middleton, Daphane Nelson, Katie Neustaeter, Mike O’Reilly, Jordan Proctor, Reo, Jesse Ritcey, Taj Sandur, Bill Sarai, Darpan Sharma and Randy Sunderman will be on the ballot for city council, according to the city’s declaration of candidates, which was filed with Elections BC on Friday afternoon.

Bass, O’Reilly and Sarai are the only incumbents running for council. Bepple served on council between 2008 and 2014.

In the race for city seats on the SD73’s board of education, Marian Anderberg, Shahriar Behmanesh, Heather Grieve, Cole Hickson, Jimmy Johal, Jo Kang, Kathleen Karpuk, Darrell LaRiviere, John O’Fee, Karla Pearce and Jennifer Rowse are seeking Kamloops trustee positions.

Grieve, Karpuk and O’Fee are incumbents.

LaRiviere is running for both council and school board. He is the only local candidate seeking multiple offices.

Three would-be candidates who said they planned to run for city council did not file their paperwork by Friday’s deadline — Corally Delwo, Norris Laitinen and Shantell Renner.

Voters will head to the polls on Oct. 15.

Between now and then, Castanet Kamloops will be running a series of Q&As with local candidates — beginning today with mayoral hopeful Arjun Singh. Follow us on social media and subscribe to our daily Kamloops email newsletter to stay up to date on the candidates and their campaigns.

Are you a local candidate listed above who has not yet been featured on Castanet Kamloops? If so, we want to talk to you. Email [email protected] to set something up.

Elsewhere in the region

TNRD: On the TNRD’s board of directors, four rural electoral areas will see acclamation — Herb Graham in Area N, Jill Hayward in Area O, David Laird in Area M and Lee Onslow in Area B.

SD73: The Kamloops-Thompson school district’s board of education will see each of its four rural trustees acclaimed. Diane Jules, Rhonda Kershaw, Cara McKelvey and Shelley Sim, each of them incumbents, will serve another term.

Merritt: In the Nicola Valley, incumbent Merritt Mayor Linda Brown will face Tony Luck, Mike Bhangu and Michael George Goetz in her bid for re-election. City council candidates are Deanna Jean Palmgren, Paul Petroczi, Melvina Lynn White (incumbent), Brian Westley Peterson, Adam Agustin Etchart (incumbent), Norma Jean Littlejohn, Manuel Olguin, Jay Barley, Yvette Mae Baxter, Darrel Brooks, MJ Phillips, Susan Marie Roline, Wendy Margaret Charney, Claire Lisa Newman, Dana Joanne Egan, Derry-Allan Wooden, Michael Behrens and Mary Phyllis Fleury. Gordon Bruce Swan, Robert Raymond Leech, Justin Trevor Jepson and John Alexander Chenoweth are seeking Merritt seats as SD58 trustees.

Sun Peaks: In Sun Peaks, incumbent Mayor Al Raine will be acclaimed for another term, while Daniel Ashton, Kelly Dye, Afifa Eidher, Len Hrycan, Julie Kimmel, Rob O’Toole (incumbent), Jody Otter, Harold Richins and Brennan Sorge run for seats on the mountain resort municipality’s council.

Salmon Arm: In Salmon Arm, incumbent Mayor Alan Harrison will take on Nancy Cooper and Luke Norrie. Candidates for city council are Daniel Barry, Cathy Burton, Debbie Cannon (incumbent), Brian Fletcher, Kevin Flynn (incumbent), David Gonella, Deb Haukedal, Robert Johnson, Tim Lavery (incumbent), Sylvia Lindgren (incumbent), Greg Schmor, Louise Wallace Richmond (incumbent) and Kristine Wickner.

Barriere: In Barriere, incumbent Mayor Ward Stamer will win another term by acclamation, while Judy Armstrong (incumbent), Marguerite Dodds, Alan Fortin (incumbent), Scott Kershaw (incumbent), Rob Kerslake (incumbent), Donna Kibble (incumbent), Louise Lodge, Colin McInnis, Lance Naylor, Michelle Rutschke, Amanda Sabyan (incumbent), Debbie Sherman and Robert Veitch seek seats on district council.

Logan Lake: In Logan Lake, incumbent Mayor Robin Smith will face off against Jacqueline Newman, while Marion Bell (incumbent), Chris Candy, Kristina Froment, Lawrence Hart, Peter Martell (incumbent), Jim McNeely, Allan Smith (incumbent), Charles Weir and Gary Youd (incumbent) seek seats on district council.

Clearwater: In Clearwater, incumbent Mayor Merlin Blackwell will face Dean Clifford, while Barry Banford (incumbent), Theresa Irene Braaten, Suzanne Emerson, Lynne Frizzle (incumbent), Candies Marie Graffunder, Tom Grimm, Bill Haring (incumbent), Carly Star Lepoidvin, Lyle Mackenzie (incumbent), Ken Matheson, Harry Mini, Lorelai Rogers, Ron Rozetter, Shelley Sim (incumbent) and Jessica Toscano make up a crowded field of council candidates.

Chase: In Chase, Allen Fenton, David Lepsoe and Steve Scott are running for mayor, while Colin Connett, Rob Harder, Jane Herman, Beverley Iglesias, Krystal Laluha, Fred Torbohm (incumbent) and Sandra Welton seek seats on village council.

Ashcroft: In Ashcroft, incumbent Mayor Barbara Roden will win another term by acclamation, while Jonah Anstett (incumbent), Jessica Clement, Nadine Davenport (incumbent), Joris Ekering and Doreen Lambert seek seats on village council.

Cache Creek: In Cache Creek, former mayor John Ranta will take another crack at that office, up against Annette Pittman and Wendy Coomber. Kelly Debert, Jim Dubois, Karla Hein, Sue Peters (incumbent) and Carmen Ranta are seeking seats on village council.

Lytton: In Lytton, Edith Loring-Kuhanga, Willie Nelson and Denise O’Connor are running for mayor, while former mayor Jessoa Lightfoot, Nonie McCann, Melissa Michell (incumbent), Ken Site and Jennifer Thoss seek seats on village council. Donna Aljam will be acclaimed to a rural seat on SD74’s board of education.

100 Mile House: In 100 Mile House, former councillor Maureen Pinkney ran unopposed and will be acclaimed as mayor. Donna Barnett, Annemarie Byers, Ralph Possum (incumbent), Jenni Guimond, Dave Mingo (incumbent), Amanda Patterson and Chris Pettman are running for district council.

Clinton: In Clinton, incumbent Mayor Susan Swan is running against Christine Rivett and Roland Stanke, while Sandi Burrage (incumbent), Sherri Forget, Nicholas Kosovic, Ted Pappas, David Park (incumbent), Pauline Pillar, Erica Rintoul, Darrell Schapansky and Bernice Weiss-Anderson seek seats on village council.