Who's Hot and Who's Not on Council

http://www.dailycourier.ca/ EDITORIAL 02/14 –

Managing editor David Wylie and reporter Scott Neufeld

Since today is Valentine’s Day, we were feeling a lot more lovey-doveythan usual.How could we not call Mayor Wayne Lippert hot after his sizzling cover photo in Monday’s edition of the Vernon Daily Courier. Two thumbs up to our mayor for showing off his “good side” by taking a cold dip in Okanagan Lake during the Winter Carnival’s Polar Bear dip. Coun. Barry Beardsell is also on the hot list for dropping the gloves and squaring off against the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and MLA Tom Christensen in the same week. Beardsell has billed himself as the defender of the public purse, and it’s always refreshing to see the senior citizen politician growling at the powers that be. He may not always be a diplomat, but every council needs a bad cop sometimes.

Two councillors find themselves on the hot list for their comments on the potential closure of West Vernon Elementary. Coun. Buffy Baumbrough gets the nod for taking up the idea that parents are warned well in advance of a school closure. Baumbrough rightly pointed out that schools are a key component of a community and it’s critical to preserve them to maintain the character of a neighbourhood. A level-headed approach to the school closure issue has Coun. Jack Gilroy joining the hot side. Gilroy reminded council that the West Vernon building is becoming old and increasingly unsafe. He simplified the issue into a decision of whether or not to rebuild the school and brought more clarity to the issue.

Coun. Pat Cochrane gets the cold label this week for arguing to give another 10 cents – on top of the 10 cents council just approved – to the Okanagan Symphony. Cochrane’s generosity comes at a time when every city department was forced to chop one per cent off its budget. Sorry symphony, but we just can’t see any way to justify increasing our contribution to classical music when we’re asking public works, police and the fire department to slice and dice.

Coun. Juliette Cunningham earns a mention on the hot list for experiencing the world through someone else’s eyes. Cunningham recently spent some time blindfolded and met with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. She raised concerns including the slippery conditions of sidewalks and streets which can impact the impaired more than most. Hopefully, council will be able to take action to improve conditions for the disabled. Coun. Patrick Nichol escapes our thermometer this week, as he was absent from council.