Voters get say on terms

By Jeremy Deutsch - Kamloops This Week Published: July 10, 2008

Residents going to the polls this fall in the civic election won’t just get an opportunity to vote for their favourite candidates — they’ll also be asked if their local government should sit for three or four years. City council has decided to add the question during the November election as a non-binding referendum — essentially a community opinion poll. The question will read: Are you in favour of the provincial government increasing the interval between general local elections from three years to four years? The provincial government recommended communities put the issue to a referendum and, if there is overwhelming support, Victoria would consider changing the terms.

Opinion is split amongst Kamloops city council. Councillors Jim Harker, John O’Fee, Arjun Singh and Peter Milobar are in favour of retaining the three-year terms. Councillors in favour of four-year terms include John De Cicco, Tina Lange, Pat Wallace and Mayor Terry Lake. Lake said he was originally in favour of three years, but changed his mind after a debate at the last Union of BC Municipalities meeting. He said the learning curve on council the first year is huge and it takes another year to become effective. He noted after a year of being effective, it’s time to go back to the polls. “I think four years gives you a longer time to be effective in your term,” Lake said. He also pointed out elections every four years will save taxpayers money. Each election costs roughly $100,000.Other provinces that have moved to four-year terms include, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and New Brunswick.