To listen to the mayors of the Okanagan’s four largest cities, you’d think they were so hard done by. In a letter to Community Services Minister Ida Chong, the mayors of Vernon, Kelowna, Westside and Penticton claim they were ignored during the valley-wide governance review.
“Although our collective municipalities represent approximately 80 per cent of the population of the Okanagan-Similkameen, what quickly became apparent is the representatives of the rural constituency, a majority of the task force membership, also dominated the meetings,” the mayors write.
But if you do the math, the claim doesn’t add up.
Of the 12 people sitting on the task force, five were from the large cities in question (including the mayors of Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton). Only four were directors from the rural electoral areas while the remainder represented small to medium-sized municipalities.
The mayors may argue that two of the members from Kelowna and Penticton are also the chairmen of their regional districts. But if they do so, are they suggesting these individuals are not capable of wearing two hats and representing the interests of their cities? And if that is the case, Kelowna and Penticton’s mayors have the authority to simply remove them as appointees to the regional boards.
Beyond this, the mayors’ charge that task force proceedings were dominated by the rural politicians is almost too hard to believe.
All members of the task force had an equal opportunity to speak and participate and perhaps the rural directors just did a better job than their urban counterparts in expressing their views. If the mayors felt dominated, they only have themselves to blame.
Perhaps what is most troubling about the mayors’ letter is the heavy-handed tone.
By pointing out that the four cities make up 80 per cent of the valley’s population and pay 50 per cent of the three regional districts’ budgets, are they suggesting their interests should be considered more important by Chong than those of the rural areas or small municipalities?
All the mayors do by throwing their weight around is reinforce the perception that they want to take over outlying jurisdictions against the wishes of many rural residents.
Ultimately, regional governance, no matter the model, will only work if it’s based on co-operation and equity, and not bullying.
It is also interesting to see the four mayors ask for an independent review of governance options because the task force’s report to Chong was composed by the administrators of the three existing regional districts.
“How can a regional district truly review itself on restructuring? How can they look at it without bias?” said Wayne Lippert, Vernon mayor, during a recent interview.
Those concerns may be valid, but consider that Lippert, as well as the mayors of Kelowna and Penticton, were members of the task force. Lippert is also a director on the North Okanagan Regional District board. He is a key part of the very institutions he is slamming.
The mayors wrap up their letter to Chong by saying, “we are committed to building a vibrant and sustainable Okanagan by working with all local governments to create a new valley-wide partnership.”
But that could prove highly unlikely based on their ‘we’re better than you' attitude.
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