Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran (right) and his campaign manager Wayne Pierce at a reception announcing his last reelection bid, Thursday, May24, 2018.
(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)
August 30, 2022 - 7:29 AM
Kelowna mayor Colin Basran has kept silent about whether he’s running for re-election heading into this fall’s municipal election.
Now he’s inviting Kelowna residents to attend a “Kelowna's Future, My Future” event at Red Bird Brewing at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 8.
That’s just hours before the 4 p.m., Sept. 9 deadline for filing nomination papers for the Oct. 15 election.
“If he’s having a campaign, I’m going to be happy to volunteer,” Wayne Pierce, Basran’s campaign manager for the last two elections, told iNFOnews.ca yesterday, Aug. 29. “I don’t know when he’s announcing.”
Whether Pierce knew or not, or whether he’s going to repeat as campaign manager, is unclear.
In 2018, Basran made his re-election announcement in May at the Innovation Centre.
READ MORE: UPDATE: Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran makes it official: He's running again
“Friends, as always, let's keep it simple, fun, and engaging,” says the Eventbrite posting promoting the Sept. 8 event. “We are here to connect, share, and enjoy each other’s company after a busy summer.
“I hope you can spend this evening with me at a wonderful local brewery that represents so much of what Kelowna is becoming. I can't thank you enough for the ongoing support; so excited to see you there! PS: Capacity is limited, so please RSVP as soon as you can.”
This is the photo on the Eventbrite invitation for Basran's Sept. 8 gathering.
Image Credit: Submitted/Eventbrite
Pierce said it makes sense for Basran to wait until the distraction of summer is over before making an announcement.
“With the dates we have these civic elections, it’s hard to get anybody excited over the summer,” Pierce said. “There’s not really much point in saying anything if you’re actually trying to generate interest in the public to become involved as a volunteer or donate or really want to do anything until the summer’s past and the kids are back at school. Then, all of a sudden, I think, people tend to have more interest in getting back into: ‘Oh, what is actually going on in the community.’”
Things were different last time around.
In 2016 and 2017, leading up to the 2018 election, Basran raised $31,000 that he said he spent on “managing social media communication strategies.”
READ MORE: Kelowna mayor feels no need to say how he spent $31,000 in pre-campaign contributions
He did not declare that spending until Elections B.C. flagged the error last year.
Basran was first elected mayor in 2014, following one term as a city councillor.
In 2018 he defeated four other candidates for mayor with former Chamber of Commerce president Tom Dyas being the strongest contender.
Still, Basran won that election with 57% of the vote to 30% for Dyas.
Dyas announced in June that he was running again and has issued a number of news releases critical of the work being done by Basran and council and saying he will do things differently.
READ MORE: Tom Dyas wants to fill the cracks in Kelowna’s boom by becoming its next mayor
His latest release was issued today, Aug. 30, in which he promises to “get Kelowna moving” by doing things like enhancing transit services, four-laning Glenmore Road and increasing capacity on Lakeshore Road.
Dyas is one of 17 people who has picked up nomination papers for mayor so far. Basran is not on the list published on a City of Kelowna website but seven packages were picked up by people who did not give permission for their names to be published.
Sixty nomination packages have been picked up for the eight city council positions and 10 packages for four Kelowna school trustee.
Today is the first day nomination papers can be filed.
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