FILE PHOTO - Kamloops city councillor Mike O'Reilly is seen in this photo from X, formerly known as Twitter.
Image Credit: TWITTER/Mike O'Reilly
October 02, 2025 - 11:23 AM
Municipal elections are a year away and Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson now has a challenger in Kamloops.
Coun. Mike O'Reilly announced his bid for mayor today, Oct. 2, introducing a "Kamloops first" platform.
Backed by his family and his campaign team, O'Reilly announced his bid for mayor on the steps of city hall this morning.
Hamer-Jackson, who was elected in a 2022 five-person race, made his announcement more than a year ago when he invited reporters to a "resignation related" news conference that ended with the crowd heckling a journalist.
Not only did he promise he wouldn't leave office, he said he would run again in 2026.
O'Reilly, now in his second term on council, is the first person to put his hat in the ring against the incumbent.
Compared to the last election, O'Reilly's announcement comes far earlier. In March 2022, former councillor Arjun Singh was the first to step forward at that time. Announcements from two other city councillors, Hamer-Jackson and businessman Ray Dhaliwal trickled in ahead of the summer campaign. Then-mayor Ken Christian did not run again.
There was a 30 per cent voter turnout on election day, and Hamer-Jackson won the five-candidate mayoral race with 7,298 votes, less than a third of the votes cast.
Hamer-Jackson was not immediately available to respond to a phone call. Asked about O'Reilly's announcement, he said via text message, "Surprise, surprise."
Municipal election day is Oct. 17, 2026.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
News from © iNFOnews, 2025