(SHELLEY JORDAN / iNFOnews.ca)

Anybody who thinks they can step into public office and rule with an iron fist needs to know there are systems to follow, and some veterans in Kamloops and the Okanagan have some lessons to share. 

Last week, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen hosted a pre-candidate discussion. But only one potential candidate attended in person and two or three others watched online.

Those elected to the regional district board only have to attend two meetings a month, which may not seem like much of a commitment, election officer Christy Malden told prospective candidates. But anyone who thinks it’s not demanding work should speak with a sitting or former councillor, she recommends. The meetings can be long and tedious, with agendas upwards of 900 pages. 

“It can be overwhelming and confusing and we’re here to try make that as easy as possible,” Malden said.

The board is governed by directors who have been elected to rural areas, in addition to municipal councillors who are appointed. Like many regional districts, a plurality of directors in the Okanagan-Similkameen represent a single city – Penticton – as it is the community with the greatest population in the region, and the number of representative that city will be rising from four to five to reflect a growing population.

READ MORE: Election nomination papers hot items in Kelowna

Smaller communities, such as Summerland, Lytton and Spallumcheen, also appoint members of council to represent their communities. Members appointed by municipal governments do not get to vote on every issue.

Elected members of the RDOS board represent unincorporated areas like Naramata and Wells Gray Country.

In the RDOS, elected area directors are paid $2,124 per month. Directors appointed from their municipal governments get an extra $614 each month, including expenses. The chair of the committee, who gets appointed by the rest of the board, earns an additional $3,186 each month. Renumeration is based on rates from December 2020. 

In the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, area directors get $25,256 per year, while municipal directors have their salaries topped up by an additional $15,135 annually.

“There’s a perception elected officials are highly paid,” Malden said. “But it’s not high paying at all, for the work that goes into it.”

Beyond the bi-monthly meetings, directors also spend their time meeting with constituents and visiting areas that are impacted by the board's policies.

Malden explained how board members create a strategic plan each year which the district tries its best to follow.

Every service delivered by the regional district requires its own separate budget and there’s no general slush fund. Even in the event of an emergency, money cannot be transferred from one budget to another.

Don’t expect the RDOS to provide as many services as regional districts with larger populations, Malden said.

And while there’s a vast network of roads that span the district, the ones outside of municipal boundaries are the authority of the Ministry of Transportation.

“A lot of people don’t realize that," Malden said.

Prospective candidates were told that the board operates under a one-employee policy, meaning that elected officials have to correspond with the RDOS exclusively through the CAO. 

READ MORE: Contenders in upcoming municipal election surfacing in Okanagan

The upcoming elections will mark the end of an era for some longstanding politicians who are not seeking reelection.

Former Mayor of West Kelowna and current city councillor Doug Findlater is hanging up his hat after 15 years.

He wants the next generation of politicians to know that they need to have a thick skin.

It's inevitable that members of the public will be vehemently opposed to certain positions, and when their criticisms comes across as vicious, it can cause some politicians to crumble, Findlater said. 

"Note it, move on, carry on," is his advice to dealing with the haters. "You can’t spend all your time being upset and depressed because someone criticized you."

Outgoing Kamloops mayor Ken Christian shared some advice as well – candidates need to be prepared to deal with every faucet of government and not just a single issue.

Christian has observed candidates getting involved in politics based on one issue, only to become overwhelmed by the rest of the machine. 

READ MORE: West Kelowna mayor's new salary to be largest per capita of region's cities

The need for a thick skin is becoming more important, Christian said. 

"Recently there’s been a certain toxicity creeping into how we treat politicians," he said. "Some members of council found that tiresome and worrisome. You got to be prepared for it. It can be a rough and tumble game at times. That’s a piece that has changed since I started."

Christian also advises new politicians to stay in their lane. For example, no matter how frustrating high gas prices may be, dealing with that issue is not the role of a municipal government, he said. 

And municipal politicians have to be prepared to bump into constituents every time they go out to the post office or grocery store, Christian reminds.

The Mayor of Kamloops is paid $113,943 annually. That's a similar rate to the Mayor of Kelowna, which pays $113,690.61 per year. 

In Penticton, the Mayor makes $78,332 annually, and in Vernon the gig will soon offer $108,626 after council voted for a 13% raise earlier this year. 

The nomination period closes on Sept. 9. The 2022 General Local Elections are scheduled for Oct. 15. 

READ MORE: Salaries at Penticton city hall continued upward climb in 2020

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