Singh officially launches campaign to become Kamloops’ next mayor

KAMLOOPS — A long-time Kamloops city councillor has put his name in the ring to become the city’s next mayor. On Friday morning on the steps of city hall, Arjun Singh announced his intention to run for the mayor’s chair during October’s municipal election.

Singh, who’s been on Kamloops council for 14 years over four different terms, says it’s the right time to make the next step in his political career.

Singh didn’t reveal any specific goals, planning to roll out platform ideas soon, but he was asked about how he would fund climate initiatives amidst rising fuel prices ($1.759 in Kamloops) and other costs going up.

“There’s a lot of funding coming from the provincial and federal governments. We do have to have a pocket of money locally where we can match that,” said Singh, who’s also part of the CleanBC Climate Council. “I really believe we’re short-changing our childrens’ future if we don’t invest now, so I would rather find other ways of economizing beyond economizing on something so important. We’ve all been through the heatdome, the wildfires and the floods. It’s really been a horrible situation in terms of extreme weather, so in order to mitigate that going forward we have to invest in initiatives now.”

Singh also addressed his style as a city councillor. In the past, he has been criticized for trying to make too many people happy.

Asked if that approach would work as mayor, he says it’s important to work together and listen to other people’s ideas.

“I think that’s a real strength [of mine] actually,” he said. “You have to look at your problems through a strength-based lens. I think if you look at problems just as problems, it becomes really disempowering. You have to find positive ways of looking at things. I have tried to be diplomatic on council. I make no apologies for that. It’s a really important thing. You’re never going to find me trash-talking folks or saying anything bad about Kamloops. I love this place. We have problems, we have challenges, but if we don’t look at them through our strengths, we’re not going to get as far as we need to go.”

Singh says he has made tough decisions like his stance on the Ajax mine and issues like the pesticide ban in Kamloops.

The municipal elections are set for Oct. 15.