Mayor of Kamloops, B.C., vows to stay on despite calls to resign

Stripped of some of his official powers and facing calls to resign, the mayor of Kamloops, B.C., was defiant Monday, telling supporters not only does he intend to stay on as mayor despite his ongoing feud with the rest of city council – he announced re-election plans.

Reid Hamer-Jackson was removed from his position as official city spokesperson in May after more than a year of conflict with councillors and city staff.

The sanction followed the release of a report from a provincially appointed municipal advisor, which recommended incrementally reducing the mayor's salary and providing educational courses in municipal governance in response to the mayor's behaviour. 

The resolution was made in a closed-door meeting after Hamer-Jackson "repeatedly demonstrated that he is not willing to reflect the will of council," according to a statement from the city.

"I've been under fire prior to day one," Hamer-Jackson said Monday. "Most all of my motions have been voted down, or worse, not even seconded, so that we could at least have a public discussion."

Hamer-Jackson vowed to not only stay on as mayor but to run again in the next municipal election.

"Whether to resign isn't a decision I take lightly," the mayor said. "I thought long and hard about my past 22 months as the mayor. My wife, family, friends and members of the general public have weighed in."

One of several municipalities with problems

Kamloops is the most high-profile example, but there are other communities struggling to function with friction between mayor and council.

Delta council pulled mayor George Harvie from representing the city on the Metro Vancouver board amid other measures, and Harrison Hot Springs has had such conflict, the mayor resigned last month and the community no longer has one.

The provincial government has full authority to intervene, but typically doesn’t. Perceptions of meddling or interfering with the local democracies are key considerations, according to University of British Columbia political scientist, Stewart Prest, but staying arms-length also has its drawbacks.

“There is a danger here, when provinces take too much of a hands-off approach where these dysfunctional situations continue to persist and fester over time,” he said in an interview with CTV News.

Prest pointed out that councils do have the ability to sanction mayors who go well out of bounds, essentially making that position just one more vote on council: mayors essentially holding on to the title with little to no authority.

“Without a ready-made majority and supportive slate, the mayor has to work with those around the table to get anything done, and if the mayor instead chooses an abrasive, confrontational style of politics, they're going to find it difficult to get much of anything done,” Prest said.

Kamloops an exceptional case

In March 2023, Coun. Katie Neustaeter accused the mayor of "chaotic and unpredictable behaviour" after he removed councillors from city standing committees and replaced them with residents from the community.

"I hope that our council will still work on safety and accountability and prosperity, these three aspects of a livable community have always been my goals, and I'm pledged to keep working on them," Hamer-Jackson said.

"For these reasons and much consideration, I have decided that I must stay on as mayor."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Todd Coyne and The Canadian Press