Weird ways local candidates have tried to get attention in Kelowna, Kamloops

Wake surfing in high heels, a spoof terrorist hostage video and a slew of sarcastic lawn signs are just scratching the surface.

Local politics is pretty dull compared to the vast, thrilling offerings on the internet, so some candidates in Kamloops and the Okanagan have tried some unusual techniques to get voters’ attention.

There are around 40 people on the ballot for Kelowna’s municipal election, and 35 in Kamloops. The fields are crowded and some candidates are doing more than basic lawn signs, social media videos and forum appearances.

Kelowna council candidate Brady Rogers has gone viral for his funny campaign signs. His lawn signs have slogans like “I barely want to do this” and “how hard could it be?”

He previously told iNFOnews.ca that he’s letting his personality and sense of humour come through so voters get to know who he is.

“Funny is different than unserious. And I hope that comes across in my messaging,” he said.

His campaign isn’t just goofs and giggles though.

Rogers also interviewed incumbent mayor Tom Dyas about controversial issues like the Hotel Eldorado boardwalk closure. Rogers asked the mayor about the fact that he attended a party with the hotel’s owner while the city is going through a contentious expropriation process to take over part of the boardwalk.

Kelowna council candidate Teresa May took a different approach to showing voters who she is.

The senior showed off her athleticism in a video where she wake surfs in red heels and a white suit then she followed that video with one where she’s parasailing and holding campaign signs.

Over in Kamloops, council candidate Dennis Giesbrecht displayed a more controversial sense of humour.

Giesbrecht released a video where he was pretending to be held hostage by a masked man holding a bat and talking about city hall. The grim parody “didn’t land” the way he wanted it to so he quickly took it down.

Incumbent mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has hoped to get noticed by not really campaigning at all. He went to a public forum and stood outside of the venue hoping that by not participating he’ll get noticed. He also hasn’t put up elections signs this time around.

Kelowna council candidate Nikki Csek owns NowMedia, including KelownaNow, with Jim Csek. KelownaNow hosted an all-candidates forum on Oct. 10. KelownaNow invited mayoral candidates Ron Cannan and Tom Dyas along with 23 council candidates and six school trustee candidates.

Kamloops council candidate Nancy Bepple doesn’t own a media company but she organized an all-candidates forum for seniors at the Mount Paul Community Centre.

Artificial intelligence has been a fixture in this election campaign, but some candidates are using it more than others. There’s the telltale hallmarks of AI infographics all over social media and even AI generated videos.

Let us know if we missed any interesting campaign strategies that have caught your eye. Send your evidence to news@infonews.ca.