Kelowna MLA Letnick denies reports of plans to switch seats with mayor

Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick is denying a report that he is planning to trade seats with Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran before next November’s municipal elections.

That report, broken by iNFOnews.ca editor Marshall Jones in an opinion column, quoted unnamed sources saying they planned for Letnick to step down as MLA to run for mayor, leaving Basran to be nominated by the B.C. Liberal constituency association in that riding.

READ MORE: JONESIE: Kelowna Mayor Norm Letnick and MLA Colin Basran? That's the plan for 2022

“There is no such thing happening, period,” Letnick said. “No one on the (Liberal riding) executive, to my knowledge, has approached Mayor Basran to see if he would join the riding association or the executive.”

Letnick confirmed he’s giving “very serious consideration” to running for mayor.

“I have no idea whether Mayor Basran is going to be running again,” Letnick said. “I’m saying I will listen to the public. What I’ve heard, very briefly this morning, there are some, of course, that would like me to run."

Basran said he was aware of the report, but wouldn’t comment on that or his future with the City of Kelowna.

“I’m not making any comments right now,” Basran told iNFOnews.ca today. “I love my job and will continue to do it to the best of my abilities.”

Basran is in his second term as mayor after serving one term as a city councillor.

Letnick has been the Kelowna-Lake Country MLA for 12 years, serving one three-year term on Kelowna city council before that and six years on Banff city council before that. He’s 63 years old.

He plans to consult his constituents over the next few months and will take next summer, when the Legislature is adjourned, to go door to door canvassing their opinions.

“If the public tell me that they would prefer that I continue to finish my current mandate as MLA, then I will listen to them,” Letnick said. “My only goal is to serve the public. I’ve been serving all my life, as best as I can and as imperfect as I am. I will listen to the people. I think, as long as I’m listening to the people and as long as my passion about serving those people continues, then I’ll make the right choice at that time.”

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