Kelowna Council Candidates Use Stunts and Humour to Stand Out in Crowded Municipal Election
With 37 candidates competing for eight seats on Kelowna city council, first-time and incumbent politicians are breaking away from traditional campaign tactics like pamphlets and door-knocking to grab voter attention. Candidates across the region are deploying deadpan humour, wake-surfing videos, and canine companions to cut through the noise of a crowded municipal race.
Brady Rogers, a 33-year-old engineer and entrepreneur, built much of his campaign around deliberately self-deprecating messaging and deadpan signs. Rogers noted that the approach injects fun into a repetitive campaign process while reflecting his authentic personality. “Whether people like me or hate me, it gets them to ask questions about why I’m doing this, and what I’m thinking and what plans I have,” Rogers said. His signs gained traction online in the United States, generating roughly two million views, though Rogers acknowledged the strategy carries a risk of undercutting himself.
Teresa May Combines High Heels and Wake-Surfing for Instagram Campaign
First-time candidate Teresa May took a different route to engage younger voters by filming herself wake-surfing on Okanagan Lake while wearing high heels and waving campaign signs. May, an entrepreneur and community volunteer who has wake-surfed for over a decade, produced the videos at the suggestion of her children. The clips were widely shared on Instagram.
May used the aquatic stunts to expand her reach without producing excessive physical signage. “How do I get my signs out in front of, well, now probably 500,000 people?” May said. She treats the videos as an icebreaker to direct viewers toward her official website and policy positions, prompting other candidates to rethink their outreach strategies.
Garrett Millsap Brings a Pet Dog to West Kelowna Signage
In nearby West Kelowna, candidate seeking re-election Garrett Millsap enlisted his 10-year-old Beaglier, Cooper, to anchor his re-election signage. The campaign posters feature Cooper alongside the tagline “re-elect my human,” encouraging residents to pose for selfies during their morning commutes. “Election signs don’t need to be boring and love that these will put a smile on some people’s faces on their commute to work in the morning,” Millsap wrote on Facebook.
David Black Analyzes the Rise of Unconventional Municipal Tactics
David Black, an associate professor at the School of Communication and Culture at Royal Roads University, explained that while unusual tactics are not entirely new, social media platforms allow candidates greater room for experimentation. “I think it’s good for our politics, in the sense that it gets us away from the plague of ‘message discipline’, everything is very locked down,” Black said. He noted that municipal candidates face the distinct hurdle of building an individual brand without the backing of formal party structures.
Despite the benefits of standing out, Black cautioned that unconventional strategies remain a calculated risk. While humour attracts visibility, voters might misinterpret lighthearted stunts as a lack of seriousness regarding public office.
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