A business owner who turned his lack of political experience into a campaign punchline has won a seat on Kelowna City Council, drawing 1,470 more votes than an incumbent who first took office in 2011. The result puts a newcomer who questioned his own qualifications in a position to influence decisions on property taxes, development, and infrastructure.
Brady Rogers finished fourth in the municipal election with 12,635 votes, according to the city’s unofficial count. Meanwhile, Maxine DeHart, a councillor seeking her fifth term, placed ninth with 11,165, missing the eighth and final available council seat by 305 votes.
Rogers also finished ahead of returning councillors Rick Webber, who received 12,512 votes, and Mohini Singh, who received 11,968.
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Among 37 council candidates, five newcomers secured seats alongside three incumbents. Incumbent Gord Lovegrove topped the field with 15,462 votes.
The election drew 38,970 voters, an estimated 31% turnout. Rogers appeared on approximately 32.4% of ballots cast in a contest where voters could select multiple councillors.
Rogers’ campaign website introduced him with the lines, “Do I enjoy politics? No. Do I know what I’m doing? No. But am I qualified? Also no.”
Before the election, CBC and Castanet had reported on the attention it attracted, including exposure beyond Canada. Rogers told CBC that he had relevant experience despite never having served as a politician.
His experience includes four years in robotic automation engineering and co-founding The Rogerie, a Kelowna business that converts discarded plastic into consumer products. The campaign materials also presented a policy agenda focused on housing costs, municipal spending, and transit.
One proposal would shift more property taxation toward the value of land and away from buildings. Rogers argues that taxing improvements less heavily could encourage productive development.
He has also advocated having growth cover more of its infrastructure costs and increasing the stock of publicly owned land.
In the mayoralty race, Tom Dyas secured another term with 19,451 votes, defeating Ron Cannan by 969.
The results remain unofficial, with certification expected October 21.
