UPDATE: Kelowna mayoral candidates respond to apparent hacking

UPDATE: Kelowna mayoral candidate Colin Basran says he wants to support Sharon Shepherd after her twitter account was apparently hacked.

“There is no room for such acts,” says Basran. “This election should be about local issues and choosing a leader who will best lead our city.”

Candidate Kelly Rowe says he didn’t expect the election to take this turn.

“I would hope people would take the high road…do things the right way, respect one another, step up and represent our city,” says Rowe. “As our former mayor, Sharon Shepherd deserves our respect.”

“It’s obviously very sad,” says candidate Mark Thompson. “I can guarantee it was nothing to do with anyone in our campaign. Honestly I don’t know why anyone would do something that inappropriate. I hope her call to the RCMP gets results.”

Global News attempted to reach the other four candidates, Sam Condy, Chuck Hardy, James Murphy and Glendon Smedley, but did not hear back.

RCMP have yet to confirm what action, if any, police will be taking.

KELOWNA —  The fight for mayor hit below the belt in Kelowna Friday after someone apparently hacked a candidate’s social media accounts. Mayoral candidate Sharon Shepherd says she’s stunned someone posed as her and ‘politically sabotaged’ her.

“I was alarmed to learn that an attack on my identity via my previous website and an old twitter account has transpired after I announced my candidacy for Mayor only two days ago,” says  Shepherd. “Those who know me soon realized my previous accounts had been take over without my knowledge or permission, for the apparent purpose of political sabotage, to discredit me. Several inappropriate comments were posted from an older account long left behind.”

The comments surfaced on her Facebook page and Twitter accounts.

“True leadership that is strong and clear should be able to stand on principle and merit alone,” says Shepherd.

She responded to her followers on twitter:

Shepherd says she has contacted the RCMP about the issue. There is no word on who may be behind the hacking.