Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Tyee reports possible deal between Raymond Louie and Allan De Genova in Vision Vancouver mayoral contest

The Tyee's investigative editor Monte Paulsen is reporting late Thursday that Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate and former Non-Partisan Association Park Board Commissioner Allan De Genova is likely to endorse Councilor Raymond Louie for second choice ballot support in Sunday's vote in an effort to defeat Gregor Robertson.

The news comes as Louie has sent out a media advisory saying he will make a "special announcement" at City Hall on Friday at 10:30 a.m.

In a story headlined "De Genova to Boost Louie?" Paulsen interviewed key players from all campaigns and drew these comments from the De Genova and Louie teams:

"I think there's always been a lot of synergies between our camp and Raymond's camp. A lot of them have been brought about by some of the actions that the Gregor camp has taken," said Ian Bailey, who manages the De Genova campaign.

"I haven't been told. But given all the comments out there in the past several months, I'd be surprised if it wasn't Raymond," said Neil Monckton, who manages the Louie campaign.


De Genova, who was also interviewed, claimed that the Vision Vancouver executive had not treated him fairly:

"The Tyee: So you are steering your supporters to a specific second-choice candidate?

De Genova: "Absolutely. Absolutely."

The Tyee: "Who is that candidate?"

De Genova: "You'll see on Sunday. It will be quite obvious."

The former Non-Partisan Association member was more blunt about why he had made this decision.

"Because I was not happy in the balloting process and how things shook out... I have nobody on the executive that represents me. I wasn't even able to have an observer there... the executive is made up half of Gregor's people and half of Raymond's," De Genova said.

"This is my chance, now, to align myself with what I think is important for
the party. At the end of the day, this is what's right for the party," he added.

De Genova said he had neither met with nor informed the candidate he will support. And he denied that his pending announcement will contradict his previous promises to "leave it up to the membership" to make their second-choice decisions."

Vancouver Sun reporter and blogger Frances Bula also reports late Thursday that:

"I hear from highly placed people that the Louie campaign and the De Genova campaign are preparing to tell each of their sets of supporters to mark the other candidate as their second choice in Sunday's Vision Vancouver preferential ballot."

Bula also defended her posting from complaints by Louie campaign manager Neil Monckton that his side are not telling supporters to vote De Genova as their second choice.

Said Bula: "However, as you all know, even though I may not be naming sources, I don't put out rumours that don't come from credible sources."

As many readers will already know, I have endorsed Gregor Robertson as the best choice for Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate to defeat the NPA.

Vision has over 13,000 registered members who will be eligible to vote at the Croatian Cultural Centre this Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

So it seems the ex NPA fellow is about to bail out and head toward the other fellow and doing so to attempt to stop the best candidate Gregor. Waste of time ex NPA guy. (Go back to the NPA now that Sam has been dethroned.)Gregor is the best choice to work for Vision and become mayor of a great city. It sort of reminds me about some of the folks in COPE as they used to fight among themselves and let the NPA get a free ride. The ethnic and other voters know who the best candidate is and he is a sitting MLA, successful small business guy snd his name is Gregor.

Anonymous said...

This kind of double-dealing and confusion reminds me of the exciting days of the Chretien-Martin leadership battles.

At the helm of this political anarchy was Liberal Senator-in-Waiting. . . Mark Marissen.

And guess what kiddies, "The Senator" is at the wheel of this car wreck too.

The GREAT SATAN

Anonymous said...

Bill:

I suggest if any 40 cup coffee urns appear out of no-where at City Hall around 10:30 this morning . . . for the media and the Robertson Team, that you pass on it, as you don't want to ruin your weekends.

I can hear those bus motors turning over right now in Burnaby, Surrey and across the Fraser Valley.

The GREAT SATAN

Anonymous said...

Has Robertson's campaign completely collapsed!?
This sort of hysteria smacks of desperation.
For a front runner, things are starting to really lack dignity and grace.

Bill Tieleman said...

I find the last comment very strange indeed. And here's what's an excerpt from what's online right now in the Georgia Straight:

The Straight asked Cunningham on June 3 whether the De Genova and Louie camps would work together against Robertson.

Cunningham predicated his answer on the fact that the two campaigns have similar opinions on how the nomination rules should be set out, and noted it was only the Robertson group that had a different view.

“There has been common ground between those two campaigns,” Cunningham said. “Does that mean a deal is going to happen? I don’t know if does or not, but certainly there’s been some common ground that’s been already expressed.”

At his press briefing today, Louie said that he won’t make public whom he prefers his supporters choose as their second choice.

Pressed by reporters, Louie said he might mark as a second choice on his ballot someone who has “experience in running our city” and can make “sure that we get things done”.

Louie might as well have been referring to De Genova, who has 15 years’ experience on the park board, and prides himself on his campaign Web site as someone who gets things done.

Full item: http://www.straight.com/article-150025/coun-raymond-louie-raises-concerns-about-vision-vancouver-ballot

Anonymous said...

Mudslinging and slime.
...Well, Robertson did hire the best.

Anonymous said...

in who's strategic interests is it, exactly, to be spreading a rumour that there is a deal.

... let's think about this one for a second, folk.

Bill?

Anonymous said...

i don't think it's going to matter who anybody marks as their second choice.

Anonymous said...

Oh, this is delicious! Too bad all the focus was on the NPA race when it's obvious that the Vision vote is going to be sooo down and dirty. If anyone heard the three surrogates for the candidates today on Christi Clarke, hosted by Michael Smyth, you can see that the animosity is very close to the surface. I didn't know Hurford was working for Gregor!! Chortle!

Bill Tieleman said...

NOTE to posters: someone wanted to post a totally unrelated item here - sorry but in the interests of all readers I am not going to put completely disconnected posts on these pages.

Secondly, undecided on #2 asks in whose interest it is to spread rumours about a deal.

I have reported what has been said in different media and let people draw their own conclusions.

Today in the Vancouver Sun, Allan De Genova and Raymond Louie both discuss second choices on the ballot. Here's what Frances Bula and Doug Ward report:

"De Genova said he's been telling his supporters that his alternative choice is the candidate who has been working for many years on city issues and building Vision over the past three years -- a description that only fits Louie, the six-year veteran on council, first with the Coalition of Progressive Electors and then with Vision after it broke away from COPE.

Louie said that he's also been urging his supporters to vote for a second candidate, but, unlike De Genova, he's given no hint about his preference.

"I can't say if Al will choose me as his second choice, but I hope I am," said Louie. "I think I fit somewhere in the political spectrum between Al and Gregor and I have friends in both camps."

The full story is online at:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=857fcdf1-dc6a-47c4-9135-b4ce0597d971

Anonymous said...

It is interesting that the Martinite/Dionite "power-gang" continues to operate like it is 2002.

Their Watergate-style dirty tricks . . . the cooked instant party membership cards; the bus loads of loyal supporters from somewhere in BC; and of course, the double and even triple backroom deals ... transend this weekend's Vision race and go back into the last week's NPA race.

And if COPE runs Comrade Cadman, you can be sure an aging BC Martinite operative will be there to cut a devil's deal.

It has nothing to do with ideology; in fact, it crosses all the "ideas". . . it has all to do with acquiring more and more influence & $$$.

It really is . . . WE ONLY CHEAT WHEN WE CAN'T WIN !

The GREAT SATAN

Anonymous said...

Bill you certainly got a lot of anons on this story. wonder how many are from the same person. If I post anyhting I at least use my initials Anons could write from all sides of the fence.If COpe is dumb enough to run Cadman it will give a leg up for the NPA. D.L.

Anonymous said...

Bill...
First you refer to an article...
-----------------------------------
"Pressed by reporters, Louie said he might mark as a second choice on his ballot someone who has “experience in running our city” and can make “sure that we get things done”.

Louie might as well have been referring to De Genova, who has 15 years’ experience on the park board, and prides himself on his campaign Web site as someone who gets things done."
-----------------------------------

Louie certainly seems to infer that De Genova should be the second ballot choice.

OTOH, then you later state in your second post...

" Louie said that he's also been urging his supporters to vote for a second candidate, but, unlike De Genova, he's given no hint about his preference."

As I scratch my head!

Anonymous said...

One final note Bill...

A poster on Frances Bula's blog and Frances subsequent commentary...

-----------------------------------
Kits livr said:
I was volunteering at the Robertson campaign earlier this week and the atmosphere was so poisonous and vindictive regarding the other campaigns it really put me off.

I don't really know who the senior people were, but the people there were just spewing out venom in front of everyone.

It was really inapropriate, and I totaly put me off. I don't even know if I'll bother voting on Sunday now.

June 13, 2008 5:44 PM
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/citystates/archive/2008/06/12/is-it-even-possible-for-degenova-and-louie-to-say-where-their-supporters-will-go-on-second-ballot.aspx#comments
-----------------------------------
"As you can see from at least one comment on my blog from a Robertson worker, volunteers who are working in these offices are not impressed by the level of vitriol that's been coming out in the last week."

"But there's so much animosity at this point between the Robertson and Louie camps that, even though the two candidates actually started as friends, it's not clear who among their supporters would be willing to work with the eventual winner."

http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/citystates/default.aspx
-----------------------------------

I hope that things will eventually smoothen themselves out.

Anonymous said...

DL, your hypothesis that we should believe your comments over those who sign in as Anonymous isn't worth the cyberspace paper that its been written upon.

My name is Damn Lucky, yes "Damn Lucky" (my Father's idea of a joke because I was born on North American soil and not where my parents were last stationed prior to the Cold War)

My initials are DL, and I'm quite sure that there must be at least another 728 million other people with the unique initials of DL.

If you want to secure your initials (name may be kept just as secret) so that we know that you are the same DL, then please, please, register like Bill Tieleman has done when he comments here (to ensure that those who read and post here know they are dealing with the real McCoy).

It doesn't cost you anything, its FREE.

Bill Tieleman said...

I can't judge the accuracy of comments alleged to have been made at Gregor Robertson's office but let me just say that I will be supporting Vision in the November election campaign no matter who wins Sunday, as I'm sure all senior staff from all campaigns will.

Anonymous said...

Hey anon Damn Lucky.Your comments:
Anonymous said...
DL, your hypothesis that we should believe your comments over those who sign in as Anonymous isn't worth the cyberspace paper that its been written upon.
Tieleman is the guy with the blog we are writing on so of course he uses his full name. I cerainly don't wish to argue with any of you guys about whose stuff is more believable. Its my opinon , take it or leave it. I couldn't care less if you agree or not. This isn't supposed to be a pissing contest. I'lol throw in an extra initial to make damn sure I'm not mistaken for you or any other anon.