Gregor Robertson, Vision Vancouver & COPE nearly sweep NPA
It was a stunning victory Saturday as Gregor Robertson led Vision Vancouver to a resounding victory over the Non-Partisan Association.
Together with their electoral partners the Coalition Of Progressive Electors and the civic Green Party, Vision Vancouver now dominates City Council, the School Board and Park Board - the NPA is left with a total of just four seats our of 27 elected positions.
It was a Happy Planet night in Vancouver despite an unfortunately low turnout - surprising because traditionally the NPA has done very well with poor voter participation - but not this time.
NPA mayoral candidate Peter Ladner lost by about 19,000 votes and only NPA councilor Suzanne Anton survived the Vision Vancouver wave.
Incumbent Vision councilors Raymond Louie, Heather Deal, Tim Stevenson and George Chow will be joined by Andrea Reimer, Geoff Meggs and Kerry Jang on the Vision council team.
COPE councilor David Cadman will be rejoined by Ellen Woodsworth, a COPE councilor from 2002 to 2005 who is the first city councilor in recent memory to ever come back from being previously defeated.
On School Board Vision took all four seats it contested, with incumbent Sharon Gregson being joined by Patti Bacchus, Mike Lombardi and Ken Clement - a particularly welcome newcomer as Ken is the first person of aboriginal origin to be elected to a municipal office in Vancouver!
COPE veteran school trustees Allan Wong and Al Blakey are joined by former COPE trustees Jane Bouey, while the NPA returns Ken Denike and Carol Gibson.
On Park Board Vision's Aaron Jasper, Constance Barnes, Raj Hundal and Sarah Blyth join COPE incumbent Loretta Woodcock and civic Green Stuart MacKinnon, with Ian Robertson the NPA's sole survivor.
I congratulate all the winners and wish them the best in their efforts to improve Vancouver and take on the tough issues that our city faces.
And as a Vision Vancouver supporter, friend and fan of Gregor Robertson I am particularly thrilled that he will be our next mayor!
Watch for my column in Tuesday's 24 hours and here for more on the challenges ahead for Vancouver - and for BC.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
It's a Happy Planet city in Vancouver
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9 comments:
My wife heard some NPA guy on the radio today and he was convinced gregor won because he was good looking. But then again another NPA supporter claimed Gregor should quit dying his har and get rid of his toupee( A real class act from a disgruntled loser). The split across the city looks about the usual. It's too bad but heck a win is a win. A big win indicates folks do want some things done, and real soon.
I'm sure it was unintentional Bill (but maybe Freudian in some sort of weird, mystical way?), but Mr. 'Louis' is not there.....
Mr. 'Louie', however, is.
(And I agree with FABula, COPE, whether classic or light, will survive because with the big tent covering them they won't get rained out by the money shakers)
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Thanks Gazetteer - I've unfortunately done that before to Raymond - it's fixed with my apologies.
I keep hearing NPA types complaining today that Robertson won because he's good looking. Do they really think Vancouverites are that stupid? How do they explain Larry Campbell's landslide victory in 2002? Or Sullivan's win in 2005? Neither is exactly GQ material.
After the trouncing received yesterday, do they really still not get that voters don't like it when we catch political leaders giving away $100 million of our tax dollars and then trying to cover it up?
Robertson went into the final stretch way ahead because he was smart enough to unite the left while the NPA self destructed through their vicious infighting. The $100 million bailout cover-up just sealed the deal for him. Simple as that.
Approximately 22,000 votes separated the strongest and weakest Vision council candidates while about 24,000 votes separated thestrongest and wealest NPA council candidates. Even Cadman and Woosworth were separated by about 11,000 votes. So much for slate voting. The COPE Vision agreement was totally unnecessary. Without it voters would still have supported the candidates they liked and not voted for the ones they didn't. Chances are candidates like David Eby and Meena Wong would likely have gotten more votes than Meggs and Woodsworth who both received less votes than the lowest 2005 incumbent,B.C.Lee did.
With the Campbell lieberals ignoring the social needs of this province since their time in Victoria certainly contributed to NPA's loss. Vancouver streets are worse than ever with homlessness etc. Right wingers just don't know how to govern for everyone, as they are just to busy giving perks to all their friends.
A stunning victory.
Made even more impressive by the fact that SIX of the councillors who voted in favour of the $100,000,000 loan guarantee are back.
Some call that change.
I say the coverup continues!
Re: Vote splitting
At the COPE nomination meeting some disgruntled COPE members talked about switching their votes to the WORK LESS party. It seems that quite afew of them were good to their word as two WORK LESS council candidates received more than 10,000 votes and the other two received more than 8,000. Most of these votes came at the expense of Woodsworth and Meggs, who are strongly disliked by the COPE members I've spoken to. So, you see there was vote splitting in spite of the COPE-VISION deal. It just didn't matter as the NPA was so unpopular.
I wonder what is going to happen with the NPA after the drubbing they received on Saturday. With the defeat of Liberal oriented pro-diversity candidates like Geller, Copeland, Bickerton, Siddhu, Holden and DeGenova, will the Conservative oriented Sam Sullivan faction try to take control of the party when the NPA elects its board at its AGM this December.
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