Thursday, October 17, 2002
Vancouver Votes 2002 - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER – It's an election year in Vancouver. For me, it's hard to believe that it's been that long since the last election. In 1999, the last time we elected a mayor, a council, a parks, and school board, I did a series of columns on the politics of it all. This time around, I've been rather invisible in this space on the so said election. Odd, considering it is a most competitive race. The most competitive in decades.
The parties in action this time around include the two stalwarts in Vancouver politics. On the right is the NPA, the Non Partisan Association, who in actuality are anything but. They've got majorities on City Council, on the school, and parks board, as well, the incumbent mayor is a member of the said NPA. On the left, is Coalition of Progressive Electors, COPE for short.
The incumbent Mayor, Philip Owen has been in office since 1993. He succeeded the last mayor, one Gordon Campbell, who left civic politics for provincial auspices, becoming Premier in 2001. Owen, from the right side of town, has been largely perceived as a big business sort of Mayor, though his most noteworthy accomplishment is that of implementing safe injection sites for addicts in our skid row, the Downtown Eastside – the poorest postal code in all of Canada. His party, largely moneyed individuals and firms, weren't too keen in propagating drug-use, thus organised a coup to drive the mayor out. Owen quits in a huff, when his nomination for re-election is not guaranteed by NPA brass. Behind it all is thought to be longtime City Councillor Jennifer Clarke. Clarke, business-sympathetic, organises to grab the nomination and gets it. She's running as the NPA's mayoralty candidate, whilst the COPE gang drafted Larry Campbell, the former chief coroner to run.
Mr. Campbell, of no relation to the Premier, was this town's ex-coroner, who's the inspiration for the CBC drama DaVinci's Inquest. He's even written scripts for the acclaimed television series. COPE supporters are naturally pleased Campbell is their nominee, as his entry into the race guaranteed that Election 2002 would not be the sleeper that previous votes had been. COPE has never elected a mayor to City Hall. (Mike Harcourt, a mayor in the 1980s was never technically a COPE member; he was an independent candidate who won with COPE's backing.) This year they might, because of the entry of a new/old party, with some familiar faces.
Back in the 1970s, TEAM, The Electors Action Movement, was a major player in the politics of this city. It was a coalition of Liberals and New Democrats, and it even had the token Tory involved. It disintegrated and by the 1980s Vancouver was as polarised as it is today – the two major parties being COPE and the NPA. Branded vcaTEAM, they've got a competitive slate of candidates vying for their chance at civic glory. Largely brought about by two former NPA councillors (both were around prior to 1999), Nancy Chiavario and Alan Herbert; who both had sought to retain NPA nominations in 1999, only to be dumped by the party. They've brought an interesting list of candidates including themselves, former Social Credit cabinet minister Stephen Rogers, former BC Liberal MLA and civic pol Art Cowie, among others. Their mayoralty candidate is too, a former cop (of the RCMP variety), now better known as the public face of the Better Business Bureau, Valerie MacLean. They're the centrists in this race, whilst COPE is unabashedly left, and the NPA proudly on the right.
The inability for COPE to be successful on the electoral scene is largely based on the fact that on the west side of town are the more likely to get out and vote. Those in the east side of the city, tend not to, even though they'd largely support COPE. There's been an article or two disputing this generality I've just made, but for decades that's been the status quo. With MacLean's TEAM in the race, COPE's hoping that will syphon votes away from Jennifer Clarke, thus Larry Campbell would come up the middle and take the big office at the corner of 12th and Cambie.
The odd thing though is that COPE's got a very good candidate on their hands. Campbell is actually popular in this city, because lots are rather displeased with the actions of Jennifer Clarke. It seems that her scheming against Mayor Owen, did not rub folks the right way. Both Campbell and MacLean, oddly enough, have admitted that were Philip Owen to have sought re-election this year, they themselves would not have run. Clearly, Mayor Owen's popularity is significant amongst the establishment set.
I got a call the other day from one of the political parties running this year. They wanted to know if I'd be supporting their candidate for mayor. Politely, I told them I have not made up my mind yet as to whom I'll endorse as mayor. I haven't pegged my list for councillors just yet either. Ten, I'll have to choose, and I'm sure, it will be a list not concentrated on the slate of one party. For Council, I told the canvasser, I'll probably be choosing candidates from most parties, as the variety is pretty good this time around. I'll have a list of my picks, in this space, in the next little while.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .