In 2018, both VanRamblings and this blog’s longtime webmaster, Mike Klassen — currently running with ABC Vancouver to secure a seat on the next four year term on City Council — wrote columns promoting women as reasonable and necessary choices to be elected to a renewed and vital 2018 Vancouver City Council.
In point of fact, the two columns written must have resonated with voters. On Election Night 2018, Saturday, October 20th, EIGHT outstanding women candidates of distinction and accomplishment were elected to Vancouver City Council.
VanRamblings believes it is fair to say that Vancouver citizens have been well-served by the tremendously hard-working women who have toiled on our behalf these past four years: Adriane Carr as a champion for the environment; Melissa De Genova as Finance Chairperson; Jean Swanson present always to be a voice for the forgotten; Colleen Hardwick for her work to ensure that Vancouver now has an Auditor General’s office; Christine Boyle, not only for her work on sustainability, but also for moving the motion at Council that was unanimously adopted, that will preserve the False Creek South neighbourhood for generations to come; Lisa Dominato as a voice of reason, Chairing an all-important committee at Metro Vancouver, while also serving with distinction on Council; Rebecca Bligh for her sterling work as a member of the all-important Selection Committee of Council that recommends appointments to one of City Hall’s 33 advisory committees; and Sarah Kirby-Yung, who helped see us through the pandemic, and helped restaurants in dire financial straits, championing restaurant patios, and side street plazas, where we could meet together in the open, in neighbourhoods across the city.
The 2022 University Women’s Club ‘Women Transforming Cities‘ event, where all but three of the women candidates for office VanRamblings has endorsed today, spoke so movingly and eloquently.
In 2022, of the 60 candidates for Vancouver City Council, twenty-six of those candidates for Council are women. Directly below, please find the number, the names and the party affiliations for those women candidates who we feel would make a lasting and critically important contribution to the life of our city. You will note that there are 11 names on the ballot, yet only 10 open spots on Vancouver City Council — VanRamblings has provided you with a choice, should you not like one of the women candidates, leaping into the 10th open Council seat you could choose another woman on the Women’s Endorsement Ballot you’ll find directly below.
With twenty-six superb women candidates having come forward to seek a seat on Vancouver City Council in 2022, in endorsing the 10 women candidates that we have above, quite obviously there are sixteen names of superb women candidates who have not made today’s Women Candidates Endorsement ballot.
In yesterday’s VanRamblings column we wrote about 22 candidates for City Council, we will not formally endorse — of the 60 candidates for Council in 2022, we believe each of these 22 candidates for office (some of whom appear on our non-endorsement list, as well as the Women Candidates Endorsement ballot above) — to be of the highest calibre and character. Should one or more of these well-experienced candidates find themselves elected to Council come Saturday evening, October 15th, Vancouverites would have every reason to celebrate.
