VanRamblings was disappointed to hear yesterday, from informed sources, that Vancouver’s newest municipal political party, One City Vancouver, has made the decision to contest only seats for Vancouver City Council in 2014, and will not be offering candidates in the Board of Education or Park Board sphere heading into Vancouver civic election day, on November 15th.
Our sources report that the decision was made some time ago, and despite the imprecations of many associated with the nascent civic political party, the decision’s been made, and there just ain’t no changing it. Sad.
With former COPE School Board trustee Jane Bouey, former Vancouver PAC Chair Gwen Giesbrecht, and longtime education activist Marcy Toms ready to head up a One City Vancouver Board of Education slate — and given the support of Vision Vancouver Board of Education chair Patti Bacchus for the candidacies of these three aforementioned, well-respected community and education activists — it is a pity, indeed, that One City Vancouver will focus solely on gaining one or more seats on Vancouver City Council this autumn.
In respect of Park Board, as we wrote to OneCity co-founder David Chudnovsky yesterday, there is very little doubt in our mind that OneCity’s Mia Edbrooke would make a damn fine Park Board Commissioner. Seems that the affable, informed and very bright Ms. Edbrooke will not present her name as a candidate for Park Board this autumn — a loss for all Vancouver citizens who possess a degree of caring for parks and recreation in our city.
NPA Running to the Left in Campaign 2014, Means to Win This Time
Speculation is running rampant as to the nature of the civic election campaign that Vancouver’s natural governing party, the Non-Partisan Association (now, the New Progressive Association) will run this autumn.
Will it be the unfocused NPA, Rob Ford apparatchik-led botch job that Vancouverites experienced in 2011, or has the NPA in 2014 finally learned their lesson, and set about to embark on, and adopt the strategy of, a winning, centrist, socially progressive, neighbourhood-focused and citizen-engaged campaign for office? In the coming months, VanRamblings will report out on NPA strategy. Suffice to say: the NPA means to win in 2014.
Readers have written to enquire as to why VanRamblings had not included Vancouver First in Sunday’s posting on municipal political parties vying for office this autumn? Hell, we were very much looking forward to a viable Jesse Johl (pictured above) campaign, but alas it is not to be — which is not to say that Jesse won’t run, but rather to say with all the recent shenanigans afoot surrounding allegations about “misappropriated” funds at the Riley Park-Hillcrest Community Centre Association (where Johl sits as President), and lawsuits launched by Park Board, and NPA Board of Directors (and former good friend) member Ken Charko, directed at the oleaginous (if amiable, and outspoken) Johl, any latent candidacy for Vancouver civic office by Mr. Johl would only be met with huzzahs of derision. Would’ve been an interesting, noisy candidacy, tho. C’est la vie.
