On our continuing mission to alienate just about everyone we know, and most particularly those poor, woebegone individuals who have chosen to throw their hat into the ring in the boisterous 2018 Vancouver civic election, today on VanRamblings we take a swipe at the Mayoral candidacy of two-term Green Party of Vancouver City Councillor Adriane Carr …
… the really quite wonderful, incredibly hard-working, uncommonly and peerlessly-principled, joy-and-heart-filled, elected civic official of conscience, the top vote-getter in the 2014 Vancouver municipal election, the person who most thinking and conscious Vancouverites have either long known, or come to realize, is on their side, always and forever — a Vancouver City Councillor you know you can count on, a person who possesses that rare quality of being a good listener, someone who does not only hear what you’re saying, but processes and contexualizes your words, who values your input, who finds grace in the interactions with her constituents (which is to say, all of us who live in Vancouver), a fine, warm-hearted, incredibly bright human being who has dedicated her life to service on your behalf. No mean feat that, and a feat for which we all should be eternally grateful, and thankful of her invaluable service to us.
And yet, even given all of the above, VanRamblings harbours concerns, and a patina of misgivings about Councillor Carr’s — we think, ego-driven — mayoral ambitions, and certain 2018 candidacy for Mayor of Vancouver.
The most admirable trait any political figure can bring to public life is humility. Across Vancouver City Council, Vancouver Park Board, and Vancouver’s Board of Education, each and every one of our elected officials comes to their job absolutely and utterly devoid of ego. Heck, if each or any one of our elected civic officials had an ego, they’d never be able to put up with the continual attacks on their character, or the supposed “wrongness” of whatever decision they had made on any given day.
No, in Vancouver and much to what should be our undying gratitude, whether it be (l-r) John Coupar, Casey Crawford, Catherine Evans, Sarah Kirby-Yung, Stuart Mackinnon, Erin Shum or Mike Wiebe at Park Board, or …
(left to right, well sorta) … Melissa De Genova, Adriane Carr, Andrea Reimer, Heather Deal, Raymond Louie, with Mayor Gregor Robertson standing in the centre, Tim Stevenson, Kerry Jang, Elizabeth Ball, George Affleck, Hector Bremner — fine, upstanding, on your side Vancouver City Councillors, each and every one of them … or
And, once again left to right, the wonderful Carrie Bercic; along with multi-term trustee Fraser Ballantyne; Vision Vancouver’s Ken Clement; Vancouver’s longest-serving trustee and incredibly great person & staunch social justice warrior, Allan Wong; with brooks no nonsense Chairperson Janet Fraser in the centre, one of the finest Chairpersons of any board, anywhere, anytime, that we have ever witnessed; the appropriately-named, Joy Alexander; the Beedie School’s Dr. Judy Zaichkowski; the heart-filled and hard-working Estrellita Gonzalez; with relatively, recently-elected Lisa Dominato next to her; and, finally, last but certainly not least, principled Student Trustee, Eugene Jeoung — each of whom serve with distinction, as trustees on Vancouver’s distinguished Board of Education …
Each one of the public servants whose names appear above constitute, as elected groups, the finest, civically-minded amalgam of municipally-elected officials Vancouver has ever had the good fortune to have represent them in civic life in our city. Are they “perfect” human beings, are the decisions they take always, and without fail, the “right” ones — no, and each one of them would be the first one to say so, wrestling with and losing sleep over the decisions taken at the Council, Park Board or School Board table as part and parcel of what it means to be an elected official in our too often riven and far, far, far too cynically-minded paradise by the sea.
The Vancouver & District Labour Council Meetings are Imminent
Days from now, the august and most definitely on your side, Vancouver & District Labour Council (VDLC) will hold a “let’s broker a deal with the progressive forces in Vancouver” series of meetings — with good-hearted, honest and integrity-filled representatives from OneCity Vancouver, the Green Party of Vancouver, the Coalition of Progressive Electors, Vision Vancouver, and Team Jean in attendance — in order that the forces of regression and repression, as represented by Vancouver’s corporate-funded Vancouver Non-Partisan Association, who must be kept from taking a majority position at Vancouver City Council, upon which undesired outcome would rest the unwelcome fate not only of the people of Vancouver, but the some 3500 hard-working City of Vancouver employees, the folks who work within the Engineering Department to repair our roads, or the good people who process your development permit application when you either set about to build your new home or renovate your existing residence, or any of the other invaluable, incredibly hard-working civic staff who contribute daily to your quality of life in British Columbia’s largest metropolitan city.
Ostensibly, too, the upcoming May 6th / 7th VDLC meetings will seek to find agreement among the five progressive parties as to one, agreed-upon “unity candidate” for Mayor of Vancouver, around whom Vancouver’s progressive civic parties, the 46,000 Union employees who reside in Vancouver, and all persons of conscience might rally, so that those of us who have dedicated a good portion of our lives to the realization of a fairer, and more socially just, inclusive and equitable Vancouver might rally in support, in order that this unity candidate might emerge as a voice for us.
In other words, a voice for Vancouver’s future, and a Mayor who would work together with her fellow progressive city councillors in order that Vancouver might continue to be a city of reconciliation, a sanctuary city, a nuclear-free zone, a city welcoming of refugees and immigrants, where an unbridled and dedicated advocacy force for our gender-variant communities would remain of paramount importance on the city’s social justice agenda, and a principled civic government which represents the best that we can be — all the while, of course, laser-focused on what must become a whirlwind of affordable housing construction in our city, housing as a human right.
But, alas, Adriane Carr has chosen a “go it alone” path — last evening posting notice of her Adriane Carr for Mayor candidacy on a newly-created Facebook page, days in advance of the proposed VDLC “broker a deal” meeting, when yesterday, the civic party destined to be the most powerful political force in the coming civic election - which is to say, OneCity Vancouver - went on record to state that their party of greatness will not support Adriane Carr as a mayoralty candidate in the current civic election.
Ms. Carr has, in recent days, told anyone who will listen that if she were to seek the Mayor’s chair — as now would appear to be the case — she would do so as leader of the Green Party of Vancouver, and under no circumstance would she consider putting her name on the ballot for the Mayor’s job as a “unity candidate” for the five progressive parties seeking office in the 2018 Vancouver municipal election.
So much for playing nice with others, so much for being the much-desired-by-the-left “unity candidate”, so much for waiting to hear what has to be said at this week’s upcoming VLDC “broker a deal” meetings.
No sirree, Jill — Adriane Carr is going to go it alone, throw caution and co-operation to the wind, fight it out with the Vancouver Non-Partisan Association, and now that the estimable Ms. Carr has rejected the notion of “unity”, you’ll likely see a Mayoral bid by Vision Vancouver City Councillor Raymond Louie, who is just chomping at the bit to enter the civic race.
Unity — it was nice knowin’ ya, have a good life, maybe by moving to Saskatoon you can find what you’re looking for, because it sure ain’t happenin’ in Vancouver, not now, not anytime soon. Oh woe is all of us.
Why would Adriane Carr — person of principle and character — reject the notion of running as a “unity” Mayoral candidate, when it represents her best chance to achieve the Mayor’s chair the evening of October 20th?
One word: hubris (about which VanRamblings knows more than a little, we are sad to report).
Adriane Carr. Mayor of Vancouver. Name in lights. A ‘go it alone’ gal — who oughta have a helluva time trying to whip her City Councillors into adopting measures she places on the city agenda, whose mayoralty will only succeed in sewing the seeds of dissension and dysfunction, which we all know works just tickety-boo in civic government. And if Adriane Carr is the Mayor with a majority NPA-elected City Council, well, gosh, won’t that be just swell … nothing will ever get done, like the antipathies of the Republican Congress & Senate imported into Vancouver. Great, that’d be great, just great.
Oh, you can just see the headlines in newspapers across Canada, and on the late evening network news programmes: “Adriane Carr, Canada’s first Green Mayor of a major metropolitan city. Hallelujah, and love a duck! Good times are here again.” Or not, as the case may be …
To say that VanRamblings is unthrilled with the prospect of an Adriane Carr as Green Party of Vancouver Mayor is to understate the matter; which is not to say that we do not believe Ms. Carr will succeed Gregor Robertson, to become Vancouver’s next Mayor — that’s likely, and it’s probable that against their best possible judgement OneCity Vancouver, COPE, Team Jean, the Greens (of course), and maybe even Vision Vancouver will only just grudgingly get behind a Carr for Mayor campaign — awaiting the inevitable fireworks that will follow from her ‘far from unified and any notion of unity’ ascendancy to the Mayor’s chair.
One supposes that at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter who becomes Vancouver’s next Mayor — most of the progressive parties are focusing on, together, electing a majority (of at least six Councillors) to Vancouver City Council, who would wield the real authority at City Hall.
Now, if you don’t know who the person above is, you haven’t been paying close enough attention to VanRamblings. We’re here to let you know: in the next few months, you will become absolutely smitten with Christine Boyle, who you MUST vote for in the current Vancouver civic election.
And, let’s face it, too, whoever becomes Mayor on October 20th will only be a placeholder Mayor, pending a run by sure-to-be-elected OneCity Vancouver Council candidate Christine Boyle who, in 2022, will become Vancouver’s once-and-forever Mayor, allowing those of us who reside in Vancouver to live in peace, prosperity and goodness for the remainder of our live-long days. Hallelujah — can’t wait til those halcyon days arrive!
In 2011, upon being elected as Vancouver’s first Green Party Vancouver City Councillor, Adriane Carr tied her wagon to the Vancouver Non-Partisan Association (or vice versa, as the case may be), appearing up front with NPA Councillors on the steps or front lawn of City Hall, anytime the NPA held a press conference — which was often. For all the world to see, and most particularly for members of the NPA, appearances were that Ms. Carr was an adjunct NPA member of Council. Come 2014, NPA voters turned out en masse for Ms. Carr, as did independents and deluded left-of-centre voters who thought, “Heck, yeah — Adriane Carr is one of us!”
Upon electing three Vancouver City Councillors in the 2014 municipal election, and seeing that Adriane Carr had emerged as the top vote-getter, the NPA’s Board of Directors gave their newly-and-re-elected Councillors a metaphorical slap upside the head, intoning, “No more deals with Adriane Carr. No more your putting her up front at press conferences you hold, no more helping to make people believe that she’s one of us — she’s not. Just what the hell were you thinking, anyway?”
Will Adriane Carr secure the right-wing vote in 2018, as the Green Mayoral candidate running to oppose Hector Bremner (who we believe has the NPA Mayoral nomination sewn up … it is to weep). You think so? Heck, c’mon over for coffee; we’ve got a bridge we’d like to sell you.
And will Adriane Carr secure the “progressive vote” in the 2018 Vancouver municipal election — not if Patti Bacchus has anything to say about (and she does!). Oh sure, it’s likely and even probable that the progressive forces will end up, begrudgingly, lining up behind an Adriane Carr bid for the Mayor’s chair, when it comes down to the crunch. But they won’t do so happily, and with any degree of enthusiasm. Oh woe is all of us.
In closing today’s column — yes, yes, today’s column is coming to its merciful end — as we are wont to do, a tale involving Adriane Carr, because as regular VanRamblings’ readers know: narrative counts for everything …
Early in her second term of office, VanRamblings attended an early morning meeting of Vancouver City Council, the city not yet having firmed up legislation that would make Vancouver a City of Reconciliation — on this particular, ‘overloaded with items of import’ agenda Council day, a just after Christmas mid-January, Tuesday morning sitting of Council, the onerous activities of the day began with an indigenous invocation ceremony that in its various parts proceeded over the course of a bit more than an hour, with frequent breaks to set up, delaying the work of the day, VanRamblings thought — callously, wrong-headedly and much to our undying shame and a measure of chagrin that we will carry with us always, from that day to this, and for the rest of our days on this Earth of ours … as we said to Councillor Carr as she approached us, welcoming VanRamblings to the Council room floor, we said to Councillor Carr, “it’s too bad, when there’s such a packed agenda, and it’s been over a month since Council last met that so much of yours and Council’s time is being taken up with today’s ceremony and presentation”, Adriane turning to us, saying …
“Raymond, the ceremony that is taking place today is more important to me and to the people of Vancouver than I can find words to express to you, the acknowledgement of the contribution of our indigenous peoples to the land, the ancestral home of our Coast Salish peoples, the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations on which Vancouver sits, which we have only borrowed from our indigenous sisters and brothers remains, as has been from the outset of my political career, one of the strongest motivating factors that has lead me to where I am today, as a sitting, 2nd-term member of Vancouver City Council.
The job I have taken on at Vancouver City Council not only concerns the recognition and acknowledgement of the invaluable contribution of our First Nations peoples it is, as well, to work on behalf of those who do not have a voice in the the critical, life-changing decisions that take place at the Council table. I work for the vulnerable among us and give voice to their issues. I work for families living in poverty. I work with my colleagues on Council to achieve the realization of a truly affordable housing stock for seniors, the working poor, for our refugee and immigrant population. I work for members of our vibrant gender-variant and LGBTQ communities, who add so much to the life of our city. I fight for young people, for the children of a generation raised by their families in Vancouver, but who cannot find a home in our city, in a place they have called home all of their lives, the city of their birth or who have come to call Vancouver home, a city where they might raise their own families, as may their children and their children’s children in the future. I fight for those of us who live in Vancouver and call Vancouver home who are being denied the opportunity to succeed and find residence in what is quickly becoming a resort city, and not a city that serves the interests of the vast majority of its citizens.
Every day at the Council table, I fight for all of Vancouver’s citizens who are being denied access to opportunity, to make Vancouver — as I have seen you write many, many times — a fairer, more inclusive and more socially just city, a vibrant and environmentally sound home for all of us who live in any one of the 23 neighbourhoods that make Vancouver the welcoming and socially just city that it is, the place we call home.”
At which point, seeing that the indigenous ceremony was set to begin once again, Councillor Adriane Carr turned away, took her seat on the south side of the room at the Council table, her focus solely on the moving ceremony that was unfolding before us, which VanRamblings now saw with newly opened eyes, and a heart filled with appreciation for Adriane’s work to make our city better — one small, but very important step at a time.
Adriane Carr as a difference maker, a social justice warrior and a person of conscience and commitment to the greater good, a person possessed of the heart and the commitment to make Vancouver a great city for all of us who are currently resident in our hilly town, and for all of those who will join us in the years to come, comprised of vibrant, welcoming neighbourhoods where we would live and prosper, where we might raise our families, in this village by the sea we call home, we call Vancouver, the city we love.
Today’s VanRamblings’ post represents the sixth post in our Vancouver Votes 2018 series — where next month, we’ll introduce some of the declared Council candidates, Park Board Commissioner candidates (we’ve got to respond to our friend and UFCW stalwart Abby Leung, who’ll be placing her name forward for Park Board) and the fine, upstanding folks / defenders of public education, like the tremendous and integrity-filled community activists Erica Jaaf and Jennifer Reddy, who’ve put their names forward as candidates to be a “it’s consuming my life” (just ask Carrie Bercic, who we’ll see at tonight’s School Board meeting — everyone reading this should attend — when we’ll sign her nomination papers … and yes, Christopher Richardson, we’ll be happy to sign yours, as well, and support your candidacy for) trustee, on the Vancouver School Board.
