 Mayor Sam Sullivan |
Mayor Sam Sullivan was sworn in today as the 44th mayor of the City of Vancouver.
In addition, new NPA councillors Suzanne Anton (formerly a member of the Parks Board), social activist Kim Capri, arts maven Elizabeth Ball (terrible website; was she really counting on being elected), and incumbent and humanitarian Peter Ladner were also sworn in.
Vision Vancouver Council members, and Council incumbents, Raymond Louie (who oughta lose his ‘holier than thou’ smirk … just a suggestion, if he wants to be Mayor some day) and Tim Stevenson, as well as newly elected Vision Vancouver Council members Heather Deal and George Chow were also sworn in, along with the lone COPE incumbent David Cadman.
Announced today were Mayor Sullivan’s first set of appointments — to the GVRD and Translink Boards (the websites have not been updated as of this writing), as well as a number of other regional bodies, non-profit boards and statutory committees.
Next up, but still a ways away, appointments to the various civic agencies which either carry out or help to develop policy for Council. Applications for the current vacancies (all committees, with the exception of the Board of Variance, dissolve prior to an election, and re-appointment does not take place until well into the new year … the appointments are often construed as ‘pay-offs’ to supporters of the winning party … although VanRamblings would suggest that such a construction in relation to these appointments would be ungenerous and wrong-headed in the extreme).
Update, December 6: Announced in his inaugural address yesterday, Mayor Sullivan will institute a Triple R Review (roles, relationships and responsibilities) of the function of existing civic agencies. The results of the review will be announced in the spring. Appointments to what are almost surely to be newly reconstituted advisory committees will likely take place in June 2006. As a first order of business, could Mayor Sullivan have instituted a more anti-democratic policy than his bludgeoning of these very important, democratic advisory civic agencies? VanRamblings thinks not.
Update, December 8: The Council package for December 13th from Mayor Sullivan will recommend that Council approve the re-establishment of the following Advisory Committees for the term December 5, 2005 to December 8, 2008, with current members reinstated until successors are appointed:
- Building Board of Appeal
- Development Permit Board Advisory Panel
- Urban Design Panel
- Vancouver Athletic Commission
The following civic agencies are established by federal or provincial legislation, and will also be continuing “business as usual”:
- Board of Variance
- Family Court-Youth Justice Committee
- Vancouver Public Library Board
- Vancouver Economic Development Commission
- Vancouver Heritage Foundation
To be fair, here’s Mayor Sullivan in his own words on the Triple R Review …
I would like Council to determine how best to get input from citizens. The contribution of community voices to Council is a vital part of being informed and responsive. We have many dedicated citizens who contribute to our city on advisory committees. We owe them the respect of Council by enabling their advice to be heard through the most effective mechanisms of involvement.
At the end of every Council term all committees except those mandated by law end, until they are re-constituted by the new Council. I am recommending that Council delay the re-establishment of our committees pending the clarification of roles as part of the Triple R Review (roles, relationships and responsibilities).
The re-establishment of citizen advisory processes should await clarification of the strategic directions this Council wants to take for the city. I will ask Council early in this term, concurrently with the review of roles, responsibilities and relationships, to engage in a process to determine strategic directions and objectives.
VanRamblings wishes the new Council wisdom and sober second thought, humanity, a sense of humour, civility and respect for varying opinions, and at least a modicum of non-partisanship in their important deliberations.
