Jean Swanson launches her 2018 campaign for Vancouver City Council, on June 9th
Perhaps the most heartening development in Vancouver civic politics over the course of the past year is the emergence of veteran community activist Jean Swanson as a viable — and necessary — candidate for civic office.
Surrounded and supported by a team of sophisticated community activists, who have come to identify themselves as TeamJean, in last autumn’s Vancouver civic by-election #TeamJean activists catapulted Jean Swanson to a rousing and hopeful second-place finish in the October 19th Vancouver City Council by-election to fill a seat left vacant by Vision Vancouver City Councillor Geoff Meggs, who had resigned his position on Council to take on the job of Chief of Staff to, then, newly-elected NDP Premier John Horgan.
Jean Swanson at a rally in 2012 speaking out on behalf of resident of the DTES
Most people’s first impression of Jean Swanson relates to how much she doesn’t sound like a radicalized and vitriolic rabble-rouser, her manner of speech and presentation quiet, respectful, self-deprecating, warm and engaging. As our region’s leading anti-poverty activist, Jean Swanson has spent a lifetime sparring with property developers, SRO-managers and politicians — more often that not emerging victorious in her struggle to ensure our region’s most vulnerable citizens are cared for, their interests championed, and the quality of their homes and their lives improved.
Jean Swanson, the must-elect for Vancouver City Council in 2018. Vote Jean Swanson!
Little wonder, then, that Jean Swanson was invested into the Order of Canada last year by then Govenor General David Johnston during a ceremony that was held in Ottawa this past Friday, August 25th, 2017.
“It’s a little higher echelon than I’m used to hanging out with, that’s for sure,” Swanson said, adding she was pleased to sit beside the “amazing” Tanya Tagaq, a fellow Order of Canada inductee and award-winning Inuk throat singer from Nunavut, during the ceremony. Swanson said she “helped get me through the whole thing.”
On Saturday afternoon, June 9th, in a raucous, fun yet serious-minded and wildly successful bit of political theatre — of which we see far too little in our town — Jean Swanson launched her absolutely necessary for the people of Vancouver 2018 bid for a seat on Vancouver City Council come the evening of Saturday, October 20th.
On Sunday, Jean Swanson’s candidacy for City Council was acclaimed at a Coalition of Progressive Electors Nomination meeting. Ms. Swanson will be running alongside her able COPE Council candidates, community activist and writer, Derrick O’Keefe and former COPE City Councillor, Anne Roberts.
Jean Swanson launches her bid for City Council, offering tax therapy for the wealthy
In the days and weeks and months to come, VanRamblings will provide intensive coverage of Jean Swanson’s run for Vancouver City Council, about whose candidacy we feel as strongly about as we do that of OneCity Vancouver’s Christine Boyle — about whom we have written in the past numerous times, as will be the case with Jean Swanson going forward, Jean Swanson, Christine Boyle and Anne Roberts constituting the ‘holy trinity’ of people-oriented progressive politics in Vancouver, absolutely necessary candidates for Vancouver City Council in 2018, and absolutely necessary members of Vancouver City Council, 2018-2022, creating the city we need.
A few photos taken at the TeamJean campaign launch
Photos provided by the kind folks affiliated with the Jean Swanson campaign
Photo credit: Duncan Martin. TeamJean 2018. For the Jean Swanson campaign.
The following photos taken by Sid Chow Tan.
