“Which one of the 33 advisory committees will I apply to,” the young woman wonders?
This past Friday, when Mayor Kennedy Stewart announced his Roster of Councillors To Represent Vancouver City Council, a few Councillors made out very well, with Councillors Christine Boyle and Colleen Hardwick seeming to top the appointments list schedule. Booyah for them.
Top, l-r: Michael Wiebe, Christine Boyle, Jean Swanson, Colleen Hardwick, Pete Fry
B (l-r:) Adriane Carr, Melissa De Genova, Lisa Dominato, Rebecca Bligh, Sarah Kirby-Yung
None of the appointments will take effect until after November 5th, and then only when passed at Council — but still.
We have written in the past about how upon meeting now Councillor Boyle, it is inevitable that one becomes smitten with her — such seems to be the case with Mayor Stewart, who has nominated Councillor Boyle to be a Council representative on the Metro Vancouver Board, Chairperson of the powerful tripartisan committee that “recommends” nominees to Vancouver’s 33 advisory bodies to Council (about which we’ll write more in a moment) — the other two representatives on “the committee“, the Greens’ Michael Wiebe and the NPA’s Rebecca Bligh, both very able. Did we mention that the able and accomplished Councillor Boyle will also sit as a Council representative on the Library Board and the Public Housing Corporation? We didn’t — well, we have now. And, oh yes, this upcoming April, the sure-to-be-weary Councillor Boyle will sit in the Mayor’s chair as Deputy Mayor — she’ll likely ask her husband to bring their young son to Council Chambers to see his mom when she’s Chairing a Council meeting.
Of course, by April, Councillor Boyle will have proved so busy with all of her various appointments, committee work, and work on Council that her son may not recognize her in the fourth month of next year, for wont of her involvement in his life. Any Councillor with young children will tell you the same thing — a Councillor’s life is not their own, and life at City Hall is busy, busy, busy — fortunately, Councillor Boyle will be able to commisserate with her fellow distaff City Councillors, Melissa De Genova, Lisa Dominato and Rebecca Bligh — all of whom will be busy with Council work, and who have young children at home they’ll miss like the dickens.
All of the above which might lead to change on City Council that allows parents of young children to perform their duties and attend to the children whom they love with all their hearts. In 2019, we’ll call that change for the better, and change that is long overdue. Young moms on a mission. Yippee!
Meanwhile, back at the farm, Councillor Colleen Hardwick will join Councillor Boyle on the Metro Vancouver Board (good for an extra $16,000 a year — on top of a Councillors pay of $83,998, plus an annual supplement of $3,048), and $3,111 in the month (February 2019) when she serves as Deputy Mayor — and believe us when we write, Councillor Hardwick will earn every single penny of the compensation she’ll receive over the course of the next year, and beyond.
From here on in, her life and the lives of her fellow Vancouver City Councillors will not be their own — good thing they’re all going to get a holiday break in December and January (not that they won’t be preparing for the first full year of their tenure as Vancouver City Councillors). Our Councillors are going to be so busy, their partners may find they have to file missing persons reports. Such is the life of a Vancouver City Councillor.
Councillor Hardwick will also sit as Duty Councillor (an additional $3,111) in January 2019, the City of Vancouver representative to the Lower Mainland Local Government Association for the term November 5, 2018, to October 31, 2019, and will sit on the Vancouver Heritage Commission and the Vancouver Heritage Foundation Board. Think we, or she, is done yet? Nope.
Councillor Hardwick — for whom sleep is to become but a distant memory — will also sit on the Vancouver Public Housing Corporation, along with … oh what’s her name? oh yeah … Councillor Christine Boyle, Mayor Kennedy Stewart, and her fellow Councillors Melissa De Genova and Adriane Carr. Nope, not done yet — Councillor Hardwick will also join the Vancouver Civic Development Corporation as a Vancouver City Council representative.
As CBC civic affairs reporter Justin McElroy writes, “After a campaign where the NPA and (Kennedy) Stewart clashed regularly, the new mayor has recommended Melissa De Genova be Chair of the Standing Committee on City Finance and Services” — in other words, Finance and Budget Director, and Chairperson of each Thursday’s all day Budget and Finance Committee meeting that takes place in Council Chambers. Me, I’m exhausted already.
And let’s not forget the top vote-getter for Vancouver City Council two elections in a row: Councillor extraordinaire, Adriane Carr! Green Councillor Carr has been recommended by Mayor Kennedy Stewart as Chair of the Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities (renamed from Planning and Environment), the all day Wednesday meeting that Councillor Carr will chair in Council Chambers. So far, so good, right?
From Charlie Smith’s story on the appointments, in The Straight …
“The City of Vancouver Public Housing Corporation Board will include Stewart, De Genova, Carr, and Boyle, if council accepts the mayor’s recommendations. De Genova and the NPA’s Colleen Hardwick would join Stewart on the Vancouver Civic Development Corporation board. Stewart would be appointed to the Vancouver Economic Commission, and be on the Vancouver Art Gallery board, along with the NPA’s Sarah Kirby-Yung.”
On November 1st, the CBC’s civic affairs reporter Justin McElroy posted the following on his Twitter feed …
Only 24 hours later, the indefatigable Mr. McElroy posted this (correcting tweet) …
Every member of Vancouver City Council with the exception of COPE’s Jean Swanson, as per Mr. McElroy’s tweet directly above, would be given a separate month to serve as deputy mayor on a rotating basis, if Council accepts another of Stewart’s recommendations.
Councillor Lisa Dominato would join the Vancouver Civic Theatres board and become chair of the PNE board. Councillor Jean Swanson would become a member of the Joint Council on Childcare, while Councillor Michael Wiebe would be the city’s representative on the board of EasyPark.
Mayor Kennedy Stewart has also called for Councillor Rebecca Bligh to become the city’s representative on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities board until June 4, 2020.
Click on the Appointment of Council Representatives to Boards, Statutory Committees and Non-Profit Societies link and the two links above for a full elucidation of Council appointments recommended by the Mayor.
The “losers” in the Mayoral appointments sweepstakes? Oh, only the two most competent, well-travelled, brightest stars in the shining firmament of Vancouver municipal politics, Councillors Pete Fry and Sarah Kirby-Yung, who were awarded barely any appointments of merit. Tch, tch, Mr. Mayor, oh puh-leeze, save us all. We actually have a story to tell you at this juncture, but for once we’re going to plow on ahead bereft of the kind of digression that simply drives you crazy, and end today’s column fairly soon.
We’ll save the applicable story for another day, dedicating a full column to the foolishness in failing to recognize Mr. Fry’s and Ms. Kirby-Yung’s genius.
The Selection Committee: All Powerful, Will Change Your Life
As per the above, Councillor Christine Boyle is about to become the Chairperson of the all powerful tripartisan city advisory Selection Committee, along with the Greens’ Michael Wiebe and the NPA’s Rebecca Bligh. What does that mean for you? Listen up, and listen tight.
There are 33 advisory committees to Vancouver City Council that recommend policy to Council. Members for, at least for now, thirty-two of the thirty-three committees, had to resign the day after the election, and now need to be replaced — only the members of the Board of Variance are saved harmless from the resignation process, as they will continue to sit until the end of their three year appointment, which will occur bit by bit — so, all those appointments to be made, sooner than later, because the work done by the advisory committees is invaluable.
Beginning in January, Councillors Boyle, Bligh and Wiebe (sounds like a law firm, huh?) will review some 10,000 applications to fill 350 vacant positions on the Library Board, Women’s Advisory Committee, the Mayor’s Engaged Task Force and Task Force on Housing, the Vancouver Planning Commission, and any one of the agencies, boards, and committees that advise Council on matters of planning, zoning, heritage, and development in Vancouver, or on matters relating to arts, culture, and recreation in Vancouver, or mental health and addictions, active transportation, seniors, our differently-abled community — as we say, 32 currently vacant advisory committees.
You know how we were saying above how busy Councillor Christine Boyle is about to become, given all of her appointments — you probably weren’t even thinking of the demands that will be placed on Councillor Boyle’s time, energy and sanity with the workload imposed on her and the Greens’ Michael Wiebe and the NPA’s Rebecca Bligh on The Selection Committee.
Why all powerful? Councillors Boyle, Wiebe and Bligh won’t just have to sift through 10,000 well-worded applications by more than well-qualified applicants, the behind-the-scenes lobbying that they’re going to be subject to could fell a horse. Good thing that Councillors Boyle, Wiebe and Bligh are among the most principled and strongest persons of our acquanitance, the finest people you could ever wish to meet, individuals filled with integrity and élan, boundless energy and a never-say-die spirit that will impress you in the days, weeks, months and years to come, each and every day.
Migawd, are we lucky to have this Mayor and these Councillors in place!
If you’re reading today’s VanRamblings column in the morning, the new Mayor and Councillors are having their photos taken. If you’re reading the column in the afternoon, say a little prayer for our new Mayor and Councillors, cuz that’s what they’ll be following their investiture, a fully fledged new Mayor and 10-person Councillor contingent.
And, God, she looked down upon us, and saw that all was good.
