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My intersectional, diverse, covering-all-bases voters’ guide to Vancouver council

October 19th, 2018 · No Comments

Okay, deep breath here as I try to provide some insight into candidates in one of the most complex civic elections in Vancouver’s history.

A word about the limits I’m working under, first. Usually when I do my little voting guide in the election, I can assess the performance of many of the candidates because they’ve been on the public stage at council, school board, or park board or in community groups, fighting for some kind of change.

This time, there are so many new candidates that I barely know many of them outside of what they’ve said in the last few months and their social-media presence. (Yes, I know, unrepresentative but using the information sources we have.)

Finally, this election is, more so than the others I’ve covered in 25 years at the city, about trying to sort out the ideology and identity of all the new parties and candidates. Before, we had right, left, and really left, for the most part. The question for many was a simple, almost binary choice about right or left, with some consideration given to who were the most credible candidates in those groups.

Now, people are curating much more nuanced lists, picking candidates by using many more vectors: young/experienced; male/female/other; party/independent; ethnicity; environmentalism/not; ideology, but way more fractured this time, with parties ranging from hard left to looks left but makes weird decisions to libertarian right to soft right to right mixed up with typically lefty housing policy.

For many, a simple right-left doesn’t work. The diehard COPE voters will never vote for anyone Vision, no matter what the Vancouver and District Labour Council says, seeing them as neoliberal sellouts. People inclined to support Vision in the past will be wary of voting for what they see as unreconstructed and unrealistic radicals, like COPE. On the right, the divisions are equally profound, with some seeing the traditional NPA as part of the problematic status quo, while some of those old-time NPAers are unlikely to support candidates who seem too extreme.

The Green Party is particularly perplexing for a lot of people. The urbanist, pro-housing set is in especially wary of the party and its four council candidates because of the way Adriane Carr has voted in her eight years on council. And the Greens are a key factor in this election, with many thinking they have a good chance to get all four of their council candidates elected and possibly hold the controlling votes in any divisive issue.

But it’s hard to figure out what the party’s housing position is. Carr voted against almost a third of the 15,000 units that came to council in public hearings the last three years. Some residents love her for that, saying she stuck up for bullied communities against Mayor Gregor Robertson.

She and others defend her voting record as a sign of her concerns about the process of consultation or about the lack of affordability. But she did vote for two out of three units. So what was different there, any observer has to ask him/her/themself. Was the process better? Was there not a problem with the affordability rules, even though they are the same for all the projects? Or was it that some unhappy residents showed up on some projects, but not on others, so she sided with them when they did appear.

Whatever her voting algorithm is, Carr has come to seem like the patron saint of NIMBYs and unhappy resident groups opposing development. That will earn her a lot of votes from that set.

On the other hand, Carr’s running mate this year, Pete Fry (most improved candidate from the 2014 season), appears to be making a genuine effort to develop a more nuanced housing policy for the party. And, as appealing as it might have been to jump on the populist bandwagon, he has several times said he’s opposed to COPE’s idea of a rent freeze, saying it’s unrealistic and counter-productive. Another Green candidate, Michael Wiebe, has put in a term at the park board and, as a small-business owner and zen-sounding kinda guy, he also sounds more reasonable on the big issues.

Okay, that was a long preamble but we’re getting to it now. Before anything else, I would highly recommend as well looking at the lists that Christopher Porter has identified for some of the known interest groups out there.

I am attaching them at the bottom, along with one other observer’s three suggested lists. Both have done what I was thinking of doing, i.e. not giving only one set of recommendations but a set of different ones for the very different sub-groups of voters out there.

So now, at last, here’s my take on the possible streams of choices

1.The Revolution That Will End Capitalism Is Just Around the Corner and I Want to Speed It Up:

This group will want: Sean Cassidy for mayor or maybe ProVancouver’s David Chen, the three COPE council candidates (Jean Swanson, Anne Roberts, Derrick O’Keefe), the Green Party’s Adriane Carr, and some ProVancouver candidates.

Here’s the slate as one in this quadrant in the voting world picked it.

Pinned Tweet

My current selection. Put in ballot order.

 

2. The City is Falling Apart in Every Way and I’m Really Angry About It, But I’m Not A Socialist.

This group should in theory vote for former Conservative MP Wai Young, Coalition Vancouver, for mayor, and some among the seven-member Coalition slate, which includes self-styled city-real-estate investigator Glen Chernen, the four-member ProVancouver slate, which includes anti-foreign investor and anti-Airbnb activists Raza Mirza and Rohana Rezel., and the six candidates from Vancouver First, along with possibly the Green’s Adriane Carr.

What about the middle?

But for voters in between those two radical-remake agendas, the choices are more difficult. How much to support the party/philosophy you’ve sided with for perhaps years, but also show that you support some different approaches.

I see these basic choices, with variations

3. I am still kind of an NPA voter but I’m really unhappy about what’s happened to our city with all the uncomfortable changes.

So Nurse Next Door founder/biz guy Ken Sim for mayor and a selection of candidates from among the nine, especially Colleen Hardwick, but a vote for Green Party Adriane Carr, Coalition Vancouver’s Glen Chernen and Dunbar Theatre owner/Conservative Party longtime organizer (plus perpetual NPA thorn in the side after a few years in the party) Ken Charko, and Rohana Rezel and Raza Mirza from ProVancouver.

Here’s one representative list from a mostly NPA voter, Peter Keiser, who also wants some change. (He’s more moderate than the list above.)

My choices for #vanelxn18 #vanpoli – Mayor: @kensimformayor Councillors: @MelissaDeGenova, @ColleenHardwick, @LisaDominato, @rebeccaleebligh, @ErinYVR, @sarahkirby_yung, @davidgrewal2018, @glenchernen, @DavidHTWong, @ParkBoardWiebe

4.I am still kind of a Vision voter (or at least supporting what I thought they were originally) but want some new people with new ideas who will be them a bit tougher on developers and pushing harder on real affordability – though let’s not get too crazy

Kennedy Stewart or Shauna Sylvester for mayor, depending. Stewart is attracting voters from the Vision coalition that are more NDPish. Sylvester appears to be attracting those who are more federal Liberalish. The gap between the two is widening as the Liberal types get queasy over Stewart’s union endorsement and support, while the NDP types are increasingly miffed as Sylvester has gone on the attack in recent days over Stewart’s big, bad union supporters.

For council: Three or the full four Vision candidates (Wei Qiao Zhang just got removed from their endorsement list Friday, the day before the election), one or both of the OneCity candidates Christine Boyle and Brandon Yan, and independents Adrian Crook, Wade Grant, Graham Cook, possibly Green Party candidates Pete Fry and Michael Wiebe.

Those leaning more left will likely want at least one COPE person, Derrick O’Keefe comes across as the most energetic, new-generation voice of his bunch. There are also independents Sarah Blyth or Taq Bhandal being favoured by this group, instead of Crook and Grant, who were originally going to run with Hector Bremner and the NPA.

Here’s a somewhat representative list from a progressive, musician Dan Mangan.

MAYOR
– Shauna Sylvester
or maybe
– Kennedy Stewart
(it’s going to be a late game call)

Then I will put an X beside EVERY candidate from OneCity Vancouver. If I could, I would vote 10 times for my dear friend and beacon of ethical intelligence Christine Boyle for City Council. If I were to only vote for ONE PERSON in this election, it would be CHRISTINE BOYLE.

Aside from that, I’ll be looking for candidates from Green Party of VancouverCOPE: The Coalition of Progressive Electors & The Vision Team.

Others that will get my vote are longtime champion for the arts Heather Deal, E.D. of the Overdose Prevention Society Sarah Blyth for Council, and NGO/community activator Rebecca Bligh.

5. I am still kind of an NPA voter but wish they would take a stronger stand on encouraging new housing

Hector Bremner for mayor, and some of his Yes Vancouver slate, along with some NPA candidates, as well as independents like Adrian Crook, Rob McDowell, and Wade Grant.

6. I’m still really, secretly a Vision voter at heart even though no one is allowed to say that out loud any more. They weren’t so bad and I want their focus on environment, bikes, housing to continue

Mayor, your choice. Council: The four Vision candidates. Also Brandon Yan, Christine Boyle from OneCity, independent Graham Cook, possibly the Green’s Pete Fry and/or one of the independents: Sarah Blyth, Taq Bhandal, Adrian Crook, Wade Grant.

7. I am really in the middle and want to support a wide variety of candidates who seem reasonable. And I want to support people who are the most likely to get elected.

Mayor: You pick.

For councillors: From Vision, the candidates getting the strongest support are Heather Deal and Tanya Paz, one a former councillor, one a longtime cycling advocate and participant in city committees. You might also want to consider Catherine Evans, an experienced park-board candidate who would add some grown-upness to council.

From the NPA, Lisa Dominato and Sarah Kirby-Young have put in the time to get to know communities. Dominato, a school trustee for the last year, has done a lot of volunteer work, especially with the Kettle Friendship Society that finds housing for people with mental-health problems. Kirby-Young has been on the park board, taking a leadership role for part of it.

From the independents: Adrian Crook, Wade Grant, Rob McDowell, Erin Shum, Graham Cook are all getting respectable amounts of attention for their pro-housing but community-sensitive approaches. Some of them had been aligned with Hector Bremner’s Yes Vancouver, like Crook and Grant. Others were with the NPA before some unfortunate series of events, like McDowell and Shum. Cook has been an independent all along.

Sarah Blyth, a former Vision park commissioner, is a favourite because of the incredible work she has done on saving lives in the Downtown Eastside during the drug-overdose crisis, but it’s not clear where exactly she would stand on the many complex housing and land-use issues that are actually the main business of the city.

And Taqdir Bhandal is showing up in a lot of lists favoured by the enviro/intersectional set.

For one example of a right-down-the-middle slate, look at Gordon Price’s blog and list: CROOK, Adrian  (Independent) FRY, Pete  (Green) EVANS, Catherine, Vision

COOK, Graham  (Independent) PAZ, Tanya  (Vision) GRANT, Wade  (Independent)

MCDOWELL, Rob  (Independent) YAN, Brandon 甄念本  (One Vancouver) WIEBE, Michael  (Green) DEAL, Heather  (Vision)

 

OTHER VOTING GUIDES

Finally, at the end here, a couple of voting guides created by interested observers.

First is Christopher Porter’s, with multiple choices of voter profiles

 

Stop the NPA West-Side Protectors
The best chance to defeat the NPA (minus Carr and Swanson because they should win anyway) Defending the shrinking populations in Shaughnessy, Dunbar, and Point Grey from renters
o   STEWART, Kennedy

o   BOYLE, Christine (OneCity)

o   CROOK, Adrian

o   FRY, Pete (GREEN)

o   ROBERTS, Anne (COPE)

o   PAZ, Tanya (Vision)

o   BLYTH, Sarah

o   O’KEEFE, Derrick (COPE)

o   YAN, Brandon (OneCity)

o   WIEBE, Michael (GREEN)

o   DEAL, Heather (Vision)

o   SIM, Ken (NPA)

o   TAYLOR, Elizabeth (Vancouver 1st)

o   LOW, Ken (Vancouver 1st)

o   DOMINATO, Lisa (NPA)

o   BLIGH, Rebecca (NPA)

o   MUSSIO, Penny (Coalition)

o   KIRBY-YUNG, Sarah (NPA)

o   GREWAL, David (NPA)

o   CHARKO, Ken (Coalition)

o   JOHL, Jesse (Vancouver 1st)

o   CHERNEN, Glen (Coalition)

I Want to Ride My Bicycle Save a Viaduct, Rip Out a Bike Lane
Cycling infrastructure for ages 8-80 Driving is a right, cycling is a luxury
o   SYLVESTER, Shauna

o   BOYLE, Christine (OneCity)

o   CROOK, Adrian

o   FRY, Pete (GREEN)

o   EVANS, Catherine (Vision)

o   COOK, Graham

o   PAZ, Tanya (Vision)

o   BLYTH, Sarah

o   PORTER, Elke

o   YAN, Brandon (OneCity)

o   DEAL, Heather (Vision)

o   YOUNG, Wai (Coalition)

o   DE GENOVA, Melissa (NPA)

o   HARDWICK, Colleen (NPA)

o   PETA, Franco (Coalition)

o   MIRZA, Raza (ProVancouver)

o   XIE, Jason (Coalition)

o   MUSSIO, Penny (Coalition)

o   LIN, James (Coalition)

o   CHARKO, Ken (Coalition)

o   JOHL, Jesse (Vancouver 1st)

o   CHERNEN, Glen (Coalition)

Build, Baby, Build Developers Are Evil
Pro-density Thomas Falcon(Abundant Housing) Anti-development Justin Fung(HALT)
o   BREMNER, Hector (YES)

o   BOYLE, Christine (OneCity)

o   CROOK, Adrian

o   SHUM, Erin

o   VIRDI, Jaspreet (YES)

o   PAZ, Tanya (Vision)

o   BAINS, Brinder (YES)

o   TANG, Phyllis (YES)

o   YAN, Brandon (OneCity)

o   OSTLER, Stephanie (YES)

o   CHAN, Glynnis (YES)

o   CASSIDY, Sean

o   FRY, Pete (GREEN)

o   ROBERTS, Anne (COPE)

o   CRELLIN, Breton (ProVancouver)

o   MIRZA, Raza (ProVancouver)

o   SWANSON, Jean (COPE)

o   BLYTH, Sarah

o   O’KEEFE, Derrick (COPE)

o   WONG, David HT (GREEN)

o   CARR, Adriane (GREEN)

o   REZEL, Rohana (ProVancouver)

Independents Day No City for White Men
Full of indie street cred Gender-balanced, diversity slate
o   STEWART, Kennedy

o   CROOK, Adrian

o   SHUM, Erin

o   COOK, Graham

o   GRANT, Wade

o   SPIKE

o   BHANDAL, Taqdir Kaur

o   BLYTH, Sarah

o   MCDOWELL, Rob

o   RAMDEEN, Katherine

o   PORTER, Elke

o   SYLVESTER, Shauna

o   BOYLE, Christine (OneCity)

o   FRY, Pete (GREEN)

o   PAZ, Tanya (Vision)

o   GRANT, Wade

o   SWANSON, Jean (COPE)

o   BHANDAL, Taqdir Kaur

o   BLYTH, Sarah

o   CARDONA, Diego (Vision)

o   WONG, David (GREEN)

o   YAN, Brandon (OneCity)

Rainbow Coalition
Full spectrum of collaborative candidates
o   SYLVESTER, Shauna

o   BOYLE, Christine (OneCity)

o   CROOK, Adrian

o   SHUM, Erin

o   GOODRICH, Justin (NPA)

o   GRANT, Wade

o   BLYTH, Sarah

o   MCDOWELL, Rob

o   O’KEEFE, Derrick (COPE)

o   OSTLER, Stephanie (YES)

o   WIEBE, Michael (GREEN)

o   DEAL, Heather (Vision)

 

Vancouver Election 2018 Primer – Part 7 – Slates

Then Allen Pike, with three basic ones: Progressive Left, More Housing, Not Vision.

Good luck to all. I, for one, am still deciding. I might not know until tomorrow morning what I’m doing. And you’re on your own for school board and park board.

 

 

 

 

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