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CityCaucus ponders the future of the Non-Partisan Association

March 30th, 2011 · 15 Comments

Some people think CityCaucus (which consists of the two people who used to work the most closely with former mayor Sam Sullivan: Daniel Fontaine, chief of staff, and Mike Klassen, web designer) IS the Non-Partisan Association, since it has led the charge in generating critical media and talking points about the failures of Vision Vancouver.

However, both CC and the NPA keep insisting that that’s not the case. Even so, CC does have insider access to the thinking and doings of the NPA that regular media types just don’t, so it’s always instructive to hear their analysis of the state of the party. The latest is here. Not sure how accurate every detail is. Adrian Dix going to win the NDP leadership? Not what I’m hearing. And Rob Macdonald has bowed out of running for the mayor’s office? Not sure that’s definitive yet.

But it is true that all the provincial and federal politics have sucked the life out of any momentum the party was starting to develop last summer and early fall as a result of CC’s heavy shelling of the Vision fortress. I’ve talked to more than one person who used to be active in the NPA who is now saying they’ve got no energy left for any more politics, after the provincial Liberal leadership race. Some don’t even have any energy left for the federal election underway.

So where does this leave the NPA?

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  • spartikus

    Er, Rob MacDonald really was thinking about running for Mayor?

  • Dan Cooper

    From the CityCaucus article:

    “If the NPA doesn’t want a repeat of the 2008 civic election (something I’m not totally sure of yet)…”

    Did I read this wrong, or is Daniel suggesting that the NPA might WANT to lose this next election? Hmm. Maybe he was just still suffering from jetlag (or shiplag?)

  • gmgw

    In answer to your question, Frances, I’d like to be able to say “In hell where they belong”, but it’s rather too early for that, I fear.
    gmgw

  • Max

    @gmgw

    Because Vision has been such a breath of fresh air…..(if you are partial to the smell of manure)

  • IanS

    Regardless of which party one supports, I think it makes for a much healthier system to have more than one party, or point of view, represented in Council. For that reason, if nothing else, I’d like to see the NPA get it’s act together for the upcoming election.

  • spartikus

    Ok, I’ll bite.

    I don’t know who the NPA are. I don’t know what they stand for. I used to. I didn’t vote for them, but at least I knew what it was I wasn’t voting for.

    They have less than half a slate. They have no platform I can read. Their positions are contradictory.

    Ex. Half the party big wigs (Bickerton, Ladner, etc) were against the Casino, the other half (CityCaucus, Geller) seemingly for.

    Some of them want to present themselves as sober-minded, competent, technocratic consensus builders. Others want to embrace Rob Ford style demagoguery,

    The strategy, if it was made by choice and not by necessity, of holding back candidacy announcements and platforms to build excitement before the civic election has backfired, as hypothetical buzz will more than likely be drowned out by the Federal and Provincial elections.

    The party’s (pardon me…”association”) traditional bases are shrinking demographics.

    There is no energy other than the little they get from generating resentment and anger (legit anger or not).

    It’s over. While it’s too late for this election, it’s time to bury the beast and start again.

  • Justavoter

    Vancouver voters became disillusioned with the NPA after the concept of community engagement in urban planning was abandoned in lieu of radical development under the flag of EcoDensity.

    Vision Vancouver was elected with much optimism, with the hope that they would bring a return to community engagement in city planning. Instead, to many people’s horror, Vision emerged as something different entirely, a council now regarded by many as the most dismissive, arrogant and pro development ever witnessed in Vancouver.

    COPE councillors have performed decently and would provide a voting option, except for their decision to remain tied at the hip with Vision.

    It may be time for the various voices in the city from Marpole to the DES to the West End to Norquay to Granville & 57th to the PNE area to join forces and pull together a team of independents (or even a party) in November empowered to pull the plug on the planner/developer mutual admiration society that takes the place of real urban planning and community engagement in Vancouver.

    Either that or we can continue to watch Vancouver’s continued evolution into the “Dubai of the Rainforest.” I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that glass high rise condos in Stanley Park are not far off they way we are heading.

  • Lari

    As an insider, I have to say Justavoter, it isn’t (99%) a “planner/developer mutual admiration society”. With this council it’s a politician/developer symbiotic relationship. One that is mutually dependent, but not necessarily mutually beneficial.

  • Max

    @spartikus:

    If I were you, I would’nt be counting my chickens just yet.

    Kind of like the Federal NDPers praying that a split in the Liberal/Conservative parties will usher them in.

  • spartikus

    Who’s counting chickens?

    If you want to dispute anything I wrote…please do. If you want to claim the NPA are not a spent force, fair enough. Make your case.

    But mind-reading acts should be left to the circus.

  • Max

    # spartikus:

    awwww, you always make me smile…..

  • Max

    I often wonder how people tend to forget that Robertson comes from a very priviledged Californian,monied background.

    But, hey, you decide to become a medical doctor but don’t have the grades to make it as an MD, so you get some degree through a no name uni in the states (BA in something) and then with all ambition or responsibilites set aside, you pack your boat (or yacht), sail around the world for a bit, finally pitching tent on farm in the Fraser Valley, decide you ‘re a greenie and supposedly invent some juice factory (has anyone even checked this as true, as well, I don’t think his bottles are recycleble as they dont have the markings on the bottle, anywhere) and failing all else , you join a group of rich American green loving hippies on some remote island off the west coast of BC, where you make friends with other bewlidered and monied like-minded individuals, become an ‘ineffective’ NDP MLA (as described in our local paper), failing that, you and your other monied halfwit ( and probably pot smoking) friends sit around the fire one night, concot a 500 year plan to invent and influence a green a city – let’s pick Vancouver. One of your fan base and a new Hollyhock friend says ‘I’ll help you as long as I get to drive the train and you do as I say’ , and you can live with me in my apartment in the DTES during election period. Feel the vibe…. and it is agreed. Next thing, this individual with a very spotty and unrecongized track record as a Provincial MLA (I mean truly, what did he do for provinicial politics…anyone???…crickets chirping…) and of a dubious educational backgroung (now thinking about it more, it does explain a lot (cue cards) ) all of a sudden has his hat in the ring for the very honorable seat as Mayor of Vancouver. And the American dollars start flowing in.

    And it makes you wonder – did he call home to say ‘Look mommy and step- daddy, I’m Mayor of Vancouver….gush, and you said I would NEVER make anything out of myself….’ Did you see me and my kilt on TV????

    Welcome to the Mayor of Vancouver.

  • gmgw

    @Max #4:
    I said something complementary about Vision in my post? Hmm, must have missed that. What a curiously rigid either/or thinker you must be.
    gmgw

  • gmgw

    Of course, what I meant to say was “complimentary”. My bad.
    gmgw

  • babalu

    But the NPA aren’t a party, at least that’s what they go around telling everyone. (lol) (lol)
    Will they become a party?
    Why are you not a party?
    Everyone loves a party!!!