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Vision looks for new link to federal Liberals with new staff hire

December 16th, 2010 · 10 Comments

Rita Ko is the latest hire in the mayor’s office, as a mat-leave replacement for Maria Dobrinskaya.
Ko comes with an interesting background. She’s worked as a researcher for Greg Lyle’s Innovative Research (more usually associated with B.C. Liberal campaigns) and is a founder of the private tutoring operation, Kumon Learning Service, according to the internal staff note.
She’s also worked on the Bob Rae leadership campaign and with other federal Liberal operations, specifically with Mike McDonald — currently a c0-chair of Christy Clark’s campaign for the B.C. Liberal leadership.
Interesting to see Vision shoring up its links to the federal Liberals, as they did when they hired Ian Baillie as executive director (associated with the fed Liberals) rather than Stephen Learey (associated with the NDP). Shows where they think they need to devote their energy is this year’s lengthy election campaign.

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  • Living in the West End

    Vision have awoken many people they should have left asleep. This is about the one year anniversary this comment was delivered to a chief Vision Council member.

  • George

    Perhaps after reading the memos being put out by AGT, standing too close to the Liberals may not be the best idea…explosive information, a must read for every British Colombian.

  • Everyman

    The federal Liberals should know better than to hitch themselves to Gregor’s sinking ship.

  • Fracas

    Maybe someone should tell Gregor et al the Liberals are not in power in Ottawa . . .

  • rf

    Joyce Murray has really gone out of her way to show out of touch she is with Vancouver and reality.

    I wonder how Gregor felt about her tweet earlier this week (that she has tried to bury since)

    “8 Vancouver’s shooting spree victims still in hospital, our thoughts are with them. Wishing a speedy recovery and resolution of this crime”

    Huh?

    And today’s beauty from her twittersty;

    “Last wkend’s gunfight on Oak st used long guns. Why is Harper still trying to chop long gun tracking and control? Why undermine the police?”

    Can someone explain to Joyce that “long gun” is not a reference to the “length” of a gun. AK-47’s and automatic assault rifles still need to be registered you dimwit.

    Cozy on up to her, Gregor!

  • rf

    and here’s a list of what’s restricted, prohibited, or non-restricted in case anyone else, in addition to Joyce Murray, is confused.

    http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/rp-eng.htm

  • MDO

    In more important news, Maria’s shoes will not be easy to fill. Not only because she knows the Mayor and his network better than almost anyone, but because her political instincts and community organizing skills are incredibly valuable to City Hall.

    As an aside, Rita worked on the Vision ’08 campaign and was fantastic. She’ll be great in the Mayor’s office.

  • Roger Kemble

    Everyman! “Gregor’s sinking ship.”

    A few months ago Gregor promised OV social would be maxed out by Christmas.

    Here we are: it’s Christmas.

    Is OV social maxed out?

  • Roger Kemble

    How VV concludes allying with the Federal Liberals will improve its fortunes shows how out-of-touch the various political elements of this country are.

    Last night on CBC’s At Issue, in answer to Mansbridge’s question, “Who are Canada’s most under rated politicians?” Andrew Coyne, for his part, chose, Gordon Campbell!

    Good heavens, how much more out-of-touch can an ostensibly informed commentator of the Canadian political scene be?

    Are we such absolute strangers across this vast divide of waste?

    In the local political context . . .

    I just read, Cityhallwatch: Citizen Reviews of Major Rezoning Applications in Vancouver: http://www.cityhallwatch.ca/

    Essentially, current height increases downtown and how they impinge on views are reviewed.

    But it also casts a wider net, “CityHallWatch wrote to the Mayor and Council requesting that City Council review the City’s planning process, particularly with the handling of public consultation and preparation“.

    Urgently in need of a review, IMO, is the current Mount Pleasant Policy Report: November 02, 2010. I had an opportunity to go over this document whilst observing, in real time, the neighbourhood last Monday.

    I have known the area well for years.

    To me all these reviews and searching insights describe a planning department, and indeed council, completely out of it, in a profound sea of confusion: indeed, current development disarray attests.

    Absolutely the whole civic administrative apparatus needs be reviewed: nay changed, wholesale, personnel, qualifications and attitude.

    Evidently the Director of Planning believes he is understaffed: running now with sixty personnel: he opines a need for one hundred.

    Given what the cognizant, unfettered citizens’, experiences at ground level, the director of planning is dead wrong.

    So far as his department is concerned, and in my decades of experience, what his department needs is not more but different, better, more sensitive and spatially aware planners.

    Above all he must announce conclusively his personnel is working in the interest of the city and its people . . . and mean it . . . not in the interests of the development community!

    The city needs change, big time, no doubt, but not more of the same. Evidently, in holding this opinion I am not alone.

  • gasp

    To Roger Kemble @ 9:

    Thank you very much for your comments, especially:

    “To me all these reviews and searching insights describe a planning department, and indeed council, completely out of it, in a profound sea of confusion: indeed, current development disarray attests.

    Absolutely the whole civic administrative apparatus needs be reviewed: nay changed, wholesale, personnel, qualifications and attitude.”

    You are absolutely right!