Jenny Kwan for mayor of Vancouver?

by Charlie Smith on August 21st, 2013 at 10:07 AM

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A fair number of municipal politicians are status seekers.

They like being movers and shakers, meeting important people in their communities, and attending gatherings with politicians from other cities.

This was obvious to me in October 2009 when I attended the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver.

Inside the sprawling convention centre, there were hundreds of politicians.

Outside the building, there was only one elected official attending a protest of homeless people: Vancouver–Mount Pleasant NDP MLA Jenny Kwan.

She wanted to hear what the city's poorest residents had to say. Everyone else, including members of the media, were more interested in getting a good seat in advance of then-premier Gordon Campbell's speech.

Now into her fifth term, Kwan has always seemed more interested in choosing the road less travelled and in highlighting important public issues than in making a name for herself.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in her consistent calls for better housing conditions for the poor.

Her lack of careerism was also apparent in her decision to risk her political future by fronting a caucus revolt against former NDP leader Carole James.

It would have been easier for Kwan to sit on her hands rather than face indignities from fellow New Democrats. They've demonstrated again and again that they find it hard to forgive anyone who shatters party solidarity. Just ask Ujjal Dosanjh, who did more to advance women's and minority rights than any other attorney general in history.

Kwan only went public with her concerns after James's supporters infamously outed her and 12 other dissidents to the media. This was done by planting yellow scarfs on James's supporters at a Victoria political gathering.

Kwan also chose the road less travelled in dealing with the health concerns of her constituents more than a decade ago.

Along with Vancouver Centre MP Hedy Fry and former Vancouver mayor Philip Owen, Kwan was a pioneer in advancing the four-pillars approach, including harm reduction, in addressing drug addiction in the Downtown Eastside.

Kwan knows that scientific evidence supports creating more supervised-injection sites across the province. But her party is too hidebound to turn this into a political issue, even though it would save lives. Who knows? Maybe the NDP president, Moe Sihota, figures this might interfere with fundraising efforts.

This morning, I heard Kwan on CBC Radio raising concerns about the city's public-consultation process around the proposed Grandview-Woodland community plan.

That's because her constituents don't want to be shafted by city council along the lines of what's happened in other neighbourhoods across the city.

I've concluded that Mayor Gregor Robertson has already decided that he's going to run for Parliament in 2015 as a federal Liberal alongside Justin Trudeau. (Of course, I could be proven wrong about this.)

If this is the case, Robertson should not seek reelection in 2014 because that would be an act of bad faith to the citizens, forcing them to go through an unnecessary by-election the following year.

That leaves me wondering who would be a good replacement for Robertson.

Many Vancouver residents are looking for someone to rebuild trust between city hall and neighbourhoods. Others would like a mayor with a demonstrated interest in public policies, particularly housing and the best approaches for addressing drug addiction.

In a perfect world, that future mayor would be able to communicate with a large number of residents in their native language. And this candidate would have a demonstrated track record of integrity.

Kwan was on council from 1993 to 1996 and later served as the minister of municipal affairs. She understands what the job of mayor entails.

Vision Vancouver has no shortage of politicians who would love to climb the ladder from park board or council to the mayor's chair.

But ask yourself this: how many have taken risks along the lines of what Kwan did in advancing harm reduction and by standing up to what she believed to be unethical practices within her own party?

For Kwan, there must be more to life than sitting on the opposition bench of the legislature for another four years—especially knowing that some of her colleagues will never see things from her point of view.

Perhaps the time has come for Kwan's admirers to launch a campaign to persuade her to try to become the next mayor of Vancouver. The election is only 15 months away.

Comments

18 Comments

I Cant Trust Her (Or Any Other BC New Democrat From Her Era)

Aug 21, 2013 at 11:26am

Never. I am a lifelong card carrying New Democrat and at this point, I wouldnt vote for her or anyone else who was a sitting member of the last NDP government or Opposition, for that matter.

Notwithstanding Charlie's usual "oh, poor Jenny" tack with regards to her role in the BCNDP, and notwithstanding her many good qualities, Jenny is and has aligned herself on many occasions with those that represent so much that is wrong with the BCNDP, and frankly, politics in general.

I dont want anyone connected to the last BCNDP government anywhere near progressive politics going forward in this province or Vancouver. You guys screwed it up, and then some of you decided to come back, and then you screwed it up again "real good" a couple elections in a row.

Trying to portray her as outside the BCNDP establishment is comedy gold; there are roughly two factions in the BCNDP, and she is aligned with one of them, and the one she is aligned with is just as much to blame for the fiasco that they party has turned itself into as the "other" faction is.

As long as those in the so called progressive media keep up this crap of picking one BCNDP "faction" over the other, then presenting their chosen ones in the light coming from heaven, and then somehow pretending like the entire crew of the good ship BCNDP is NOT culpable for where they are, we will have right wing governments until the day we are all long dead.

Stop pretending they arent all up to their armpits in the infighting, ego jousting, and career building that the BCNDP has become.

TheTaxpayer

Aug 21, 2013 at 11:51am

I am the tax payer. I work very hard full time, I earn (on paper) a salary the SHOULD allow me to own a modest house, eat out once in a while, take a reasonably priced vacation, etc. However, I can do none of these things because I am the tax payer. My take home salary is constantly being reduced by tax, after tax, after tax so the so called "poor" and "disenfranchised" can lead a cushy life with out responsibility, with out direction and with out having to do an ounce of work. I've had enough.

No, Jenny Kwan should not run for mayor. We need a municipal and provincial government who will crack down hard on the free loaders as well as the property speculators, stop reaching into MY pocket for their pet projects and make it possible for me to get ahead in life. I'm 32 years old with a graduate degree and my standard of living isn't much better than when I was a struggling undergraduate. I've had ENOUGH!

Citizen

Aug 21, 2013 at 12:18pm

@Taxpayer- that has to be the most short sighted take on why the system is breaking down I have heard for a while. I have no sympathy for whining about your poor choice in a career path.

MarkFornataro

Aug 21, 2013 at 12:58pm

Jenny Kwan is a sweetheart with her heart in the right place- and very bright to boot. She would make a great mayor.

Arthur Vandelay

Aug 21, 2013 at 3:30pm

Jenny seems like a compassionate woman, but that primary quality would seem to be best had for a social worker or other type of advocate. Mayor of a large metropolitan city would seem to require the ability to balance a lot of competing interest on the way to a practical set of measurable goals. I've seen no evidence that Jenny is up for this task.

At the end of the day, social welfare is primarily a provincial responsibility. If this is her raison d'etre, she should remain in provincial politics. I assume that's why she got into them in the first place.

Artie Dibergi

Aug 21, 2013 at 5:41pm

Gregor Robertson will run for the federal Liberals and Jenny Kwan will be the next mayor. Another fantabulous Straight prediction pulled out of thin air, just like how Kennedy Stewart was going to be the next MP for Vancouver Centre and go on to replace Jack Layton as leader of the NDP, and other such attempts at reading the tea leaves. Given the track record of Straight political prognostications, I'm surprised you guys are still confusing guesswork with evidence-based commentary.

James G

Aug 21, 2013 at 5:41pm

Wow.

And I thought I'd gone all fanciful by suggesting Naheed Nenshi could succeed Stephen Harper as leader of the Conservative Party.

Two things,

First, have we forgotten Raymond Louie? He still looks like the heir apparent to Robertson.

Second, isn't it more likely that Ms. Kwan would want to succeed Libby Davies as the federal NDP candidate for Vancouver East M. P., once Ms. Davies retires? That would seem both a more likely and more fitting move.

Charlie Smith

Aug 21, 2013 at 6:00pm

Hi Artie,

You should read a little more closely. I didn't predict Jenny Kwan will become mayor of Vancouver. I have no indication that she is even considering this idea. She might want to become the next leader of the B.C. NDP.

I'm just saying that given her track record and the outcome of the provincial election, her supporters might want to consider persuading her to try to become mayor.

Charlie Smith

RUK

Aug 21, 2013 at 9:55pm

A left wing mayor? It's an interesting idea. I'm not against it, but it would be odd. Harry Rankin's personality may have worked against him, but there was always a bit of the commie vibe too.

JK is pretty cool, I'm satisfied with the job she does as an MLA and she's put in enough time and committee work to try other things if she so chooses. Can she get the broad backing, though? I would have to assume that she would be old time COPE all the way, as the heir to Libby, Jim Green, Jean Swanson et al. That mindset is invaluable to Vancouver...it is also hostile to business and therefore, I do not think, can get in power.

But it would be interesting, no doubt.