Gregor Robertson skips debate sponsored by ex-NPA vice president Rob Macdonald's company

by Charlie Smith on September 19th, 2014 at 5:32 PM

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Vision Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson has refused to attend a debate sponsored by a political rival's company.

In a letter to the Urban Development Institute, Vision Vancouver cochairs Maria Dobrinskaya and Paul Nixey say that the party's policy is not to participate in debates where there's an admission charge.

The Urban Development Institute plans to charge members $55 to attend the breakfast-time debate on October 7 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Nonmembers will be charged $75.

"Our policy for debates, which is the same as in the 2011 election campaign, is that they must be open to media, the public, and be free to attend," Dobrinskaya and Nixey wrote. "As such we have three debates already arranged and expect to do more."

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver debate is sponsored by Macdonald Development, whose founder, Rob Macdonald, contributed $960,000 to the Non-Partisan Association in the 2011 election campaign.

Macdonald recently stepped down as vice president of the NPA after an email he wrote to the mayor was leaked to the media.

In the email, Macdonald made unsubstantiated allegations concerning Robertson's sex life.

"Your chosen sponsor was also recently publicly implicated in a smear campaign of Mayor Robertson and his family," the two Vision Vancouver cochairs alleged.

NPA officials have maintained that the email was released by Vision Vancouver.

NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe and Coalition of Progressive Electors mayoral candidate Meena Wong have accepted the UDI's invitation to debate civic issues.

At the end of the Vision Vancouver letter, Dobrinskaya and Nixey also "express our disappointment with UDI for the lateness of the invitation, and the choice of sponsorship".

"We work very hard to have a productive and respectful relationship with business groups in our city, including UDI, and we would have expected more of a professional, neutral approach in organizing an electon debate."

Comments

11 Comments

Disgusted

Sep 19, 2014 at 7:06pm

THIS from the Rennie #25KLunch bunch?! Charlie did you get into that one? LOL!!

OMG, you can't make this stuff up.

They Need To Take This Act On The Road. Forever.

Sep 19, 2014 at 11:31pm

Excuse me: the 'lateness' of the invitation?! It's not like the Mayor does much more than cut ribbons, stop in at food trucks and cycle aaimlesssly around on his fixie.

No, as per usual these Vision weasels blame everyone else for the failings of Mayor Chauncey!

Macdonald funded Meggs too

Sep 20, 2014 at 12:32am

Maybe Vision should look over Geoff Meggs' financial disclosure form. Didn't Rob Macdonald give Meggs a donation? See page 6.

The "choice of sponsorship" should not be an issue for Vision.

Why risk it...?

Sep 20, 2014 at 6:58am

Vision has this next election locked up. It's their's to lose, so why take a chance? Gregor could disappear for two months and just show up for the victory speech.

Such is the apathy in civic politics around here.

But... if he were to open his mouth and say something really stupid... well, then there's a chance it might raise attention and drag more people to vote.

Ned

Sep 20, 2014 at 7:54am

Typical high handed crap from Vision's executive. They think they set to assassinate people's character - in this case continue their attacks on MacDonald as a tactic to defend Gregor's compromised one - and admonish apolitical organizations like the UDI in the process.

The moral rot starts and City Hall and the offices of Vision and the sleazyness of the refusal to attend this debate and the way they communicated it speak for themselves. But I expect the discussion between Ms. Wong and Mr. LaPointe will be terrific, respectful, and won't be tainted by Gregor's angry mudslinging.

Bill McCreery, Vice Chair TEAM

Sep 20, 2014 at 12:34pm

Why wasn't Bob Kasting invited?

Boris Moris

Sep 20, 2014 at 2:34pm

" Why wasn't Bob Kasting invited ?"

Good question. If the NPA is going to encourage vote splitting by having their boy, McCreery, endorse Greens and other vote splitting spoiler candidates, they should at least try and maintain the fiction that Kasting, Carr and the Chernens are independent.

Q: Just how many parties will the NPA create, or endorse, in order to split the center left vote?

A: As many as it takes to completely subvert democracy