The Vancouver Cedar Party has lost one of its candidates for council.

Lawyer Wesley Mussio withdrew from this year’s November municipal election because he disagreed with the party’s decision to pull out of the mayoral contest.

Last September 19, Glen Chernen announced that he is stepping down as Cedar candidate for mayor to support independent Bob Kasting.

Chernen will run for council instead, alongside his brother Nicholas, Charlene Gunn, and Jeremy Gustafson.

“Wes is my friend. He’s a good guy,” Chernen told the Straight in a phone interview today (September 23).

According to Chernen, he and Mussio have talked about their differences about election strategy.

“He believed that we needed to have a mayoral candidate within our party, and obviously what we are doing is we’re trying to make sure that we have the best people representing in the best positions,” Chernen said. “And I believe that Bob Kasting can do as good or better of a job as mayor, and I can do a great job as a councillor.”

Chernen also said that the Cedar Party’s move to get behind Kasting is generating “a lot of support” from citizens.

“We’re not doing this to lose,” Chernen said. “We’re doing everything we’re doing to try and have the best chance of winning.”

Mussio declined to be interviewed.

Chernen said: “The last thing he [Mussio] told me the other day is that he wishes us the most success in this.”