Condo king Bob Rennie condemns NPA board for not allowing members to elect a mayoral candidate

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      Vancouver real-estate marketer Bob Rennie has blasted the Vancouver NPA board for selecting a mayoral candidate behind closed doors.

      In an interview with the Georgia Straight, Rennie said that he agrees with NPA director Ken Charko, who recently slammed his party's process in an interview with the Straight.

      The NPA director said that he abstained from voting in what he characterized as a "star chamber" proceeding, in which prospective mayoral candidates were interviewed for the job by the NPA board.

      "I'm with Ken Charko," Rennie said. "The system seems tainted that only a board would vote on who's going to be the head of a party."

      Rennie, a long-time supporter of Vision Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, said money can no longer determine the outcome of Vancouver elections "because the one percent don't control it anymore".

      "And we saw that in the last municipal election," he claimed.

      Rennie also questioned why former Vancouver Sun managing editor Kirk LaPointe is being considered as an NPA mayoral candidate.

      LaPointe, publisher at North Vancouver's Self-Counsel Press, and former NPA park commissioner Ian Robertson are the two remaining mayoral under consideration by the NPA board. A third possibility, tech entrepreneur Leonard Brody, dropped out earlier this week, throwing his support behind LaPointe.

      "Watching Kirk LaPointe, where has he been in my city before, caring for the common good?" Rennie asked. "I feel I'm one of Christy Clark's strongest provincial supporters yet I was not a supporter of Christy Clark to drop into our city [to seek an NPA mayoral nomination in 2005]. It's not the right thing for Vancouver. If Kirk LaPointe's putting on a political suit of armour so that he can carry on and do things elsewhere, go use someone else's city." 

      Then he added this: "Gregor is doing a wonderful job keeping Vancouver alive on the business front and on the green front. And I don’t see what Kirk LaPointe has done to improve the common good for our city, and now he’s just going to want to drop in because he’s looking for a job.”

      But Rennie saved perhaps his sharpest criticism for NPA president Peter Armstrong, who founded the Rocky Mountaineer rail service.

      "Peter Armstrong said six months before the provincial election, 'Let's change leaders and not have Christy Clark.' I look at Peter Armstrong as needing to be right more than protecting the common good," Rennie said.

      Rennie also revealed that Armstrong approached him when he was speaking with four people and declared that he knew of Rennie's political leanings.

      "I said to Peter, 'I've never hidden who I'm with'," Rennie said. "I'm very transparent with my politics. I said to Peter, 'There is no other choice.' "

      Rennie added that Armstrong replied that "we have a plan."

      "The plan doesn't seem to be what the NPA is planning," Rennie continued. "It seems to be about what Peter Armstrong is planning. And that frightens me. That sincerely frightens me when you see one person having that much control over a party—and then when I see only the board is electing who they're going to choose rather than the NPA at large voting with who they want to choose.

      "I'm with Ken Charko," Rennie repeated for the third time in the interview.

      Armstrong couldn't be reached for comment late this afternoon to reply to Rennie's remarks.

      Comments

      19 Comments

      Disgusted

      Jun 13, 2014 at 6:08pm

      Bob Rennie likes to run the City of Vancouver HIS way.

      Can't stand the competion, eh, Bobby?

      Disgusted

      Jun 13, 2014 at 6:10pm

      Canada’s condo-mania to blame for lack of affordable rentals: OECD http://bit.ly/1s854D5 From @GlobeBusiness

      Drew Meikle

      Jun 14, 2014 at 8:37am

      plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose for the tired old NPA.

      A bit rich, coming from Rennie

      Jun 14, 2014 at 9:35am

      For Rennie to bemoan the state of the democratic process in the NPA rings a bit hollow. Rennie and his crew will simply buy the next election for Vision.
      The developer financed Vision machine will simply steam roll all opposition, but hey, at least Vision's nomination process will be "democratic".

      JohnS

      Jun 14, 2014 at 9:40am

      Perhaps Rennie should run for mayor just to make it official. He rules the City anyway. #25Klunch

      Seriously?

      Jun 14, 2014 at 10:48am

      I am more concerned with Rennie's influence with the Mayor and his $25,000 per plate lunches so people can talk with Robertson. Selling access to politicians is illegal in some places but Rennie bragged about his plan.

      Save Vancouver

      Jun 14, 2014 at 11:19am

      So the real estate salesman who pimped out access to Gregor to developers for $25,000 a plate doesn't like the NPA? What a surprise.

      JF

      Jun 14, 2014 at 11:54am

      So Rennie IS working for the common good of the city? And what would that be? Using political favour to make buckets of money for developers and "condo kings?" Man, I feel better already.

      White Spot

      Jun 14, 2014 at 12:23pm

      So wait - Vision and the NPA are just different groups of BC Liberals? Good lord. I'm sick of people using Vancouver's City Hall as a pipeline to provincial or federal politics.

      Mark A

      Jun 14, 2014 at 1:11pm

      These comments by Bob Rennie are almost comical.
      This is the guy who sponsored a meal with the Mayor to the tune of $25k per plate. When will he release a list of the people who took him up on the 1 %'s little party. Something to hide, Bob ?
      How much money have you and you developer friends given to Vision and how much control do you wield ?
      This is the guy who is definitely part of CANADA'S 1%. I would love to know how the balance sheets of his marketing and sales company have grown during his "friendship" with Vision Vancouver dominated council.
      How conveniently the article quickly mentions but does not explain that both Vision and Cope boards have also picked their candidates in the past and continue to do so for Mayor and Council. That is the proverbial "pot calling the kettle black".
      As for saying that Kirk LaPointe is "using "Vancouver for something else , might I suggest that Vision and it's bankers ( Tides Canada et al ) stop using Vancouver as an experiment in social engineering.