Vancouver candidates band together to siphon votes from Vision and NPA

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      Some of Vancouver's lesser-known candidates are voicing their support for each other in a bid to draw votes away from the city’s largest political parties.

      At a news conference today (September 19), Glen Chernen announced that he is stepping aside as the Cedar Party mayoral candidate and throwing his support behind independent mayoral candidate Bob Kasting.

      Chernen will still have his name on the ballot as a council candidate, along with his brother Nicholas Chernen and Cedar members Charlene Gunn, Jeremy Gustafson, and Wesley Mussio.

      “It’s time for a change led by our communities,” he said at Cedar Party headquarters in Kitsilano.

      “We’re going to have to do this without a great deal of money, but we can do it with a great deal of community support...I fully support Bob’s run for mayor with everything that I can provide in assistance.”

      Kasting, a lawyer who launched his mayoral campaign earlier this week, said that while he’s running as an independent candidate, the interests of Chernen and the Cedar Party align with his.

      “I think his tenaciousness has to be admired,” he said of Chernen. “He’s been digging around in the right holes, and he’s trying to find answers that are for the best interests of the city.”

      Kasting also called the principles of the Green Party of Vancouver “remarkably similar” to his.

      Bill McCreery of TEAM, which opted not to run any candidates this election, also attended the news conference to voice his support for Kasting, the Cedar Party, and Green Party candidates.

      “Vancouver needs to elect people who represent all Vancouver citizens, not just special interest groups,” McCreery said.

      “In the present council, only councillor Carr has had an independent voice. She needs more help if ordinary citizens’ voices are to be heard at city hall.”

      Other supporters of Kasting as a mayoral candidate include East Vancouver activist Jak King, who declared his support for the independent candidate in a blog post this week.

      Jesse Johl, the founder of another new political group, Vancouver First, attended today's announcement, describing the candidates as friends. He said his party plans to announce its council slate soon, including a mayoral candidate.

      Asked whether the multitude of candidates on the Vancouver election ballot could lead to vote splitting, Nicholas Chernen said he sees it as “vote aggregation” rather than splitting.

      “It’s taking votes away from developer-driven interests, both Vision and NPA, and aggregating votes that used to go there to a new option,” he said.

      “And that will be split amongst a variety of parties, that together I think are really going to deliver the kind of city that Vancouverites want.”

      During the release of their election platform Thursday (September 18), Green councillor Adriane Carr said her party is aiming for the balance of power in city council chambers.

      “Majority rule only works when you have a majority,” Carr told reporters. “If there’s no majority, it’ll be a better council. It’ll be a more fair, it’ll be a more transparent, it’ll be a more democratic council.”

      The Greens are running three candidates for city council including Carr, in addition to two for park board and two for school board. The party is not running a mayoral candidate. 

      Comments

      7 Comments

      James Blatchford

      Sep 19, 2014 at 8:08pm

      Where is the Chernen nephew?

      Randy Ford

      Sep 20, 2014 at 5:51pm

      I've got him doing something important. Sandro isn't "reliable" anymore.

      GZLFB

      Sep 20, 2014 at 10:51pm

      Don't like the idea of a lawyer taking the law making, voting, and enforcing bit but I am glad to see parties focus on caucus building and keeping the Mayor's office independent.

      Boris Moris

      Sep 21, 2014 at 10:14am

      Three Pols Walk Into a Bar. Or, as I like to call this story: The 3 Humps Meet Their Destiny

      Pol #1 orders a Christy's Revenge garnished with sprigs of high school education and daddy issues.
      Pol #2 orders his usual Jackbooted PM on the rocks.
      Pol #3 declares she'll have the same as her mates but make it a triple and put it all in a gigantic Green glass.

      That's all she wrote. No happy endings for right wing cannon fodder and faux environmentalists in progressive Vancouver. Not to worry, The Fraser Institute always has room for useful idiots.

      Mark A

      Sep 21, 2014 at 10:45am

      This is just going to split the vote. Vision's election team is smiling now.

      martin kent

      Sep 21, 2014 at 2:33pm

      Volunteers wanted to witness the huge degree of lawlessness at the polling stations on voting day. With the Mayor and Premier ignoring red lights, the chance of the voters behaving in a law abiding manner when they vote, is laughable. The Motor Vehicle Act is consistently ignored by most of us city slickers. This lawless phenomenon among political people puts people off democracy.
      It's hard to expect jobs when lawlessness is so rampant. There is a red light for bicycles near the Mayors house and the cyclists ignore it. The World Health Organization, Road Safety Office would like to see Canadians obeying traffic laws. This was supposed to be an example for the other nations. By Family Day 2015 let's get the families to behave in a law abiding manner when they are on our streets. Breaking the law with children is the absolute worst. The Premier should phone Margie Peden in Geneva and apologize for being a complete prat, for going through red lights with her son.
      Politicians are freewheelers sometimes and the attitude towards misdemeanors effects their relationship with the public. Mr. Mulcair went through stop signs on Parliament Hill. When ticketed he was irate. What is with political integrity and credibility ? I want to vote and I never have because of the lousy and pathetic attitude politicians have to the public. These people are our servants and we are their masters. Be a witness on polling day to the massive illegal behaviour at the voting stations and rectify a law abiding political process. We should have pride in our city. Ehen parent cycists ignore the red light next to the mayors house with their children, people shudder and think of Picton.

      martin kent

      Sep 21, 2014 at 3:07pm

      Error-the last sentence should read "When parent cyclists