Kevin Quinlan brings a comedic touch to the office of Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson

When he was a teenager growing up in Victoria, Kevin Quinlan’s goal was to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. His parents wisely advised him to get a university degree as a backup.

“I thought political science would help because it would get me to understand the news and what was going on in the world,” Quinlan, 33, told the Straight by phone. “Then, when I started getting tired of pursuing the comedy dream, I really started getting a lot more interested in politics and what was going on at the city level, and higher levels as well.”

He needed a part-time job during his final UBC term in 2006. It was a tumultuous time on the civic scene. The NPA had a bare majority on Vancouver city council following Sam Sullivan’s narrow victory over Jim Green in the 2005 mayoral election.

“I was literally just browsing around the Internet, trying to learn more about civic politics, and I came across some articles about this new party called Vision Vancouver,” Quinlan recalled. “I went to their website and it just so happened that they were looking to hire a part-time fundraiser to do some phone-calling to supporters.”

He got the job and, after graduating, became a full-time party staffer. He joined Gregor Robertson’s office after the 2008 election and was promoted this year to chief of staff.

Quinlan can be earnest, and on other occasions outrageously funny. He’s also had to stickhandle many complicated files, including the empty-homes tax, other housing policies, climate change, and a policy ensuring undocumented migrants can access city services without fear of deportation.

His role often involves convening and connecting people—among them councillors, city staff, and external stakeholders—to ensure that the mayor’s office is soliciting a broad range of opinions before decisions are made.

“You often hear when people talk about politics that it’s not open enough,” Quinlan said. “They don’t feel there are necessarily enough opportunities to engage. I really try to think of ways to break those barriers down and take actions to do that.”