The ruling Vision Vancouver party will not hold a nomination contest for the fall by-election. Instead of having party members choose candidates through a vote, the Vision board of directors will decide who will run for council and school board.

Former Vision school-board chair Mike Lombardi said that aspirants like him have to submit an application and undergo an interview.

“The time line doesn’t allow for a traditional nomination process, so the board of directors came up with a shorter process,” Lombardi told the Straight in a phone interview Tuesday (August 15).

According to Lombardi, the Vision board is expected to decide on a lineup before the end of August.

Vancouver will have a by-election for one city councillor and nine school-board trustees on October 14.

The council seat was vacated by Geoff Meggs, who was hired in June this year as chief of staff to B.C. NDP premier John Horgan. In 2016, the Vancouver school board was fired by the province for its failure to adopt a balanced budget.

Former Vision school trustee and ex–board chair Patti Bacchus is not running in the by-election.

According to Lombardi, he has heard that Allan Wong, Joy Alexander, and Ken Clement are seeking the endorsement of the Vision executive to run as candidates for school board. Lombardi said Vision officials will decide how many candidates will run for the school board.

Meanwhile, park commissioner Sarah Kirby-Yung of the Non-Partisan Association said that her party will hold a nomination meeting in early September. “It will be a contest and members will vote in a competitive race,” Kirby-Yung told the Straight by phone.

The Green Party of Vancouver is scheduled to acclaim Pete Fry on Wednesday (August 16) as its council candidate. Former Green school trustee Janet Fraser is expected to be nominated on August 26.

OneCity and the Coalition of Progressive Electors will hold nominations on August 27 and August 29, respectively.