SULLIVAN TURN-A-ROUND-IS IT POLITICS AS USUAL for SAM?

Oldtown News
Vancouver, BC

SULLIVAN'S TURN-A-ROUND - IS IT POLITICS AS USUAL for SAM?

Mayor Sam Sullivan, apparently has had a change of heart and now is saying that he supports open nominations. Yet for the last six months and up until today, he has been articulating that he supports the NPA board decision of closed nominations which flew in the face of democratic principles.

Led by Councillor Peter Ladner and former Mayor, Philip Owen, members of the NPA and other supporters were demanding the right to choose their candidates for nominations. For some reason the board had arrived at a decision denying the members this fundamental right which put the board and Mayor Sullivan on a collision course with the members.

Now though, Mayor Sullivan says he supports open nominations and what this means--we'll have to wait and see.

The NPA board, stacked with Sullivan supporters, will need to move quickly to address this major incongruency. This flipper-like move by Mayor Sullivan places them in a difficult situation since it was only late last week that President Matthew Taylor sent out a communique to members, explaining the reasons why they chose to pre-select candidates for nominations.

I bet the board and other NPA Council caucus members who supported the Mayor and his closed-nomination preference must at this time be feeling political heat.

While Mayor Sullivan's motives for his turn-around on democracy are unclear, what citizens will be looking ahead to though is who within the NPA party has their best interests at heart.

The answer I think is clear. Councillor Peter Ladner and former Mayor, Philip Owen, took on this formidable challenge , stood on the members side for NPA democracy and this is a true hallmark of Leadership.

Jamie Lee Hamilton
tricia_foxx@yahoo.com