VISION LOSES FAITH IN COUNCILLOR RAYMOND LOUIE

Oldtown News
Vancouver, BC

VISION LOSES FAITH IN COUNCILLOR RAYMOND LOUIE

Of poor little Raymond Louie, who has been considering a Mayoral bid, must doubly be feeling the pain of rejection. First, he was stung by the back-stabbing decision by former colleague, Larry Campbell, to endorse a Park Board Commissioner, Allan DeGenova, over a sitting Councillor with six years of experience and now current council colleague, Heather Deal, with her announced support of Gregor Robertson, has effectively taken a sledgehammer to the Mayoral dream of Councillor Louie, whom she has worked alongside for six years.

I bet Councillor Louie didn't see this coming and he must be feeling completely dejected over this turn of events. One has to wonder why prominent Vision members are rejecting Mr. Louie?

Councillor Louie is now put in a difficult position because anyone who has six years of Council experience you would think is Mayor-capable, yet his colleagues have chosen non-experience over experience and this raises other questions.

The public will be questioning whether Councillor Louie has what it takes to represent their interests, especially since people in Councillor Louie's own party through their endorsements of others, seem to be projecting concern that Mr. Louie is politically lacking in some capacity.

Vision may have shot themselves in the foot since their actions continue to breathe life into the former governing party COPE. That is only if COPE doesn't succumb to the stupidity of forming an electoral alliance with Vision, which is turning out to be a party of malcontents.

Mr. Louie though shouldn't feel completely lost out in the political wilderness since it has come to light that Mayor Sam Sullivan, seemingly has lost significant support within his own party and although this may ease the ensuing political loneliness, these matters though conjure up a different scenario.

Because of the considerable municipal political shifting taking place, what has emerged in the public's mind, are trust issues. This issue has quickly emerged from the political back-burner to the front-burner and will play out on the political landscape over the next nine months.

Public trust will be the number one issue leading up to the November 2008 municipal election and as a result expect it to be the dirtiest campaign--very American-style--to ever play out in the City of Vancouver.

Jamie Lee Hamilton
tricia_foxx@yahoo.com