IS MICHAEL GELLER RUNNING for VANCOUVER MAYOR?

Oldtown News
Vanncouver, BC

IS MICHAEL GELLER RUNNING for VANCOUVER MAYOR?

Well according to Carnegie Centre's chief Organizer, Wendy Pedersen, she thinks so.

Ms Pedersen chatted with me on Thursday at the Carnegie Centre Cafeteria exclaiming she feels that Michael Geller, probably the most popular Developer in the City, plans on seeking the Mayor's seat come November 2011.

I was just at Heritage Vancouver's annual garden party hosted by uber-socialite City Councillor Suzanne Anton and Mr Geller was there schmoozing, as was Malcolm Parry of the Sun's Town Talk but I didn't get the sense that Geller was planning anything imminent although Wendy believes due to his frequent appearances at Council meetings that something is up.

There is something up. Mr Geller is heavily promoting his no social housing at Olympic Village and portable housing vision. His idea of no social housing on the Village site is gaining traction and not only with the westside creme de la creme set.

Jim Deva, co-owner of Little Sisters Bookstore who is a local legend in Vancouver and an ardent NDP supporter likes Mr Geller's ideas. The Deva said that it would be hard on lower-income kids living in subsidized units at Olympic Village watching their rich kid neighbours go off to school in limousines while they waited for the bus.

This idea though flies in the face of mixed housing ideals. That is where you have different income-level people living together hopefully in harmony.

This concept of mixed concept housing works good in theory but not sure if it would work realistically.

Because Olympic Village is considered prime real estate, including pristine views of the water, the public may not desire to have affordable housing on the site.

It seems we are really heading for a place where our beautiful City is really divided into two cities. One city for the rich and one City for the poor and that is in my opinion not good. Perhaps we are already there and just need to make it official. Is it time as Nathaniel Christopher, a writer for XtraWest states that Vancouver has become two cities so why not make the eastside its own municipality.

I think Mr Geller would make a great Mayor of Vancouver even though he is promoting this idea of no social housing at Olympic Village. So is Suzanne Anton of the Southlands (wealthy enclave of the City with bigger lots than Shaughnessy) who many speculate will also run for Mayor in 2011.

If the race settles between two people with equally fabulous gardens, Councillor Anton may have an edge although I haven't yet seen Mr Geller's garden but he lives very close to Ms Anton.

Hopefully Geller will have a summer Garden party and invite me so I can compare.

Jamie Lee Hamilton
tricia_foxx@yahoo.com