Tuesday, June 06, 2006
COPE Classic Allies Fry Bass
By Charlie Smith
Georgia Straight
February 10, 2005
Two of COPE Coun. Fred Bass's allies on council have criticized his blunt address to Mayor Larry Campbell at a February 6 party-members' meeting. So-called COPE Classic councillors Ellen Woods-worth and Anne Roberts each told the Georgia Straight that they disagreed with Bass's decision to use the meeting as a forum to criticize Campbell. In the past, Roberts and Woodsworth have voted with Bass and against the mayor in opposition to both the Olympic bid and slot machines at Hastings Park.
Bass began his February 6 speech by listing the COPE council's "accomplishments". He highlighted the new ethical-purchasing policy, the redesign of the Woodward's building, North America's first safe-injection site, and legalization of secondary suites. Bass then prefaced his remarks about Campbell by describing himself as a "true friend", adding that as a "true friend", he was telling the mayor he was "off course". Bass went on to accuse Campbell of turning his back on COPE's debt and "doing something unethical" by creating a "splinter caucus" and raising funds separately. Bass also asked Campbell "not to be a Trojan horse" and "to stop your factional war within COPE".
Woodsworth said she felt it was "extremely inappropriate" for Bass to make these comments at a meeting convened for members to ask questions of elected officials. "I thought it was a personal attack, and he left the mayor in an impossible situation to respond to the concepts," Woodsworth said.
Roberts said she didn't think the way Bass spoke was "helpful", adding that she conveyed her views to Campbell. "It was a choice that Fred made about how he did that and what he did," Roberts said. "Just to clarify, it wasn't what I would have done."
Bass told the Straight that some media outlets have overlooked the speech's key point that diversity and dissent are "very important ingredients for solving complex political problems". At the end of his February 6 address, he told the media that it would be "easy" to report his comments as dissension within COPE rather than an attempt to build unity. On the two following days, the Vancouver Sun characterized Bass's comments in large type as a "personal attack" on the mayor.
"To describe it as a personal attack on the mayor is a distortion of what I said," Bass said. "I very clearly said, 'I want you, Larry Campbell, to be leader of a united COPE caucus.' "
Near the beginning of his speech, Bass praised the mayor for "a quick and profound wit, a high capacity for work, and the capacity to relate to a wide variety of people". Bass also claimed that Campbell sometimes demonstrated an "intolerance of dissent" and "disrespect for those who do not share your point of view".
"No councillor should ever have to choose between loyalty to the mayor or loyalty to the platform on which he or she ran," Bass said at the meeting. "I challenge you to show true political leadership by promoting teamwork that allows for democratic differences, rather than insisting on chain-of-command obedience and conformity."
At a February 7 news conference, Campbell claimed that he has kept every promise in the COPE platform except one: ensuring that tax increases stayed below inflation. "You can chalk that up to stupidity or ignorance on my part," Campbell said. "Other than that, everything else that we ran for we have done one way or the other. That includes the Olympics. That includes RAV. And that includes downsizing the number of casinos in the city."
Campbell didn't mention that as a TransLink director, he voted in favour of transit-fare increases even though his party promised a freeze. COPE candidates also told the WestEnder newspaper in a preelection survey that they opposed the introduction of slot machines, yet Campbell's faction voted last year to lift the city's moratorium.
At the end of his news conference, Campbell said that he has invited COPE Classic councillors to attend meetings of his independent caucus, which includes Jim Green, Raymond Louie, and Tim Stevenson. When asked if any had accepted the offer, Campbell said "no".
Roberts, however, claimed that she has never received an invitation to attend independent COPE caucus meetings. Roberts also alleged that her group "consistently" invites Campbell and his allies to its meetings, and none has ever accepted.
By Charlie Smith
Georgia Straight
February 10, 2005
Two of COPE Coun. Fred Bass's allies on council have criticized his blunt address to Mayor Larry Campbell at a February 6 party-members' meeting. So-called COPE Classic councillors Ellen Woods-worth and Anne Roberts each told the Georgia Straight that they disagreed with Bass's decision to use the meeting as a forum to criticize Campbell. In the past, Roberts and Woodsworth have voted with Bass and against the mayor in opposition to both the Olympic bid and slot machines at Hastings Park.
Bass began his February 6 speech by listing the COPE council's "accomplishments". He highlighted the new ethical-purchasing policy, the redesign of the Woodward's building, North America's first safe-injection site, and legalization of secondary suites. Bass then prefaced his remarks about Campbell by describing himself as a "true friend", adding that as a "true friend", he was telling the mayor he was "off course". Bass went on to accuse Campbell of turning his back on COPE's debt and "doing something unethical" by creating a "splinter caucus" and raising funds separately. Bass also asked Campbell "not to be a Trojan horse" and "to stop your factional war within COPE".
Woodsworth said she felt it was "extremely inappropriate" for Bass to make these comments at a meeting convened for members to ask questions of elected officials. "I thought it was a personal attack, and he left the mayor in an impossible situation to respond to the concepts," Woodsworth said.
Roberts said she didn't think the way Bass spoke was "helpful", adding that she conveyed her views to Campbell. "It was a choice that Fred made about how he did that and what he did," Roberts said. "Just to clarify, it wasn't what I would have done."
Bass told the Straight that some media outlets have overlooked the speech's key point that diversity and dissent are "very important ingredients for solving complex political problems". At the end of his February 6 address, he told the media that it would be "easy" to report his comments as dissension within COPE rather than an attempt to build unity. On the two following days, the Vancouver Sun characterized Bass's comments in large type as a "personal attack" on the mayor.
"To describe it as a personal attack on the mayor is a distortion of what I said," Bass said. "I very clearly said, 'I want you, Larry Campbell, to be leader of a united COPE caucus.' "
Near the beginning of his speech, Bass praised the mayor for "a quick and profound wit, a high capacity for work, and the capacity to relate to a wide variety of people". Bass also claimed that Campbell sometimes demonstrated an "intolerance of dissent" and "disrespect for those who do not share your point of view".
"No councillor should ever have to choose between loyalty to the mayor or loyalty to the platform on which he or she ran," Bass said at the meeting. "I challenge you to show true political leadership by promoting teamwork that allows for democratic differences, rather than insisting on chain-of-command obedience and conformity."
At a February 7 news conference, Campbell claimed that he has kept every promise in the COPE platform except one: ensuring that tax increases stayed below inflation. "You can chalk that up to stupidity or ignorance on my part," Campbell said. "Other than that, everything else that we ran for we have done one way or the other. That includes the Olympics. That includes RAV. And that includes downsizing the number of casinos in the city."
Campbell didn't mention that as a TransLink director, he voted in favour of transit-fare increases even though his party promised a freeze. COPE candidates also told the WestEnder newspaper in a preelection survey that they opposed the introduction of slot machines, yet Campbell's faction voted last year to lift the city's moratorium.
At the end of his news conference, Campbell said that he has invited COPE Classic councillors to attend meetings of his independent caucus, which includes Jim Green, Raymond Louie, and Tim Stevenson. When asked if any had accepted the offer, Campbell said "no".
Roberts, however, claimed that she has never received an invitation to attend independent COPE caucus meetings. Roberts also alleged that her group "consistently" invites Campbell and his allies to its meetings, and none has ever accepted.
# posted by Larry @ 10:36 AM 
