Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Fundraiser bypassing COPE
By Allen Garr
Vancouver Courier
November 29, 2004
You may want to think of the COPE fundraiser last week as Larry Campbell's Last Supper. It could well be the last time the mayor is the front man for the party he led to a landslide victory.
You will see the possible beginning of the end Dec. 11, but more on that in a moment.
As regular readers know, Campbell started muttering about running as an independent candidate a nanosecond after his election victory. That's when the first fight broke out between him and the COPE Classics.
He continues to plumb public opinion on the possibility and now is making plans.
Last Tuesday night, Campbell looked across the crowd, which he called "a coalition that spans all sides of the political spectrum." Beyond the usual pack of trade unionists, he saw a sea of developers, architects, casino owners and barkeepers. He figures he can count on them all to back him when he makes his next run. They certainly did their share to support the event.
(Let's see if the same guys turn up at the NPA dinner next week.)
The yummy food was served from "food stations" each named after a neighbourhood in the city, obviously planned before COPE got its butt kicked in the ward plebiscite. Each station was supported by a developer who kicked in $5,000 for the privilege. The music by the delightful Zubot and Dawson, who were joined later by Jim Byrnes, was bankrolled by Bruno Wall, the former co-owner of the Hastings Racetrack.
Campbell's speech, which seemed to drag on for hours as his speeches do, prompted one developer to quip: "Why doesn't he just tell a few jokes and get off the stage?"
But the mayor was clearly laying the groundwork for his next move. The front end was weighted down with individual recognition of each developer and casino owner who ponied up extra bucks. In the whole ramble, I only counted one reference to COPE and it was cutting.
Campbell then set out a platform he plans to run on that would please most people in an NPA crowd; there were promises of more cops, a speedier development permit process and continued support for the 2010 Olympics.
Which brings us to Dec. 11, the date much rumoured as the time Campbell will announce he's running as the mayoral candidate for a new party. Not quite. But there will be a fundraiser that night in Richmond. And the money raised will be the beginning of a war chest for Campbell and his pals to run on as the wheels fall off COPE.
The event is sponsored by Chinese business people to support one of Campbell's closest political allies, COPE Coun. Raymond Louie. Campbell will attend as a bit of soy sauce on the rice. Louie has confirmed the money collected will not go into COPE coffers, which in itself is extraordinary. It gives new meaning to the phrase the buck stops here. It will be money he will hang onto until the COPE Classics decide to reach an accommodation with Louie, Campbell and the COPE Lites including Jim Green and Tim Stevenson.
But don't hold your breath.
Meanwhile, as long as Campbell and his pals are in play, both COPE and the NPA have a big chunk of their election plans on hold.
As long as he can keep his inner bully under control he will be hard to beat.
Given the way the at-large system works, a party has to run a mayoral candidate just to get decent media coverage. The NPA will have to run someone knowing it will lose, even though it will likely gain council seats.
COPE is in a bigger pickle. It can't even consider the issue until Campbell makes up his mind. It is too internally fractured to force the issue and set a deadline for him to decide.
By Allen Garr
Vancouver Courier
November 29, 2004
You may want to think of the COPE fundraiser last week as Larry Campbell's Last Supper. It could well be the last time the mayor is the front man for the party he led to a landslide victory.
You will see the possible beginning of the end Dec. 11, but more on that in a moment.
As regular readers know, Campbell started muttering about running as an independent candidate a nanosecond after his election victory. That's when the first fight broke out between him and the COPE Classics.
He continues to plumb public opinion on the possibility and now is making plans.
Last Tuesday night, Campbell looked across the crowd, which he called "a coalition that spans all sides of the political spectrum." Beyond the usual pack of trade unionists, he saw a sea of developers, architects, casino owners and barkeepers. He figures he can count on them all to back him when he makes his next run. They certainly did their share to support the event.
(Let's see if the same guys turn up at the NPA dinner next week.)
The yummy food was served from "food stations" each named after a neighbourhood in the city, obviously planned before COPE got its butt kicked in the ward plebiscite. Each station was supported by a developer who kicked in $5,000 for the privilege. The music by the delightful Zubot and Dawson, who were joined later by Jim Byrnes, was bankrolled by Bruno Wall, the former co-owner of the Hastings Racetrack.
Campbell's speech, which seemed to drag on for hours as his speeches do, prompted one developer to quip: "Why doesn't he just tell a few jokes and get off the stage?"
But the mayor was clearly laying the groundwork for his next move. The front end was weighted down with individual recognition of each developer and casino owner who ponied up extra bucks. In the whole ramble, I only counted one reference to COPE and it was cutting.
Campbell then set out a platform he plans to run on that would please most people in an NPA crowd; there were promises of more cops, a speedier development permit process and continued support for the 2010 Olympics.
Which brings us to Dec. 11, the date much rumoured as the time Campbell will announce he's running as the mayoral candidate for a new party. Not quite. But there will be a fundraiser that night in Richmond. And the money raised will be the beginning of a war chest for Campbell and his pals to run on as the wheels fall off COPE.
The event is sponsored by Chinese business people to support one of Campbell's closest political allies, COPE Coun. Raymond Louie. Campbell will attend as a bit of soy sauce on the rice. Louie has confirmed the money collected will not go into COPE coffers, which in itself is extraordinary. It gives new meaning to the phrase the buck stops here. It will be money he will hang onto until the COPE Classics decide to reach an accommodation with Louie, Campbell and the COPE Lites including Jim Green and Tim Stevenson.
But don't hold your breath.
Meanwhile, as long as Campbell and his pals are in play, both COPE and the NPA have a big chunk of their election plans on hold.
As long as he can keep his inner bully under control he will be hard to beat.
Given the way the at-large system works, a party has to run a mayoral candidate just to get decent media coverage. The NPA will have to run someone knowing it will lose, even though it will likely gain council seats.
COPE is in a bigger pickle. It can't even consider the issue until Campbell makes up his mind. It is too internally fractured to force the issue and set a deadline for him to decide.
# posted by Larry @ 10:35 AM 
