Former Mayor Sam Sullivan aimed to bring a little attention to Vancouver as the next Olympic city back in 2008. But what were the tangible benefits of the trip for Vancouver taxpayers? To this day, that is a tough question to answer.

As has now hit the media, Mayor Gregor Robertson will lead an eco-business mission to China next week with 22 local business involved in environmental technologies, renewable energies, new media & gaming, green building products, and tourism and transportation.

China is a mecca for this business stream because of the fact that the country has set aggressive targets for low-carbon economic development, making the offerings of these Vancouver companies ideal to fill a particular niche.

A number of meetings have been set with representatives from the private sector, government, as well as educational and non-governmental bodies in order to showcase the best that our city has to offer.

Those participating were selected through a strict set of criteria, including actively seeking out access to the Chinese market, having adequate resources and capacity to thrive in the Chinese market, and producing technology that is fully developed and export-ready.

The trip is being organized in collaboration with the Vancouver Economic Development Commission, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the British Columbia Trade and Investment Representative Office, and the Canadian Consulate also in Shanghai.  It’s this kind of joint effort that allows BC companies being able to gain access to China with identified and interested business contacts.

Oh, and the delegation that is participating in the Vancouver Green Capital Business mission are responsible for their own expenses for the trip, including flights, hotel acoomodations and transportation and food outside of the already set schedule.

Now, contrast this with former Mayor Sam Sullivan’s trip to China in the dying days of his term in office, and you will see that the word junket is much more appropriate for the former rather than the latter.

I requested some specific information about Sullivan’s trip from City Hall, and here is what I received.

Between August 19 and September 8, 2008, Sullivan and staff traveled to Beijing for the Paralympic Games.

Sam Sullivan spent a total of $36,097.37 to attend.

But wait, you are saying…that is less than the $45,000 that the city is putting up for Robertson and staff to attend next week’s trip.

True, except for one small detail.  Sullivan’s trip had no business focus, and no private sector money leveraged for his trips

Were any deals or agreements signed to assist Vancouver in any way?  No.

Was their any kind of governmental or business focus for the trip?  No.

Like I said when it came to the Linda Oglov contract with City Hall, “I don’t care how much…AS LONG AS the results are assessed on one key criteria: Return On Investment.”

In essence, Sam’s attendance as an Olympic ambassador, which is what his office at the time promoted the purpose of the trip as, was little more than an excursion for a guy that had been stabbed in the back by his own party, was not going to be running again for Mayor, and didn’t give a damn about how the jaunt would be perceived.

You’d think he could have slipped in some economic development announcements or at the very least some meetings.  But no, he was too preoccupied…with “personal time”, as an example, between August 28 and September 2.

Now in this climate of lazy local journalism and sensationalism over substance, one wonders what Robertson would have had to endure upon returning to Vancouver if it was discovered that he took 4-5 days off for personal time.

Speaking of which, I am going to try and be back later in the day with a rant about Bob Mackin’s ridiculous article from yesterday and his policy (or lack thereof) when it comes to his “sources“.

The anonymous "Vision hierarch " still has not emerged as a real person. I am anxiously awaiting this individual's story.

“Do you really believe Vision Vancouver dumb enough to create a “media hit list” & shared it? I have serious doubts. A Trojan Horse story?” – Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun – allegedly number 9

“I agree with Jeff Lee on the media hit list until I see real proof. It struck me as absurd.” – Charlie Smith, Editor of the Georgia Straight – allegedly number 11

“I have seen the “problem media” email. Leaker claims Mayor’s as sistant Quinlan helped create it.” – Bob Mackin, 24 Hours – allegedly number 12 (EDITOR’S NOTE: If Bob has seen an email, and is stating that the leaker is only claming that Mayor’s assistant Quinlan helped create it, then obviously the email Mackin saw did not come from Quinlan – which inserts huge suspicion into this “story”)

I don’t doubt that Tsakumis and Mackin have seen a list.  What is in doubt is whether that list came from the Mayor’s office and more specifically Kevin Quinlan.

Once again, rather that proving the existence of a list that anyone can claim was written by someone, I want to see the proof of authorship.

The source is apparently going to go on record with Alex Tsakumis.  Fantastic.  I anxiously await that interview.  Although, of course, his words will only be as valid as his ability to back up the claims about its origin.

In the meantime, this is all innuendo that no one but the most virulent anti-Vision commentators are willing to touch with a 10-foot pole.  Meaning, the individuals who allegedly comprise of spots #1-3 are all over this story, which is unsurprising since that seems to be their first inclination.

Yesterday, Alex Tsakumis finished off his initial post with this:

“NOTE TO READERS: There is more to this story. I will have an update tomorrow.”

So, I was awaiting further proof…some shred of evidence to back up the claims of an individual who so far does not have the guts or the lifeforce (phantoms don’t tend to) to back up his/her claims.

So what did we get instead?  This:

“Well, I can confirm here that I’ll do better than that–but not right away (it took me a long time to get Ark Tsisserev to talk).”

That, and of course another rant about me and how evil I am.  There are several statements in that post, however, that I am going to have to look into a little more closely and decide what to do due to the bullshit nature of the claims.

Funny enough, many of the opeds I have written for the Vancouver Sun have ruffled feathers at City Hall and not made me any friends (this one, for example), so claims about others authoring my words are not only a lie, but also libelous.

One thing I did find interesting was this statement by Tsakumis:

“You see, Klassen does what he does almost full-time.”

Certainly seems like it, which then begs the obvious question: how?  If he is working full-time on City Caucus, does that mean that it is the source of income that is paying his half of the household bills?  Something to consider for all of the news editors around town content with taking the “stories” of those formerly or currently associated with the NPA as is, without any kind of filters.

Attacking crap that is put out there without the slightest shred of validity or proof has nothing to do with spreading venom – Tsakumis seems to be a one-man industry in that regard on his own.

What it does have to do with, however, is putting the feet to the fire of those that run with “stories” that can’t be backed up.

I anxiously await the release of something that will deem my utter and and unqualified skepticism to be unfounded.

Danny Devito was brilliant in the movie "Batman Returns."

Just saw one of the older Batman movies on television the other day…boy was Danny Devito good as the Penguin.

On an entirely different stream of consciousness, readers of this blog are well aware of the battles between myself and Alex Tsakumis, whose venomous rants have been on display through his blog for the better part of the past year.  Some of his highlights include:

• Attending the Pride Parade and ridiculing the participants and the spectators

• Photographing young people downtown at 3:00am in the morning

• Engaging in political rants delving into divisive politics between races and religions

There are so many more to highlight, but unfortunately, I just ate and I want to ensure that I can keep the food in my stomach for the remainder of the day.

Alex, of course, is no fan of Vision Vancouver, and has used his website to go on the attack against everything associated with the party and its policies.

And every time I think that I have snickered and shaken my head for the final time, he presents me with even more fodder.

Yesterday’s post was the latest ammunition for my internal laugh track.

Here is what Tsakumis is now claiming, with an ambiguous “Vision hierarch” allegedly supplying the information:

“I am in possession of a list of reporters and commentators, who are apparently on a Vision hit list…of sorts. It is a list of reporters that you and the Mayor’s people allegedly consider “offside”.”

This is hilarious, because while he alludes to the individual POSSIBLY going on the record, he is a long way off from backing up such utter rubbish.

He continues:

“My friends, this kind of McCarthyism is such an affront to journalists everywhere, that even those I disagree with on this list; I would stand in front of them before such a disgusting, disgraceful attack. The producers, editors and publishers of these news outlets should be outraged.”

So let me get this straight, Alex.  Kevin Quinlan, the Mayor’s communications guy, and the one responsible for dealing with the media, has identified just about every journalist in town the covers municipal politics, and not only produced a list in which they are targeted and blacklisted, but also let that list get out to someone who is now disgruntled and has turned to you?

Hilarious.  Talk about McCarthy-era styled paranoia.

I challenge Alex and his mysterious source to give a little more context about this kind of a claim.

If it is true, and if it is backed up by an individual who is willing to go on the record to explain how he acquired such a list, I will publicly offer an apology on this website to Alex Tsakumis and also condemn Kevin Quinlan for engaging in such petty politics.

My suspicion, however, is that this phantom source will turn out to be nothing but an unsubstantiated rant from the mouth of a man that seems to have a personal vendetta against the Gregor Robertson regime.

With the way that the NPA has planned out their candidate selection process, the above signs have little to do with the reality of the current political climate in Vancouver.

For the first time in years, it seems as though the NPA is showing signs of life by organizing a number of events for the fall.  A pub night, followed by a fundraiser with former NPA Mayors as the main attraction, moving onto a public forum are all being circled on the calendars of the remaining fifty members of the party who bother to show up to events.

All of these events are designed to create the perception of momentum as the party/association/political entity moves towards November 20th, when the party intends to nominate its candidates for next year’s election.

Here, however, is why these series of events are unlikely to divert attention away from the lacklustre results that that nomination meeting is likely to produce.

The NPA has no one that has even remotely showed interest in running for their Mayoral nomination.

In spite of rumours about SUCCESS CEO Tung Chan or the ridiculous idea of Sam Sullivan returning to lead the party that deposed of him unceremoniously when he was already the Mayor, no one except for lone NPA Councillor Suzanne Anton has really shown any interest in taking up the mantle.

The person running for Mayor is the anchor that inspires candidates to put their name forward by providing some coattails in which to ride upon.

In 2008, Vision Vancouver’s Mayoral nomination attracted upwards of 6,000 people to come out and vote for either Gregor Robertson, Allan DeGenova, or Raymond Louie.  First, that race was a boon to interest in the party, as it created an excitement an buzz not only about the next election, but before that the people who were showing interest in throwing their hat into the ring to carry the party banner.

Gregor Robertson turned into a candidate with momentum, broad appeal, and a solid group of advisors and backers around him that convinced many names to come out of the woodwork to represent Vision Vancouver as a candidate.

I of course managed the campaign of Kashmir Dhaliwal, who had to have a runoff with community activist David Eby for the final Council nomination.  It was very tight, it was a lot of work, and it was extremely exciting, and after Dhaliwal won that last spot, there was a level of optimism behind the name of Gregor Robertson that propelled the entire Vision campaign forward.

On the flip side, you now have a nomination meeting set for the NPA that is without any kind identifiable leadership when it comes to an attraction for quality candidates, and little to no party strength in which to instill confidence in actually making into the top 10 in next year’s election.

This is a fatal error by the NPA, and one done due to desperation.

The thinking, from what my NPA sources tell me, is that once the party has names that the media and the public can latch onto, interest will grow in the organization’s electoral prospects.

But the NPA has clearly forgotten which come first in the realm of municipal politics, particularly when it comes to the current state of affairs in Vancouver.

Say what you will about Gregor Robertson, but the man is still a force to be reckoned with, and as Charlie Smith acknowledges at the end of his above-linked recruit Sam Sullivan piece, “[h]e would probably still lose the election to Robertson.”

And that is the bottom line when it comes to someone’s contemplation about stepping forward to challenge the current Mayor.

Why would a name of significance and profile give up what most likely a hell of a lot more money in their current role, as well as risk their political and social capital in a race that they are unlikely to be able to win?

The reality is that most wouldn’t.

And without a strong Mayoral anchor, the NPA is unlikely to get a electable group of candidates, which in essence seals the fate of the party’s hopes a full year before the next election.

Maybe the NPA brass see the logic in this decision, but I certainly cannot.

Politics and the desire to run for office is often propelled by a combination of ego, hope and a desire to initiate change.

Unfortunately for the NPA, they are a long way off from being able to offer potential candidates viability with any of these considerations.

But that’s the NPA…doing things bass ackwards, as per usual.