Bill McCreery sits in the background, looking very unhappy at having to sit and be a greeter at the NPA table. His former party TEAM never made a man of his stature do such things I am sure.

Over the weekend, there was a very telling quote delivered by newly acclaimed NPA City Council candidate Bill McCreery, who is leading the charge for what is “new” within the 73 year old political entity (Bill received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1969 and was a Commissioner on the Vancouver Park Board from 1973-74, and thus has witnessed first-hand the NPA evolve into the young, fresh and dynamic organization it is today).

Mike Howell from the Courier asked McCreery if he was concerned the fact that there was only one race at the nomination meeting this past Saturday.  Here was his response:

““There were other people who were interested [in running] but one year is an awful long time to be campaigning, and I don’t think a lot of people want to be doing that,” said McCreery, who predicted a bigger turnout and competition for NPA seats in the party’s spring 2011 nomination meeting. “As a matter of fact, on Saturday, there was two or three people I hadn’t met before who came up to me and said they were seriously thinking about running in the spring.”

So Bill, who is one of the most active individuals in the party, and who also sat on the board up until the summer, has people he has never met approaching him who are interested in running.

Exciting news I suppose for a party that might have a hard time finding enough people to fill out a full slate of candidates.

But terrible news for a party who desperately needs name recognition amongst its candidates to have any chance at pulling a few across the finish line as newly elected officials.

Let’s look at the election results from 2008 and more specifically the names that didn’t quite make it through for the NPA:

Candidate	Elector Organization	Votes
LOUIE, Raymond P.	VV	66226
DEAL, Heather	VV	63116
CHOW, George	VV	62262
JANG, Kerry	VV	60598
REIMER, Andrea	VV	59148
STEVENSON, Tim	VV	58380
CADMAN, David	CPE	56665
ANTON, Suzanne	NPA	52941
MEGGS, Geoff	VV	49538
WOODSWORTH, Ellen	CPE	45877
DHALIWAL, Kashmir	VV	44854
GELLER, Michael	NPA	44353
CAPRI, Kim	NPA	44270
BALL, Elizabeth	NPA	42727
LEE, David	NPA	42195
WONG, Kanman	NPA	36795
HOUGHTON, Korina	NPA	34588
COPELAND, Leanore	NPA	34566
BICKERTON, Sean	NPA	33510
SIDHU, Daljit S.	NPA	28894

Now, Michael Geller has kept himself immersed on the municipal scene, and his weekly CKNW appearances as well as his occasional slip-ups amidst his commentaries on development and the Olympic Village, make Geller a valuable potential candidate for the party.  I can tell you that he most definitely would get my vote over a Ellen Woodsworth, for example.

The next two – Capri and Ball – were incumbents that were punished for the Sam Sullivan reign of error and both are unlikely to return to run for the moribund incarnation of what their party has become.

David Lee was a man who was apparently recruited to run by the former Mayoral candidate Peter Ladner, but also a candidate who was short on details and definition throughout the campaign.

Kanman Wong was a former Conservative candidate from the riding of Vancouver Kingsway (much like my friend Jesse Johl is right now), who spoke out of both sides of his mouth when he targeted messages to voters of different ethnic backgrounds.  I am sorry to say to Jesse – the City of Vancouver doesn’t seem to like Conservative candidates (current or former) that much.

Korina Houghton was a Park Board Commissioner from 2005-2008, but apparently her previous experience didn’t help her much in terms of name recognition.  She is actually one of the names that I am hearing is planning on making another attempt for City Council.

Leanore Copeland is a fantastic lady and a friend, but who also last I checked spends much of her time these days in London, UK.

Sean Bickerton is an NPA stalwart who has been the lifeblood of the organization for some time now.  He is smart, sharp well informed and very diverse, and also a fellow musician which I always have respect for.  Yet, in spite of all his civic involvement, I feel he still lacks the name recognition that is necessary to get elected.  He is also a name I expect to return as a candidate.

Finally, we have Daljit Sidhu, who is the President of the Punjabi Market Association, faced the same kind of situation I described following the 2008 election that other South Asian candidates faced.  So, it is no surprise that he came in last amongst all of his party’s Council candidates.  I do not expect him to run again.

So if these were the results for candidates – many of which were incumbents – in a time when the party was a lot healthier (membership, financially, politically, etc.), then what will be the fate of candidates that even Bill McCreery has never met or heard of before?

And consider this – if Suzanne Anton does indeed end up running, giving up her spot as a Council candidate, then the NPA could very well have no electeds on City Council by the time the 2011 election is over.

An NPA board member asked me recently “Why do you have to say so many negative things about the NPA – ALL THE TIME?”

Well, the answer to that question is simple.  I don’t need to.  I do so because it is such an easy target, and really now sits as a non-option for voters…which is really quite a shame, since competition brings out the best in government.

And, I will continue to point out the fatal flaws of an organization that in rhetoric considers itself a viable alternative, but in reality, has little to nothing to offer the public.

So, back on October 6th, City Council proclaimed Saturday, October 17th, 2009 as “Diwali: Festival of Lights Day” in the City of Vancouver and had  Ms. Mita Naidu, Chair, Vancouver Celebrates Diwali, to the podium to receive the proclamation and say a few words (she gave a fantastic presentation).

A picture used on the City of Vancouver website that was not taken at the celebration that occurred at City Hall on October 6th.

The proclamation was immediately followed by a reception in the foyer outside Council Chamber.

Here is where the caller was quite upset.

There were a number of members of the Vancouver Celebrates Diwali society, which puts on the annual Diwali community-based celebrations in Vancouver every year.  There were also a few prominent South Asian supporters of the NPA, including former Council candidate Daljit Sidhu and Kewal Pabla, who is one of the most prominent business owners/developers of the Punjabi Market, all invited by Suzanne Anton.

That was the extent of the invitee list.  Many leaders from across the community would have liked to have been there, but were never made aware.

Furthermore, the reception served sushi and other appetizers that had absolutely nothing to do with the culture that was being celebrated.

So, the caller and now I would like to have a few questions answered:

1. Who drafted the invite list for the event?  Why was it not more broadly shared with South Asian community leaders?
2. Why couldn’t traditional Indian sweets (traditional fixtures for any Diwali celebration), at the very minimum, been among the offerings served to guests?
3. Why is Diwali treated in such a low-key fashion when compared to City-endorsed celebrations for Chinese New Year, for example?

Vancouver could really take some lessons from the City of Surrey on this particular issue.