Not everyone within City Hall is up in arms about the internal change that is currently occurring, as some might have the public believe.
Frances Bula wrote a story about the changes that are going on at City Hall, which is fascinating enough in its account of how those within the Hall are reacting to the way in which things are being shaped by the Vision administration. But then there was this comment left at her blog, which I for one don’t find surprising in the least:
Yesterday I stumbled on Frances Bula’s hidden online gem about Mike Magee, the Chief of Staff to Mayor Gregor Robertson.
I think it is a pretty interesting look at the personality that the Mayor seems to trust more than any other (OK, maybe Amy his wife pulls ahead).
Magee is an enigma in many ways - at one time a star athlete that played hockey for the Blackhawks at the Chicago Forum in a preseason game, he has shifted pretty comfortably into his second career stream.
But what strikes me is the sentiment behind those that have surrounded Gregor Robertson for many years, REGARDLESS of whether you identify with all of their ideals and beliefs or not.
Unlike the policies of former Mayor Sam Sullivan to ticket the homeless, of which Mike Klassen was a supporter, the City of Vancouver is a different place under new leadership these days.
Mike Klassen of CityCaucus and NPA “fame” has claimed that Mayor Gregor Robertson “blames” a rookie cop for a inappropriate ticket to a man sleeping in a tent.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Here is the VPD’s explanation of the incident:
Vancouver – A by-law ticket issued to the occupant of a ‘red tent’ in the 300 block Main St on April 22 will be cancelled. The ticket was issued by a newly graduated officer who had not yet been briefed about the Vancouver Police Department’s policy of deferring enforcement and management of people camping or tenting in City parks or on sidewalks to the City of Vancouver.
Steps are being undertaken to ensure that all new members will receive refreshers on all current VPD policies.
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Constable 1920 Lindsey Houghton
Media Relations Officer
Community & Public Affairs Section
Vancouver Police Department | Beyond the Call
The City of Vancouver has initiated a distinct departure from the days of Sullivan’s infamous “Project Civil City,” where the homeless were targeted and ticketed by the police, under the direction of the NPA Mayor and Council.
Gregor Robertson has simply echoed the comments directly from the VPD, where a rookie officer was not entirely aware of the new approach being taken IN TANDEM by the City of Vancouver and the VPD to treat people on the streets with respect and compassion rather than as criminals.
Mike Klassen has expressed his affinity and association with the NPA, past and future. He was a huge backer of Sullivan during the time where Project Civil City became the main focal point of tackling the problem of homelessness on our streets. He is also someone who uses complete creative license with his editorials.
The fact is that this Mayor and Council have outlined a strategy to eliminate street homelessness by 2015, and are well on their way towards doing so. This is not only about opening shelters, or securing commitments for longer-term housing options, but just as importantly, changing the attitudes shown to people living on the streets by the powers that be.
This is a political directive that echoes the Vision Vancouver approach to politics: governing with a heart.
Nowhere does Klassen comment about the policy of ticketing the homeless. In fact, he conveniently glosses over it in favour of trying to create a conspiracy where none exists.
So, until Klassen addresses the issue at hand, and specifically references his opinion on the practice of ticketing the homeless in the name of “public order,” then his words serve as little more than empty attacks against a potential future political opponent.
Robertson's looking for another kind of handshake like this (minus the Conservative propaganda), but is unlikely to walk away with anything of substance from Harper this time around.
I have been delinquent during the Games, as unlike those who transformed themselves into “media”, I took some time away from the blog and municipal politics to enjoy the civic experience of a lifetime.
That being said, I am now back in the swing of things, and will be posting regularly from this point forward. CivicScene will also have some featured pieces coming out in one of Vancouver’s preeminent news outlets in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
Mayor Gregor Robertson has left himself little time to rest in between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as he has made his trek eastward to Ottawa and Toronto in search of “a commitment to a national housing strategy” and more provincial and federal funding for transit.
Yet on the heels of Premier Gordon Campbell’s government preparing people for today’s budget which will dramatically “cut back on the operating budgets of government” as well as Prime Minister Stephen Harper prefacing his upcoming budget by calling it the “toughest of his career,” I can’t see the Vancouver Mayor walking away with anything at all in terms of financial commitments.
But the trip is significant for the way in which Robertson is graduating from his roles and responsibilities that are most often bound within the confines of Vancouver’s official boundaries.
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“Perhaps it was my silk dress or the new perfume I’ve been wearing lately. When I asked Suzanne Anton what her New Year’s resolution was, she replied, “To kiss a pretty girl!” and pecked me on the cheek.” – Writer Emily Barca describing her encounter with the lone NPA City Councillor on New Year’s Eve.
