Time once again to thank Ian Bushfield (@ibushfield) for keeping an ever-lengthening list of people who have announced (with some certainty) their interest in becoming an elected official in Vancouver.
Focusing on the top job for a minute, there are plenty of potential Mayoral candidates. But I do miss Mr. Peanut. Won’t someone step up?
Mayor: I count 14 people — 36% (5) seeking an NPA nomination. Raymond Louie is in the mix for Vision, with others apparently expressing interest but staying in the background. Party affiliation looks like it has strongly pushed those 5 to the NPA. Meanwhile, the left-centre is still mulling coalition ideas, looking perhaps to name recognition in the form of a star candidate, amid major concerns about left-centre vote-splitting. No analysis works at all here until the centre-left candidate emerges, suitably endorsed by all concerned.
Council: I count 25 people in total — 32% (8) looking for an NPA nomination, 28% (7) for Greens, and 3 for Vision. That leaves only a handful of hopefuls not seeking established party affiliation. This suggests that down-ballot choices are thought more likely to follow party lines.
Alphabet: For Mayor and Council, 20 out of 39 (51%) last names start with A, B, C, D, or E. Quite a coincidence.
Incumbency: For Mayor and Council, 10 out of 39 (26%) are incumbents, with 4 seeking to upgrade from Park Board to Council or Mayor, and one from Council to Mayor.
Really Fun Wild Card Watch: if issues and platforms matter at all, the concept of rezoning swaths of Vancouver’s exclusionary single-family-home areas will be the lightning rod. I wonder if support for major rezoning will make it past the party nomination level.
