Civic Election Results in New Government for Vancouver

After being treated to the most spirited civic election campaign in years, Vancouver voters opted for dramatic change when they went to the polls on 16 November 2002. For the first time in the city's history, representatives of the left-leaning Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) occupy the mayor's chair and enjoy a majority of seats on city council. The new government took office on 2 December.

The election was a stunning defeat for the Non-Partisan Association (NPA), the centre-right coalition that had controlled City Hall since the late 1980s. The incumbent NPA mayor, Philip Owen, seemed set for re-election to his fourth term until he fell afoul of his own party, apparently over his support for a controversial drug policy initiative in the city's Downtown Eastside. Owen decided to retire, leaving the way open for the NPA to nominate alderman Jennifer Clarke as its mayoralty candidate. COPE answered with a surprise candidate, Larry Campbell, former coroner and the model for the popular television character, Domenic Da Vinci in the weekly CBC drama Da Vinci's Inquest. A third major candidate was Valerie MacLean, representing the newly-formed Vancouver Civic Action Team (vcaTEAM).

Clarke was favoured heading into the election, but she was unable to shake the suspicion that she had been involved in the mishandling of Owen's departure. And COPE was able to focus attention on the problems of the Downtown Eastside, an issue on which Campbell seemed more forceful than his opponents. The COPE victory marks the first time since the organization was formed in 1968 that one of its candidates has won the mayoralty.

COPE not only captured the mayoralty, it also won eight of the ten seats on city council. Only one incumbent NPA councillor, Sam Sullivan, survived the election. He is joined by NPA newcomer Peter Ladner. The vcaTEAM was completely shut out from council, parks board and the school board.

The contentiousness of the election stimulated interest and about 50% of eligible Vancouver voters cast their ballots, well above the usual turnout.

And the Winners Are: For Mayor Larry Campbell 80,772 COPE Jennifer Clarke 41,936 NPA Valerie MacLean 7,843 vcaTEAM For Councillor Fred Bass 70,525 COPE Jim Green 67,841 COPE David Cadman 66,805 COPE Tim Louis 66,348 COPE Tim Stevenson 57,901 COPE Anne Roberts 55,685 COPE Raymond Louie 55,605 COPE Ellen Woodsworth 53,388 COPE Peter Ladner 41,755 NPA Sam Sullivan 40,372 NPA For School Trustee Allen Blakey 70,455 COPE Allan Wong 65,758 COPE Jane Bouey 65,509 COPE Noel Herron 63,607 COPE Adrienne Montani 62,533 COPE Angela Kenyon 60,342 COPE Kevin Millsip 57,669 COPE John Cheng 45,984 NPA Andrea Reimer 44,951 GREEN For Park Commissioner Heather Deal 60,873 COPE Loretta Woodcock 54,955 COPE Anita Romaniuk 53,112 COPE Lyndsay Poaps 51,571 COPE Eva Riccius 48,298 COPE Suzanne Anton 41,338 NPA Allan De Genova 41,249 NPA COPE = Coalition of Progressive Electors NPA = Vancouver Civic Non-Partisan Association vcaTEAM = Vancouver Civic Action Team)

Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd and Harbour Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. © 2002.