A former Vision 麻豆传媒映画board member and lead facilitator of Mayor Gregor Robertson鈥檚 now-defunct task force on affordable housing is running for mayor.
But Shauna Sylvester, who is the executive director of Simon Fraser University鈥檚 Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, will run as an independent candidate in the October election.
Why not with Vision?
鈥淏ecause I have spent 30 years working across partisan lines and I want to continue working in that space,鈥� said Sylvester, who was to make her run official Thursday morning with a launch in Gastown.
She dismissed a suggestion that Vision鈥檚 perceived waning popularity was the reason for not running with the party. Vision has ruled city hall since 2008 but saw its power reduced in last fall鈥檚 byelection after a disastrous fifth-place finish in the council race.
鈥淎ll of my work really in the last 15 years has been building solutions, policy decisions with groups that come from disparate perspectives,鈥� she said.
Sylvester, 53, has a long history with Vision as a board member in the party鈥檚 early days, a co-founder of 鈥淲omen in Vision鈥� and she attended the party鈥檚 recent annual general meeting, where she was told she was still a member. Her links to the party extend to her work with the Vision-friendly Hollyhock organization on Cortes Island, a popular retreat for progressive political types and led by Joel Solomon, who has been a regular donor to Vision.
The West End resident also maintains ties with Mayor Gregor Robertson, who is retiring at the end of this term. She sought his advice on running for mayor and discussed her run with him as recently as last week during a walk together in Stanley Park.
鈥淗e was lovely and said he was at the other end of the phone for advice 鈥� that you will be your own leader, you will do it differently,鈥� she said, describing the pair鈥檚 relationship as 鈥渃ollegial.鈥�
Sylvester said she didn鈥檛 immediately ask for Robertson鈥檚 endorsement but plans to ask him and former 麻豆传媒映画mayors for their support, saying she 鈥渃ould find really strong leadership in every mayor we鈥檝e had.鈥�
She mentioned Philip Owen, Mike Harcourt and Gordon Campbell.
鈥淚 may not have always agreed with Gordon Campbell, but Gordon Campbell鈥檚 approach to building regional ideas was among the best I鈥檝e seen,鈥� Sylvester said. 鈥淚 look back and I see strengths in all of our mayors, and I want to be able to tap into their knowledge. So I鈥檒l definitely want to ask them for support.鈥�
Unity candidate sought
Sylvester is the first person whose politics land on the centre-left of the political spectrum to declare her candidacy for mayor. The NPA鈥檚 Hector Bremner, Glen Chernen and John Coupar have indicated they will seek the mayoral nomination for their party.
Former Conservative MP Wai Young also appears to be preparing to launch a run for mayor with a group identified on her website as Coalition Vancouver, although she has been elusive to media seeking to confirm her bid.
For several months, the so-called progressive parties in 麻豆传媒映画鈥� the Greens, COPE and OneCity 鈥� have been meeting to devise a strategy to foil the Non-Partisan Association鈥檚 plan to take back city hall.
Some of those conversations have included Vision, which has 鈥� for now 鈥� decided not to run a mayoral candidate. All four parties agree they have to unite behind one candidate on the left, or at least not run a mayoral candidate against each other.
The byelection last October showed how easy victory came for NPA rookie Bremner, who competed against the COPE-endorsed independent Jean Swanson, the Greens鈥� Pete Fry, OneCity鈥檚 Judy Graves and Vision鈥檚 Diego Cardona.
The takeaway for those parties was that they siphoned off each other鈥檚 votes and allowed the NPA to rise. Cardona鈥檚 fifth-place finish also signaled Vision was in trouble.
So is Sylvester that one candidate who can unite all of them?
It鈥檚 too early to say, was the common answer in interviews the Courier conducted with representatives from COPE, the Greens, OneCity and Vision prior to news breaking of Sylvester鈥檚 announcement.
Vision 鈥榬eally, really unpopular鈥�
Connie Hubbs, co-chairperson of COPE, said the party has yet to speak to Sylvester and pointed out 鈥渨e don鈥檛 know her very well, but she is in the space.鈥� Hubbs added that had Sylvester chosen to run with Vision, COPE would not support her run.
鈥淭hat would be a deal breaker,鈥� she said, suggesting Vision is 鈥渞eally, really unpopular right now, as far as we can tell鈥� and that COPE has concerns with some of Vision鈥檚 housing policies.
Hubbs said she is aware of Sylvester鈥檚 past ties to Vision. 鈥淸But] I don鈥檛 want to condemn her unheard, or anything like that鈥� she might not be a good fit for COPE. We just don鈥檛 know yet.鈥�
Hubbs noted Meena Wong, COPE鈥檚 mayoral candidate in 2014, could resurface in this year鈥檚 campaign.
鈥淏ecause so many people found her run really inspirational in 2014, we continually get asked if she would do it again, and it鈥檚 certainly a possibility,鈥� she said, noting urban planning veteran Patrick Condon and longtime housing advocate John Shayler are in the mix as possible COPE mayoral candidates.
RJ Aquino, a senior member of OneCity and a potential council candidate, said he has not spoken to Sylvester. But, he said, she seems qualified to run for mayor and could be a candidate his party would support.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to support an independent candidate for mayor,鈥� said Aquino, who is aware of Sylvester鈥檚 work with 鈥淐arbon Talks,鈥� a national initiative she founded to accelerate the shift to a low carbon economy in Canada. 鈥淲e can see getting behind her. It鈥檚 still, I guess, early days and there could be others that end up announcing.鈥�
Both Hubbs and Aquino emphasized their party members would have the final say in endorsing a mayoral candidate. And both say they need to learn more about Sylvester鈥檚 platform and her ideas to make the city more affordable for residents before rallying around her run for mayor.
Adriane Carr mayoral run?
The same message came from Jacquie Miller, vice-chairperson of the Green Party of Vancouver, which still hasn鈥檛 ruled out whether the Greens will run a mayoral candidate and whether that person would be Coun. Adriane Carr.
鈥淥ur priority for the next couple of weeks is to sort out whether that鈥檚 something that we should be doing,鈥� said Miller of Carr running for mayor. 鈥淭here鈥檚 lots of things suggesting that we should because she鈥檚 the best candidate for the job. But there are a lot of practical questions, too.鈥�
Michael Haack, vice-chairperson of Vision Vancouver, said the party has spoken to Sylvester about an independent run for mayor. But Haack wouldn鈥檛 say whether the party is prepared to endorse Sylvester.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 had the necessary, or the final conversations with those other progressive parties here in the city to be able to come out and say we鈥檙e supporting one candidate over another,鈥� he said.
Sylvester knows she is taking a gamble by announcing her run for mayor without getting endorsements from any of the parties. She confirmed she has spoken to OneCity, Vision and the Greens, but not COPE, a party she volunteered for when she was in her 20s.
鈥淚 have no problem aligning myself with the values that each of those [three] parties reflect, but I鈥檓 really clear that I鈥檓 running as an independent,鈥� she said.
Poor name recognition
Sylvester acknowledged her name recognition across the city isn鈥檛 strong, agreeing with a Courier reporter that a quick poll of people at Cambie and Broadway would likely show she is not well known.
鈥淭he thing is there鈥檚 nobody really running right now who has great name recognition,鈥� she said, noting candidates in this year鈥檚 campaign will not be able to rely on big money from unions and corporations to get elected because of new financing rules. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 getting back and talking to people in community, and that鈥檚 something I鈥檓 good at. Movement building is something I know well.鈥�
Sylvester has a long and impressive resume that includes leadership roles that involved hosting business summits, international policy and development work, campaigns for renewable energy, developing communication strategies and working as an environmental consultant.
She has also served on several boards, including the Vancity Capital Corporation, Vancity Credit Union, Mountain Equipment Cooperative and the Downtown 麻豆传媒映画Business Improvement Association.
Though she is still developing a platform for her campaign, Sylvester said she knows affordability will be the top issue for voters. She supports the city鈥檚 current housing strategy and is glad to see greater alignment with senior levels of government on funding for housing.
鈥淭here鈥檚 far more that we can do here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think we need new forms [of housing], we need more housing, looking at co-housing鈥� and really look deeply at creating a viable model for first-responders, for example. We need to ensure that they can live in this community.鈥�
麻豆传媒映画has never had a woman mayor, although several candidates over the years have mounted serious challenges. Sylvester said she hopes she will be the first.
鈥淚 think it is about time,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not enough that I鈥檓 a woman that you would vote for me. I need to be a strong, experienced, capable woman and I am that.鈥�
