IT’S ONLY a few blocks from West
Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager’s law
office at 15th and Bellevue to his other
place of work—the municipal hall.

WEST VANCOUVER
DISTRICT COUNCIL
By Maureen Curtis

Sager has been enjoying the stroll.

“I'm saving a fortune in time commut-
ing,” he announces with satisfaction.

Until recently, Sager travelled twice daily
from the mayor's desk to his job as one of
nearly 100 tawyers at the massive
Vancouver firm of Bull, Housser and
Tupper.

Now, at Sager, Anderson and Lawrence,
he is joined by Steve Anderson, also a for-
mer Bull, Housser and Tupper employee and
Myrle Lawrence.

Like Sager, Anderson is a young litigator.

Sager met Lawrence, whose specialty is
estate and residential real estate law, when
she was teaching a course he was attending
as a law student.

Lawrence introduced Sager to his wife
Kathy and married Sager’s roommate from
his bachelor days.

In addition to her association with
Sager's firm, Lawrence will maintain an
office at her old Jones, McCloy and Peterson
firm as well as continue to teach at Capilano
College.

Sager’s decision to go out on his own
was made shortly after he was named vice-
chairman of the Greater Vancouver Regional
District.

The new position, salaried by the GVRD,
requires a considerable commitment in time
that conflicted with his obligations to Bull.

of what has been called Canada’s

Housser.

Time is a scarce resource for Sager, who
divides his allotment between his wife and
little daughter, his law career, his new inter-
est in a local restaurant and his job as mayor
wealthiest
community.

He was elected by acclamation to his sec-
ond term as mayor Jast November.

Although Sager knows that he could
make more money if he devoted al] of his
time to law, politics continues to have the
greatest allure.

“TL love the community and 1 want to try
and make it a bit better.” says Sager.

He finds it most rewarding when he can
help build consensus around difficult: neigh-
borhood issues, such as those concerning the
Maple Leaf Garden Spot and Garrow Bay.

Sager has a reputation for being able to
mediate and resolve conflicts.

At the same time, he took an aggressive
stand, earlier this year, against B.C. Rail
Properties’ bid to develop an easement in the
western part of the municipality for residen-
lial purposes—but he justifies it. “They took
the first swing,” he recalls. .

But conflict led to negotiation, and the
result was the municipality's acquisition of
Seaview Walk and other BCR land.

The mayor feels even more lucky to be
living in West Vancouver after his tour of
several American cities, carly this year.

As a guest of the American government,
Sager saw Washington, Cincinnati, San
Francisco, Dallas, Memphis and Portland,
experiencing different aspects of govern-
ment and learning about the local issues.

Sager also spoke at universities and got
to know his fellow guests, who were politi-
cal figures from around the world,
“Everywhere | went, people cither had been
to Vancouver or wanted to go to
Vancouver,” Sager said.

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