& - Friday, November 15, 1996 — North Shore News

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HESE are troubling times on the

municipal political front. You

would think that North Shore
residents should be passionate about
their politics. As citizens we have been
handed a working democratic system on
a platter, yet most of us don't even step
up to take a nibble. In many parts of the
world democracy is non-existent or is in
place in rudimentary and = corrupt
forms,

A case could be made that our sys-
tem, taken for granted and much
abused, is traveling down slippery
slopes to irrelevance for most people.

THIS West Vancouverite has been to
an all-candidates meeting or two.
Watched a televised one. Talked.

, Listened. Read. Sought opinions. And?

"First, all council
and mayoral candi-
dates are good set-
speech speakers.
No duds. Sorie
admirable. ;

Second, no can-
didate turned me
off, I didn’t scratch

* any of the.18 aspi-

rants from my per-
sonal list. Pretty impressive.

Third, with a few exceptions, their identifica-
tion of the issues was 50 homogenized and their
testaments of commitment so general, so apple-
pic-and-motherhood benign, that at times they
competed for my attention with the attractions
of a nice nap.

Development, but controlled development.
More council openness, more public access.

The Cypress Park water and sewer hookup?
Hold a publi- meeting. West Van's charm?
Preserve it. Change? Prepare for it but keep our
special character, More taxes? Bad.

The western rec centre? Good. Affordable
housing? Best. Zzzz

Often in this campaign [ have yearned for the
spontaneous wit of the retiring Andy Danyliu.
Something unprogrammed, even mischievous.

Not to be harsh. Five minutes is little enough
tor each candidate to state his/her case.
Demoeracy is tough, And often tedious.

Fourth, plodding, pragmatic slob that Tam, I
thought of what basn ’t (at this writing) been dis-
cussed:

Low voter turnout percentages may well
bear this out.

Across the pond in Vancouver, voters
face the demoralizing task of having to
wade through a sea of goof-ball protest
candidates who have added their names
to the ballot in the race for the mayor’s
chair,

The race is muddied and tarnished.

Legislation needs to be changed to
address such farce.

Over here on the North Shore in
North Vancouver City a name remains
on the ballot for the mayor’s spot.

‘Candidate Dave Janis, although most

likely well-intentioned, has not been

o @arice seh
ZAIRE RECEIVES A STOP- GRP HUMANITARIAN AID SHIPMENT...

& Parking, In just, two or three years it’s become
tecth-gnashing in’‘Ambleside and Dundarave.
Anyone for a municipal parking lot/garage?
Retail space with parking overhead at old post
office site? Or?

& Casino royal ... as in royal problem, Bet on
one on the North Shore (probably North Van
Squamish lands but who knows) in the next few
years, Lions Gate Bridge traffic goes from
painfully slow to positively snarled. Are we pre-
pared? Are we talking?

® Rumor of one of those big-box megastores
(or, as I inadvertently typed first time, mega-
sores) at Park Royal South, west of SuperValu.
How'd you like that, West Van?

@ Rumor of possibility of townhouses along
Capilano River behind east end of Park Royal
South.

E West Van Tennis Club: Will it be evicted, shuf-
fled off to a new site?

@ Staff salaries — now that the Fiscal Five isn’t
watching. Restraint? Will it be chosen — or
imposed by Victoria’s chopped municipal grants?
@ In big letters: ANYONE READY TO
DECLARE HILLSIDE SCHOOL SELL-OFF
WAS BIGGEST MISTAKE OF DECADE SO
FAR?

(My prediction: Rockridge, for all its glitz, will
prove common-sense- challenged and, soon, too
cramped a site.)

Now, one man’s highly personal, you’re-free-
ta-spurn-them choices.

No contest: Allan Williams. Widely seen as
council’s one indispensable man. Nexe up,
Derrick Humphreys. | said this was personal. But
Humphreys is seasoned, shrewd, and has mel-
lowed — damn near lovable at times. His own
man. A maverick panther.

More cautiously: Ron Wood. Dullish cam-
paigner. Better inside, Has been great help toa

able to follow through to campaign due
to mental illness. Only he can start the
process to remove his name from the
ballot. He has not done so. .

The situation leaves open the possi-
bility that some voters may cast their:
ballots for him,

Those who put themselves forward. as
possible representatives of the rest of us”
have some responsibilities. In. essence
politicians should be honest, accessible
and actively involved on our behalf, If
this is not the case, they have no place i in...
the public arena.

They definitely should not be allowed '
a place on ballots.

| In praise of
| Dave Janis .

Dear Editor: .
You reported in your Nov. 8 edi-
tion that Dave Janis; a North.’

Vancouver City, mayoral candidate, ae

is not participating in the campaign —
due to a treatable mental iliness.:

This is regrettable, because -Dave
Janis i is a very formidable candidate.
He is young, educated, articulate,
honest’ anda seasoned political ”
operative.

It’s unfortunate the electorate is
missing the opportunity to witness
these tremendous attributes. to

-There is a time and season’ for: .
everything. This may. not be: Dave’.
Janis’ time for political success: but’
the season will arrive for him ¢ atan:

reputation are ‘welcomed by: British °
Columbian voters.

‘Ken Dawson’

North Vancouver

certain mayoral candidate who’ s weak on figures
Vote one, vote both: : .

No. 4: Susan Thomas. Maybe first among.
impressive tot of women candidates (gender bal
ancers would have no difficulty picking three®
good ones).Well regarded for volunteer work.

No. 5: Liz Byrd. Just a’ hunch that she'd. be
dedicated, doughty and is very West Van.

No. 6: Ah, this is the tough one for what will
be a four-rookie council. Bill Soprovich is an:
insider’s favorite. Lynn Coules, Sheila Adanis,
and Genine McCurdy impressed me 6"

Carolanne Reynolds, who has missed: fewer.”
council meetings than any councillor, knows the :
territory backwards; not a notably happy camper |
on the 1988-90 council, though. .

Helen Davies would bring youth toa fanky,
ah, mature council.

Anthony Tobin, environment’s friend, has +
puckish personality; could ginger up a frankly,
ah, staid council. Not to reject the unnamed.”

Now, mayor, Pat Boname has disturbing defi-
ciencies.

Remember mayor has to be a strong chairs
man, head of the local police board, the town’s
rep to the Greater Vancouver Regional | District -

— and should have a good grasp of figures,

This slob of a voter has doubts about her
moxy in these areas,

But the sheer newcomer factor weighs heavily
on downtown-smart man’s man, and (all credit.
to him) race-making lawyer Jim Hogan. Bya
hair, I'm leaning — still undecided — to
Boname. a

— the North Shore News believes strongly in
freedom of speech and the right of all sides in a
debate to be heard. The columnists published in ‘the |
News present differing points of view, buc those views’,
are not necessarily those of the newspaper itself ;