| | ‘he Kerth Shore 9 is polished by North | Shore Froa Pross Ltd., Publisher Pater Speck, from 1139 Lonsdale Averue Worts Vancouver, 6.C., V7# 214 PETER SPECK 985-2131 (401) Heeg Foot Comiptrot $85-2131 ” > Managing Editor 985-2131 “ .Distribetion bre 908-1337 ow ‘Sephay & Real Estate Fax 00-1438 Main Otfion Fax Helrodie-Sperts/Leermcnity 886-2131 (147) 2.) (ETTERSTO TEE enITOA |. Letters must & tolephons number. . ViA Intomet trenctiaw @ direct.ca + COMMUTER BRS - 960-8027 User (O:malibox » Password:ettars 187238. Maing ey 61,582 (average Entire contents” ° 4 K “©1996 North Shore : iy iter contains » All rights reserved. af ay Sivare Noam, founded in 1969 a0 9 Zulepondent suburban newpaper and qualified under Sdiedule 111," Pexgogh 1] of de Exsbe Tan Act ix pbshed cat | Wadhealey, Fide and Sunny by Norh Store Fee Fra Lid. | + end distributed 1 every door an the North Shee, Cor.:aks Peat Canaan Pubjeacions Mail Saee Prada Agroerint Na : AY URRAY Dykeman is living proof that nice guys don’t ; ways finish last. In Mr, Dykeman’s case, he has made a habit of finishing first. Over the past two terms of municipal government in North Vancouver District he has, for example, twice finished first in the district’s may- oral race. Prior to his two terms as mayor, the obliging and soft-spoken Mr. Dykeman ably served the district eight years as a municipal councillor. He led the popularity contest in that category ‘tco. And always with a community fotksiness and genuine warmth that has Publisher ler =. Human Resources Manager (133) 965-2131 (177) Sales & Marieting Director (116) | 980-0511 (310) Be pte Patars : g05- 2184 (160) fey ceeaigi (12 “WHY is he running?” a... fricnd of mine asked sourly. “He's too old!” : What, too old? Too old for politi- cal leadership? Too old to cut it with Nevaromn Fax 8 ‘ younger generations! Fas e214 4°". No, we're not talking Bob Dole 960-2227 « -here.-In fact the Republican candi- ‘date for U.S: president is a mere broth of a boy alongside the man I have in i mind. : He’s Derrick Humphreys. He will be 83 when municipal elections are held in November. He might be the oldest mayoral candidate in the : Nation. vo, Then again, he might not be a candidate at all. It was flatly stated fast month in this space that he’ll seek a reprise of his 1978-86 mayoralty of West Vancouver. Humphreys quickly qualified that: he'll run ifincumbent Mayor Mark Sager — young enough to be his grandson — docsn’t. Our muscular mayor, with two terms under his belt and many interests to keep him from hanging around street corners including a law _ practice and restaurant ownership, recently said e’d make up his mind carly in September. By the time you read these words (columnists don’t enjoy the last-page-to-press status of reporters) he may have. ee Even so; and assuming Sager makes a third » {and almost surely successful) bid, Humphreys is an interesting study, a character who would “stand out in any crowd, 965-2131 (114) inctuda your name, full address . aera tear rales svedlaiic on Ret, ar ae For instance, I repiied to my friend’s ques- ciation Fray Sundays || tion at the top of this column more or less like this: a _ “He's running because he’s mentally under- Free Piess Lid employed. Because he’s an old hunter. who still Piatto has the passion for the hunt. Because he still has Nayor done him rauch credit. His terms as mayor have severely test- ed his supplies of civility. His first term was spent presiding over a chronically fractious and belligerent council. Mayor Dykeman’s tendency towards conciliation and seeking the path of least resistance served more often to drag out the bickering and more deeply entrench the political infighting on both sides. Chairing a council meet- ing was clearly not his forte. Too nice. Too willing to let all have an equal say in matters. Council mellowed somewhat in Mayor Dykeman’s second term, but still he too heat over. his leadership abilities: and council’s inability to get through its! a allotted agenda on Monday nights. ‘' Through it all, however, Mr. Dykeman remained true to his nice guy nature, | He recently told a North Shore News reporter that he will not seck a thied term as mayor. Other priorities closer to hom demand his attention. : Murray Dykeman has done more than most in fulfilling his civic duties’ an doing so has left the rest of the com nity with a modest local legacy to ‘pon der: pleasance has a place in local politi rraceiiioes NV schools a victim. Dear Editor: 1 WAS ONLY GIVING ! \| B.C.’s partisan politics As (former North Vancouver MLA David) Schreck said as he enginee the firing of the legally elected school board, “There isn’t a card ‘NDP member on the board.” Therein lies the tale: While reading recent articles concerning the cutbacks ‘to: this.communi ty’s educational system it is hard not to see.” vet the spectre of ugly” partisan politics: at work, North and West Vancouver residents: provide huge inflows to the. provincial treasury through income, property, school and usage taxes. It would scem a given that we would receive a return adequate to pro: vide our children ‘a proper. ‘education,’ Instcad we receive less per pupil-than vir- tually every other’ district in the province. ' What is the’-fundamental: difference .’ between the North Shore and the rest of-. "= the province? The. answer is obvious. We: provided the NDP with their. worst ‘drubbings in avid ‘Schreck’ not withstanding, the NDP doesn’t'and tie ver, the’ recent electic did si ” snowball’s chance on the North Shore. ..: | rot “The NDP is going to show-us the'error of our ways eve! ‘exacting retribution on . Rick Buchols children. (former) District 44 School Trustee ° a mo desir.” Rt: Husnphreys, a violet that does : not shrink, a former North Vancouver and West Van alderman as well as mayor, mining engiacer _ in Australia, and consultant and. businessman, deals with ‘Thing this way: vote “Dhave three qualifications: - One, I’ve done the job and over the years [ve learned my way around. Two, I would do the job full time.” (A smail dig at Sager’s scattered interests?) “Three, 1 am bloody good at the job.” Humphreys was instrumental in creating West Vancouver's lawn bewling facility. He was instrumental in creating the old folks’ home (by any kinder name) where he and wife Margaret now live. No one seems less likely to retire to iawn bowling and look forward to the old folks’ ~ Singalong Tuesdays than Derrick Humphreys. iB 4 y: Since he “retired” — soundly beaten by genial Don Lanskait in 1986, partly, he th’ros, - because of his support of the Caulfcild Village business development, then fiercely resisted locally and now popular — Humphreys has effectively bunged in his views on a number of West Vancouver issues. . , Example: He used his tong, professional expe- rience with pipelincs to save the town from a repulsive messing up of the Seawall Walk and an adjacent park area for a new sewer pipeline, not so incidentally saving Greater Vancouver Regional District taxpayers a million dollars or . two. , And he did it without seeming to embarrass West Vancouver council, which otherwise would have gone along with the GVRD-paid deal. No mean political feat. ; ; “Always immaculately attired, physically taut, a The Age “man — Dve eo pe concession to, 2g¢;" without; Id ‘of slight hearing defect his only « he speaks out on major public issues coming, across as'a tedious gadfly ‘council on every teeny matter.So he's received with respect, not.as a nuisance, iplomacy, our of office as a simple inte * ested citizen, may seem ironic. Humplire ‘abrasive, often autocratic, often high-handed id when he barked at. waitress ¢3 at his “campaign headqiarters,”:Rennic’s at Park Royal.’ SE ge The secret is that he relishes being chal lenged by anyone with as sharp a tongue. wit as his‘own. He has a self-deflating sense of: ‘humor. “I’m a kindly man,” he says vith a iwinkle, knowing full well that that’s not the first word that would spring to the lips of thos who have worked with him.) 0 _ > His toughness — this isn’t your Happy all-things-to-all-people politician — was tragical- Iv conired early on: his mother up and left: wher, he was.six months old, her name forbid- ie: in the family, and he didn’t see her again watt, ae Was 35, Some hard, knocks lie behind th: slightly bullying, impatient, get-things-ddne personality. Fo ae And how would he fare at the polls against — say — Councillor Pat Boname? - qaoo ’ . I recently stated here that wicked wit'and: ° radio great Monty McFarlane lives in North: Vancouver. Wrong! West Vancouver, Legal i action and duels at dawn have.resulted fro ess. ob fa The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom of speech and the right of all.sides in a debate to be heavd. The columnists published in the News present differing points of view, but” those views are not-necessarily those. of th paper itself °° ee