ON election night last Saturday I interviewed alt of the North Shore’s outgoing and incoming mayors. The Rogers Cable televi- sion broadcast provided a useful vantage point from which to contemplate the next three years of local poli- tics. By far, the. class act of the evening was the retiring mayor of the District of North Vancouver, Murray Dykeman. Often criticized for nor being tougiy enough while chairing council meet- ings, Mayor Dykeman has actually served his communi- ty with honor and distinc- ‘tion. And, after all, do we really want a bunch of little dictators running our munici- Palities? ” os On election night 1 asked Murray Dykeman about the challenges ahead in local poli- tics. Looking over the near- horizon, he suggested that the North Shore municipali- tics are going to need to _ work more closely together in addressing common concerns and in order to present a more united front when deal- ing with the: provincial gov- ;, &mment, .' When I put this sensible suggestion to each of the other mayors, I received responses ranging from a -studied indifference to » bristling indignation. : . We already cooperate »with’each other, thank you a second opinion very much.” T was told. The truth is that petty parochialism, over-inflated egos and small-minded turf wars have in the past too often. prevented municipali- ties on the North Shore from working together effectively. What do the results of fast weekend’s election tell us about the prospects ahead? In North Vancouver City the stacus quo prevailed. Longtime Mayor Jack Loucks was casily re-elected, along with an experienced council of veteran incumbents and a single newcomer. Mayor Loucks, who ran on a plat- form opposing amalgamation with North Vancouver District, will likely interpret this victory as an endorse- ment of his position. But with the lowest voter turnout in the province —- for the second consecutive election — it’s hard to imag- ine the North Van City coun- cil having a mandate to do anything. A pitiful 18.7% turnout suggests to me that this council is verging on illegiti- macy. Does it really make || For your Votes | of Confidence sense any longer to maintain the charade of local govern- ment in Narth Vancouver City? Voter turnout ia North Vancouver District was high- er, but still an embarrass- ment, at only 28%, A new mayor, Don Bell, was elected by acclamation. Of course, he’s not really new, but is a former mayer of the district who has spear almost a generation in local politics. He'll be leading a well-balanced council of three incumbents and three new- comers. . In West Vancouver a third of the eligible voters turned out, which would be dismal by almost any standard — except when compared with, the two North Vancouver municipalities. Among other things, West Vancouver demonstrated the power of the slate. With a single exception, the com- plete fist of candidates endorsed by the Citizens For Good Government was elect- ed. It was close, however, with Susan Thomas and for- mer mayor Derrick Humphreys both losing by less than 200 votes. Longtime councillor Pat Boname now becomes West Vancouver's first female mayor. She'll lead a new council with only nwo incum- bents returning to serve with her. She’ll also preside over the only municipal council in the province with nwo forme: Social Credit cabinet minis: ters. Both Allars Williams and Russ Fraser have served as attorneys general in Victoria; it’s unclear whether this will help or hinder West Vancouver's fight to preserve its local courthouse. It’s interesting ro note that the highest voter partici- pation in our region occurred in the Village of Lions Bay, where 56% of vorers turned out to recleer Mayor Brenda Broughton. She was the sur- prise NDP candidate in the last provincial election and endured a continuation in this race of the vicious, per- sonal campaign against her by the Campbell Liberals. Her triumph in the face of dirty tricks and sleazy tactics — such as phony letters-to- the-editor of this newspaper — must be regarded as a strong personal endorsement for one of the more effective municipal leaders in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. What does it all mean? Each of our local councils have experienced leadership, loads of talent and three years to show us if they can work together. If we're lucky, they’ll be up to the challenge of looking beyond their own little bailiwicks for the good of the North Shore as a whole. Lube, oil & filter change. 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