4 ~ Friday, November 19, 1993 —- North Shore News autens guid eX GARDEN OF BIASES PAY NO attention to what foliows. ‘*We never do,’’. you shout in chorus. Very funny. We'll see who’s laughing when I cut the whole lot of you out of my will. No, really, these are just one irritatingly modest man’s reflec- tions on who to vote for tomor- row in West Vancouver’s municipal elections. I claim no expertise. God knows I try to be a dutiful citizen, but 1 get to only the occasional council aad school board meetings and don’t pretend to have mastered (let alone mistressed) the public or private performances of the two dozen candidates in our town. But I can teil you that recently I’ve taken a crash course in West Vancouver politics. Had many private conversations. Aad the gossip, the sheer in- nuendo, are just wonderful. Pve run into every intimidation in the book: youthful womanizing, racist overtones, corruption, past bribery, suggestions of homosex- uality, and the more common garden varicty incompetence, hid- den self-interest, class bias, crafty carecrism. And not-guilty pleas — from incumbents stuck with un- popular group decisions or policies that they allegedly resisted behind that famous defensive political barrier, the closed door. In short, West Vancouver is a nermal place after ail, not unlike Ottawa, Washington, and Gopherville, Saskatchewan. Everything that follows should be leavened, dear reader, with the understanding that | feel much synipathy for the cast of charac- ters. Onwards. My own small choices for council: @ Incumbents Diana Hutchin- son and Pat Boname. No stcel- trap politics here, or fiscal zealotry (of the sort our town may be forced to undergo), But decent and dedicated and reflective of an important clement of the West Vancouver character, @ Incumbent Andy Danyliu. Counii!’s only certified wit — a wit that may obscure his sober ability to make a persuasive, carefully worked-out case. Down-to-earth good old boy with humble origins in an un- fashionable community that won't be named here. @ Allan Williams. Universally admired. Began his public service here. As B.C. attorney-general, handled with great dignity and skill one of the most agonizingly hideous problems confronting any A-G in Canadian history: the bargaining with the monstrous child-killer Clifford Olson. My fifth and sixth choices? Up for grabs. Maybe Brice Mac- dougall, who, as his businessrnan backer Chuck Walker says, can be counted on to leave his thumb- print on every nickel the municipality spends. Could clip the wings of soaring taxes. He’s a well-known federal Reform party executive. Maybe, just maybe, Carol Ann Reynolds, a smart woman who nevertheless lacks the final smart- ness: the sense of when not to be too smart. In a council accused of being too clubby, she’d be at the fur- thest extreme of uncompromising independence. Has reputation for having swiftly alienated all potential allies in her previous council stint. But unquestionable dedication. Or maybe Margot Furk, the only refugee from the school board whose reputation for in- dependence has survived intact. Widely admired for competence and integrity. ‘ Jim Hogan? Ron Wood? They? too might get my X, : School board is, in a way, more controversial, because of the Sen- tinel development office scandal, the residual hastility over the Hillside site, avd criticisms of su- perintendent Doug Player -— in fairness, an affable man with e good previous record ds teacher and principal who, certainly in the. Sentinel case, ran into a widely- praised project that disastrously bombed. F @ Incumbent Jean Ferguson. Intelligent lady. Of the three incumbents rua- ning, she above all — but also David Stevenson and Barbara Howard — showed what a big gulf exists between aspiration and experience, as demonstrated at the all-candidates meeting Monday at Irwin Park school, As the meeting progressed, Ferguson and the others, who looked stilted at first, looked bet- ter and better — certainly more solidly informed — at the expense of some challengers with deep ex- perience elsewhere but not much in the labyrinths of the education industry. @ Of the latter, Michael Mac- Dougall, who in real life works for Price Waterhause, would bring stature and a real business head to ELECT Wendy BETH HAYSOM WEST VAN COUNCIL A. Fresh Voice for West Vancouver ELECT Darrell 926-8273 ussatto for City Councillar A voice for the community from the community a board that’s looked painfully amateurish. @ Clive Bird might do the same. Experienced lawyer. Weak on details. @ Ken Haycock. Perhaps the star of Monday night’s meeting, and maybe as trustee the one that others would defer to because of his lucidity and depth. Library administrator at UBC, loads of experience. In a set speech, talks almost numbing EduSpeak; ex- temporaneously, nimble and thoughtful. My fifth and last vote? Maybe PALLISER vaymar ITALIAN STYLING LEATHER SOFAS 1 , ag ITALIAN STYLING Tim Slater. Boyishly ambitious. One vote for youth. Peter Cruikshank definitely would be a strong contender for my final X — he had by far the firmest platform, such as on Hillside (keep it) and Doug Player (look over his contract with a beady eye). As would his virtual running mate, Andree Janyk. My objection to both: their signs around town read “REFORM” — in large, blue italic letters — followed by “School Board.”’ Cruikshank acknowledges that Vote Saturday the wording was chosen with the recent success of the Reform party in mind, and was warmly challenged by some of his ad- visers. I'd say they were right. The signs violate my truth-in-packag- ing sensibilities, Too bad. Otherwise, Cruikshank especially seemed a more than worthy candidate. Now, don’t ask me about the two referendum questions. At this point the needle on my opinion gauge is almost at the ‘“‘empty’’ mark. November 20 RE-ELECT ZU For Councillor District of North Vancouver For a GREEN & LIVEABLE COMMUNITY CORI Cadih rend om, LEATHER SOFA $ VOars top geain leather, wld hatdweeed trate any cn frame consteacten Marling nied chard ay aulatele JEA ON SALE NOW. AVALANE 2 I WSHERERT FURL TASTE CLUBS ITALIAN STYLING LEATHER SECTIONAL Contenepurary sryling leather sectimnal, ifetinie wananty on frame constton tan Includes all Sprcces. Che slouts available. COMPLETE § PC. TONAL ON SALE NOW. | in street FURNITURE & LEATHER ete a Ee LEATHER SOFA; $ Uaptece teach conrcernpast ory mila HON, nage parts Leather, ited Ratctounad fraine, Itesinee watatny et ttatme camstrction Mats hing hieeveat and hace ie home ad aubuare avalatde | THER SOFA ON SALE NOW, AVALAMED CUFERUINT HCTLAN TAPESTAY COUCRS A aoNi AVAILABLE IN [0 DIFFERENT EUROPEAN TAPESTRY COLORS 5431 Minoru Bivd. Richmond, B.C. 244-0244 {ofl Akderbndge Way! {OPEN FRI TIL 9 Put) ERO