THERE are few things as pathetic as someone trying to cling to power when it’s clear they are not wanted. Dominating the news in the past few weeks have been the trials and tribulations of the Premier Glen Clark and Vancouver Police Chiet Bruce Chambers. On the surface the two men have about as much in common as Gregorian chants and rap music. Both have risen to the top of their respective profes- sions, albeit via much differ- ent paths. Interestingly enough, both seem doomed to be forced from their offices at approximately the same time and for some of the same traits that define each of them. Clark marked his reign after seizing power in the NDP by entrenching all the power within his office and his few close advisors, most notably Adrian Dix and Tom Gunton. . Chambers brought his vision for the VPD with him from: Thunder Bay, Ontario. He quickly [et it be known he didn’t give a fig for the considered experience of those who have been here for years and surrounded himself with a few close advisors, most notably Deputy Chief Brian MacGuinness and Inspector Ken Doern. Glen Clark was able to get his foot into the pre- mier’s door by staging, a palace coup and shoving, Mike Harcourt out of the | back door. He then moved quickly to ensure there were no pre- tenders to the throne by removing power trom minis- terial high-flyers and reduc- ing his cabinet colleagues to fackeys dependent upon him for the perks and privileges of office. Chief Chambers did Clark ‘one better. Following the crime and punishment politicking for the top job in Vancouver — won by a per- ceived interloper — Chambers got rid of several deputy chiefs and a number of senior inspectors in a series of forced retirements that cost the city a substan- tial amount of money in sev- eranee. But it served to remove such candidates for the job as Deputy Chief Rick Stevens from the corridors of power. Once Clark got his tush firmly planted in the leather swivel chair behind the pre- mier’s desk, he set about racking up record provincial debt and the deficit budget after deficit budget. Not to be outdone, Chambers fell $3 million short on his "98/°99 budget, his first full year on the job — something that’s never been done before by a chief constable. Certainly not in Clark’s league for sheer num- bers, but done through a stubbornness borne of ego, which Clark knows a litde something about. Now Clark got himself in a spot of bother when the Mounties came knocking on his door with a search war- rant. His handyman cum neighbour cum apparent good buddy, Dimitrios Pilarinos, built an extension on his cast end house and a deck on his summer retreat in the southern Okanagan, apparently donating his labour, while being a partner in a numbered company secking a casino licence from Clark’s cabinet. The chief blundered his way into an RCMP breathal- yser roadblock and had to be 3 é P } i i & 4 21 pt. Safety check, 17% Includes up to 5 lives o “nutes - FAST! separated from his company car and ordered into a taxi for the remainder of his trip. He then was front and centre in the Christmas ICBC road- check media campaign. In the days and weeks fol- lowing the RCMP’s visit to Casa Clark, the premier was virtually invisible. His autocratic, combative stvle was nowhere to be seen. His cabinet colleagues, meanwhile, were publicly supportive, but privately were discussing his “exit strategy.” Chambers, for his part, went AWOL for several days after being snubbed by the police board, his employers, over a staffing issue involving the punitive transfer of a staff sergeant against the wishes of the community. Last Saturday night he was to be a head table guest at the annual military ball held at the Bayshore. Despite arrangements having been made weeks car- ler, there were two empty chairs at the head table with- out so much as a phone call of apology to the organizers. Now both are facing attempts from within to unseat them. Clark is going on the offensive prior to a June party convention date which was to have been a new start with a new leader and now seems more likely to be a fight to the finish with a clear victor yet to be determined. Inspector Esko Kajander, the president of the Vancouver Police Officers Association, has approached the police board to make a presentation to them outin- ing the VPOA’s concerns. This will be, essentially, a non-confidence motion in OTTO fe. Chambers. The Vancouver Police Union is lined up with the VPOA. Without the sup- port of both of those organi- zations, Chambers is fin- ished. The only remaining question is when. The police board in Vancouver has to decide what to do with their chief entering the fast year of a three-year contract. The terms of the contract require the board to advise the chief if they will be renewing his contract at the end of the second year. If they decide not to renew, and this is the most kely scenario, they will have to buy out his remaining year and appoint a caretaker chief, most likely Deputy Chief Constable Terry Blythe. Said one senior sergeant, “The problem with the chief is his arrogance. His com- plete ruthless arrogance. He consults with no one. He lis- tens to no one. If he doesn’t like you he simply turns his back on you while you're talking and locks out the window.” Take out the word “chicf” and insert “premier” and the statement is just as accurate. Both men last week were attempting to cling on to their office. Chambers said he intends to be chief for the next five years. We then learned he has hired a lawyer, sending the message he will not go quict- iv, Clark, meanwhile, was busy trying to convince any- one who'd listen that he was going to lead his party into the next election. Both Clark and Chambers are mortally wounded profes- sionally. Neither has the support Wediwesday, May 12, 1999 — North Shore News ~ 7 Time for chief and premier ta of his subordinates and the public has lost confidence in cach man. And, at the end of the day, neither can accept the fact they are the authors of their own misfortune. The time to go is now. 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