 Port Moody’s election this year looks much like its council the last four years: full of conflict | | |  | | | About the only thing Port Moody’s two mayoral candidates agree upon is the need to turn the page on the last four years.
“Too much of our time was spent sidelined on people's agendas rather than on things that would really benefit the community,” said councillor Meghan Lahti.
“We shouldn't have to endure the bickering that has been frequent at the council table … I plan on bringing a drama-free approach,” said councillor Steve Milani.
That “drama” Milani referenced on a number of occasions came from a number of places: accusations of conflicts of interest between councillors, marathon meetings around contentious redevelopment proposals, and perhaps most prominently the decision of Mayor Rob Vagramov to return to his job in the middle of a sexual assault trial — the charge was later stayed — over the objections of the majority of council.
It has led to one of the most dysfunctional city halls in B.C. over the past four years, but Milani and Lahti disagree over who is to blame.
“This community deserves to have somebody who is dedicated and has spent their time and effort into creating positive change in the community as opposed to focusing on negative, divisive politics,” said Lahti, who was a consistent critic of Vagramov over the last four years, both on leadership style and his slow-growth development platform.
Milani supported Vagramov’s policy agenda, and says the mayor wasn’t to blame for how council conducted itself.
“I think that if you go back and watch the videos, you'll find that the bickering generally came from the pro-development side and there was a lot of kind of shutting down people,” said Milani.
“I think the way that Mayor Rob handled it was good. He kept his calm. I did not see him yell at anybody. He just tried to maintain decorum.”
Milani criticized Lahti for missing council meetings, for “the constant rolling of the eyes and the shaking of the head,” and alleged she played up the gender divide on council (three of the four women councillors consistently oppose Vagramov), arguing the more important divide was between those friendly with developers or not.
For her part, Lahti said she didn’t want to directly criticize Milani, but said she had no regrets for her conduct.
“I would say, look at my record over the last 20-plus years on council. It's only been the last four years where things have really gone sideways in terms of relationships on council.”
On social media, the battle rages more fiercely: simple posts generate dozens of angry comments, with people attacking the character of the same seven or eight candidates again and again.
There are big policy issues in Port Moody this election: the fate of proposed developments next to Moody Centre SkyTrain station, how to expand the city’s parks system, reducing traffic congestion on the main arterials.
But all indicators suggest the vote on who will run the city for the next four years will be a referendum on who is to blame for the last four. |  | | |  | | | 1. Victoria | | | In big cities right now, there’s a mix of transitions to election campaigns — amid ongoing controversies over policy issues. Case in point: on Thursday, longtime councillor Geoff Young announced he would be retiring, while days earlier the city had to contend with Esquimalt council deciding not to renew its police contract with the Victoria Police Department.
Read more | | |  | | | 2. Prince George | Or take Prince George, where two-term mayor Lyn Hall announced he would not be running for re-election. But just days before, the controversy was over news the city helped councillor Kyle Sampson receive a $157,000 grant from the B.C. government to put on a music festival — only revealed by another councillor who filed a Freedom of Information request.
Read more in the Prince George Citizen | | | |  | | | 3. To run or not to run? | | | | | | |  | | | 4. Vancouver | The focus in B.C.’s biggest city continues to be on crime and safety, with mayoral candidate Ken Sim promising 100 new police officers and nurses if elected — though whether the budgeting for his proposal adds up was a big question for many of his opponents. Meanwhile, David Eby promised to take more responsibility from the city if he becomes premier later this year.
Read more | | | |  | | | 5. Qualicum Beach | Can you repeatedly smack talk a developer while they're in the middle of a rezoning proposal to city council? A B.C. Supreme Court judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit by the developers against opponents of their proposed subdivision in Qualicum Beach. But in the end, council decided to vote in favour of the 6.4-acre proposal, which sits outside the town’s urban containment boundary. Read more in the Times Colonist | | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
forwarded to you. | | | | That's it for this week! In the meantime, check out the latest headlines at cbc.ca/bc and follow our municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy on Twitter. And if you have any questions you might want answered in a future mailbag, drop Justin a line at metromatters@cbc.ca. | | | |
