(Vancouver Courier, February 1, 2012)
It’s predictable. Like Groundhog Day or Adams River sockeye.
After every civic election, city council says the same thing. There’s too much money in Vancouver politics and we, your elected officials, want campaign finance reform. But Victoria, or more specifically, provincially mandated city charters, regulate civic elections in British Columbia and unless provincial officials change the rules for all municipalities (which they won’t), we’re stuck.
In March 2010, 17 months after Vision Vancouver shattered fundraising records to win the mayor’s chair and majorities on city council, school board and park board, council unanimously “endorsed” reform “recommendations,” which were forwarded to the province before all three parties—Vision, COPE and the NPA—resumed their fundraising fests.
And yesterday in council chambers, less than three months after Vision’s repeat election victory Nov. 19, Vision Coun. Andrea Reimer continued the charade. Her motion, which passed unanimously, will mail another letter to Victoria, asking (again) for local control of campaign finance rules. Reimer, like others before her, talks about banning union and corporation donations, and setting contribution and spending limits. But like others before her, she’s just talking.
Vision is the money party. It relies on big bags of cash from rich Americans (i.e. Drummond Pike, founder of the Tides Foundation), condo developers (i.e. Terry Hui, CEO of Concord Pacific) and green politicos (i.e. Bob Penner, CEO of Strategic Communications). In 2008, Vision spent at least $1.9 million, the most ever by one party for a Vancouver election. We don’t yet know last election’s price tag because Vision, like the NPA and COPE, hasn’t disclosed 2011 campaign finance records. But it will surely soar into the millions.
Mayor Gregor Robertson is made of money, and more importantly, money made Mayor Gregor Robertson. He was raised in wealth (son of a corporate lawyer, stepson of a rich San Francisco businessman) and handpicked by Joel Solomon, the progeny of wealthy mall developers from Tennessee, who introduced Robertson to an international web of millionaires and foundations. Folks like Rubbermaid heiress Carol Newell, who’ve helped finance Vision’s election war chest and secure a stranglehold on Vancouver politics. In a press release last week, Robertson praised Reimer’s reform proposals, claiming they would “increase the fairness and transparency” of Vancouver elections.
Really? What does that mean? By noting a dearth of “fairness and transparency,” does Robertson indict his two election victories? What exactly wasn’t fair? His American sponsorship? The thousands donated by big developers who receive permits from city hall? Are you stepping down, Mr. Mayor? Was it all a scam?
Back to Reimer. Before the ’08 election, she trashed her Green Party membership card and joined the cash-flush Vision machine. Apparently, she had no problem with corporate and union donations back then. And if Reimer believes big money corrupts politics—literally through quid pro quo, or figuratively through citizen skepticism—why didn’t she table yesterday’s motion before last November’s election campaign, when Vision dollars plastered her smiling face around the city in campaign signs and newspaper ads?
For the sake of argument, when taken at face value, Reimer’s proposals sound like admissions. When she says council requires campaign finance reform, she’s really saying council can’t be trusted. And her solution, banning things, would limit the freedom of Vancouverites to affect our democracy. Terry Hui likes dropping cash on Vision Vancouver, and he should retain that right. It’s his money. He earned it. And if he wants to spend it on politics, power to him. We don’t need campaign finance reform, we need councillors with spine who shun undue influence and defend their votes on principle.
But again, it’s a charade. We’ve heard it before and we’ll hear it again. Barring an overhaul of provincial regulations, Vancouver elections will remain expensive thanks to Vision, COPE and the NPA.
In reality, Reimer could abandon fruitless motions towards Victoria and focus on party reform, pushing Vision and Team Robertson away from the money that built a political dynasty with no end in sight. But that’s likely a little too real.
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