FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — JUNE 8, 2018
CARR TO RUN FOR COUNCIL, NOT FOR MAYOR
Popular councillor seeking third term, leading strong Green team
Popular, two-term Vancouver Green Party city councillor, Adriane Carr, will not seek the mayor's seat in the October 20 civic election. She will ask for her party’s support to run again for city council and lead a strong team of Green Party candidates for election to council, park board and school board.
Carr announced her decision at a Green Party members’ event June 8. Carr and the Vancouver Green Party have been leading in all major public opinion polls. “I’m thrilled to have the support of the public. But my chance of winning a first-past-the-post mayoral race depends on who else is running, especially on the centre-left of the political spectrum, and that field is getting more and more crowded,” she says.
In March, Carr announced she was ready and willing to run for mayor of Vancouver. The Green Party of Vancouver supported her unanimously, but allowed her the final decision as to whether to run for mayor or re-election to council.
Since March, public opinion polls have shown Carr leading the field of possible mayoral candidates on both the right and left, with her support rising by 9% to 35% in a May 3 poll by Research Co., well ahead of all other potential mayoral candidates. In the meantime, Carr sought the support of other centre-left parties, but that support was not forthcoming despite her obvious experience and electability.
"I've had hundreds of conversations with people on the street, on the phone, and at community events, and I’ve heard the same message again and again: 'Adriane, you would be a fantastic mayor. If you run, I’ll support you all the way. But I’m so afraid you'll lose. And we can’t afford to lose your voice in council chambers,'" she says.
"That leads me to conclude I have the support of the public, but not the support of centre-left parties which is needed to avoid another outcome like the October 2017 by-election." In that by-election, 4 progressive candidates for city council — including Green Party candidate, Pete Fry — together garnered 67% of the vote. But NPA candidate, Hector Bremner, won with only 27% of the vote.
"People have been abundantly clear with me — they want my voice in council chambers, so I will run for re-election to city council," says Carr. Pending affirmation by Vancouver Green Party members, Carr will run for a third term on Vancouver city council along with 2 other Green Party candidates as well as 3 Green Party candidates for each of park board and school board.
"The Vancouver Green Party will be running the number of candidates that polling and recent elections show can be elected. We decided early on we will not run for a majority of seats on any board since Vancouver is better served if no single party wields majority power,” says Carr.
“Our focus now is to work with people across our city to develop a platform that addresses our serious problems—affordability, our housing crisis, homelessness, livability and the need to restore good governance and trust in City Hall. We are committed to putting public interest first.”
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Contact
Adriane Carr, Green Party Vancouver City Councillor
778-886-4560
