Speaking of deadlines, it looks like the NPA have stuck it to the Sullivan campaign again by belatedly accepting over 50 memberships from Council candidate Colleen Nystadt that had been rejected by the NPA's own returning officer. And you can guess where those votes are going. It is probably no coincidence that the person behind Nystadt's campaign is May Brown, who could be seen last week accompanying Christy Clark on her campaign launch through Kerrisdale.

Nystadt is also backed heavily by Art Cowie and others who are supporters of Sam Sullivan. There are other more blatant offences like those of the campaign heads who have handed Christie the election on a silver platter thanks in large part to former federal Liberal whackjob Greg Wilson (NPA campaign boss and a chronic leaker to this blog's Monsieur Holman)who changed the nomination rules to dry suck Marissen..Wilson's screwed up the Jaffers, Frys, Plants, Pynenburgs of this world when he tried to manage them etc. The NPA did not do its homework on this guy. I know them all from when I moved from Montreal to Ottawa. It doesn't matter anymore anyway so you needn't concerned yourself. The federal Liberal Martin machine has bought this election between Christy and Sam and the NPA is no more. If she wins there will be a massive exodus. There are two sets of rules, one for all the other candidates that came along and one for her. No one minds if she wins fairly. But it's too late for that story. Show's over before it started.

Senor Frog:

Uhmmm, I must have missed something in your article. Oh yes, it was any actual evidence that anything has been done wrong. It's nie that you say it and you certainly sound authoritative with all your name dropping, but what specific rules were broken and by whom?

What I see is a guy who had a couple of years to sign up new members squaring off against someone who had a week to sign up new members to the NPA. Sounds like a huge disadvantage to me, but to Christy, not to Sam.

I know many people inside the NPA have their tighty whities in a knot because Clark has brought new people into the party with her, people who wouldn't have previously joined the NPA, like many in the Indo-Canadian community. Why is that bad?

It seems to me like there is a whole bunch of innuendo and crap being thrown around without a shred of any actual, real evidence that rules are being broken. People are free to say whatever they want on here, but I'm free not to fall for everything that gets posted.

Senor Frog: What are you talking about? Please name one rule that was changed for the Christy Clark campaign. One rule. I can't think of one. The only thing I can think of is that they asked Christy to submit an email out to the membership, and it went out before she was "approved" -- big deal, Sam sent one out a couple of days later.

Other than that, nothing, nata!! Christy Clark, if she wins this thing, will win it fair and square, and she isn't a diva who insisted it was handed to her on a silver platter.

Christy Clark is a fighter -- and one of the hardest working politicians in BC who doesn't take anything for granted.

And, by the way, the board did not accept those Colleen Nystad forms. And it was Colin Metcalfe who was speaking out of both sides of his mouth on that issue of changing the rules, in a naked attempt to curry favour with Colleen. Makes me sick.

Senor Frog, ... please keep it coming. You've got all the Liberal hatchet men up in arms.

It's obvious to me that the fix is in to use Christy as the buildup scenario for Sullivan. There's no other explanation for what's happened so far. She has zero chance of being taken seriously, any more than a Point Grey type would be taken seriously if they suddenly decided to run for Port Moody council.

Tell me, Senor, how was Wilson trying to dry suck Marrisen??? It doesn't sound like a terribly pleasurable procedure.

I think the crux of what's gotten people all excited is that there's a whole lot of using going on and a whole lot of people being used to further the career of a single ambitious politician who is USING the NPA as a vehicle to pursue the Mayor's seat, which she is USING as just a stepping stone to bigger things, and that this involves gaining control of said NPA vehicle by USING the federal Liberal political machine, which itself is USING the legitimate aspirations of an Indo-Canadian voting block that has previously been shut out of Vancouver's civic politics.

Nothing wrong with any of that if one is OK with the fact that clearly, its not the welfare of Indo-Canadians, the NPA or the city that are driving Ms. Clark's mayoral bid -- it's all about what they can do for her. Indeed, all may end up reaping great rewards from going along for the ride. I wouldn't bet money on it, though, given her past record of dealing with those who were of no use to her politically.

At least we'll be spared Ms MCormick's torridly juvenile prose in the Province if she actually lands an Olypmics job - (friends and insiders, indeed!)

Now if only the Prvada-ince could do something about it's Victorian-era columnist Susie Martinuk.

Liberals honest? Liberals fair? Senor Frog got it right.

One important issue is: Christy's husband, Mark Marissen is the chief lobbiest for RAV. Another good Liberal making lots of money on RAV project. The question is: Would Christy be in a conflict of interest sitting on any GVRD or TransLink Board that was concerned with the $2 billion RAV project.

Vancouver may very well elect a mayor that can not sit on the TransLink Board or be vey influencial in the GVRD. They may vote for a Liberal lame duck.

What does Hamish say about this?

"dry suck Marissen", I like this. I think certain body part of Mark Marissen is in high demand right now :-)

Broken rules:
Board members tell me that they approved much different rules than those given to both Clark and Sullivan...no mass memberships, no business cheques.....the Clark campaign had 650 memberships paid by the personal business check of Mike Hillman! Her campaign manager!!!!!!!!
Wilson, Kennedy and the other useless tits running the show need an uptempo in the campaign since they ran such a shitty one this far. So they pick a high profile candidate to back, stab Sullivan (a la Owen) and off we go. If that isn't enough, try this: her people are calling off a fresh list of members of the NPA! Members are getting called left and right. The NPA Board forbade to give the list out...how did she get it? Gosh I wunder. Wilson burned himself so bad in the federal liberals party that this is his only way to dry suck himself back to some federal cashola. But the Clarkers know what a whackjob leaker, bizarro he really is. Watch how he gets marginalized, it's already in the works. If Sam wins he'll get the same. If they toss him, he'll start lying to Holman and any other media diva that will listen and start leaking material to Green. He's prepareed fro sure. He lies all the time. You naysayers need to get a life. The fix is in. It has been from the beginning. Too many agendas to pull the party together. Leadership vacuum huge, huge, huge..

Senor Frog - are you suggesting that the entire NPA board is lined up against Sullivan?

Because they unanimously rejected Colin's silly Indo-Canadian bashing smear-job of an "appeal".

His appeal was based on the crazy arguments and innuendo you are suggesting above.

Good to see that the board is acting with integrity, while you are playing some other nasty fight with Christy just because she has friends in another political party than the one you support federally.

As I see it, the Liberals and the NPA thought that the whole Christy Clark Caper would be a lot of fun, political entertainment for the masses.

It's turning out to be a lot more entertaining for their opponents. I for one haven't had this much fun in years! PUH-lease, ... keep it coming!

Keen observer is not very keen or observant.

I am a life long federal liberal as were both my parents-now deceased. so I know these people very well.

Colin Metcalfe was NOT on any race related tear. It is infact the gliberals on the clark side of the NPA Board who are playing the race card and it is digusting beyond words.

There is no innuendo in what I have stated, it is fact. Christy Clark's campaign took advantage of Wilson's duplicity and thumbed their nose at the rules by buying 650 memberships through the personal business bank account of Clark campaign manager Mike Hillman.

Fact: watch the bloody bath after Saturday and the extermination of the NPA.

Keen moron would be a btter name.

Senor Frog, I hope I am not misinterpreting what you're saying. Are you expecting that Christy Clark will indeed win the nomination? If so, I am surprised. Surely the whole point of this operation has been to lure her into a losing battle, partly to punish her for challenging Premier Campbell, and partly to get Sullivan's campaign off on a winning streak.

dear ole budd

the fix is in. she is the candidate thanks to the cm wilson assisting for them. he and lynne kennedy and other illuminati at the top of npa have to rescue their terrible campaign somehow.

c'est vrai, mon ami budd...l'enfant terrible Mme. clark...c'est ca...

and then....Mayor Green

Well Senor, ... I think you're greatly exaggerating Clark's potential for success. Whatever fixes may be in she is publicly reported as having made a complete fool of herself, calling in one speech for the return of a COPE majority. The NPA audience had to correct her!

I have said many times, can you imagine the Port Moody movers and shakers trying to run Gary Farrell-Collins for Mayor of Port Moody? Well?

I think one issue that isn't being brought up much on these boards and which could be the sleeper issue of the campaign is the future of the St Paul's hospital site and the proposed development of a new hospital in the downtown east side near the train/bus station.
All mayorality candidates should state in no uncertain terms what there position is on this matter which will require city council rezoning of the lands.

Me thinks that Vision Vancouver could have trouble with this issue as Tim Stevenson lives in the West End and Jim Green is beholden to the power brokers in the downtown east side who will want to use the issue as a strong case for the economic redevelopment of the area.

I have no idea where Sam or Christy stand on this issue and perhaps Sean or others could do some sleuthing and find out where the NPA stands on this issue.

I wonder what our crackerjack resident political expert, Budd Campbell, will say when Christy wins and the last three weeks of his comments will seem so foolish? Budd, you're not Machiavelli. Please stop being foolish.

Having Gary Farrell-Collins run for Mayor of Port Moody is way more ridiculous than Christy Clark running for Mayor of Vancouver.

I will tell you why:

Everyone in Greater Vancouver basically sees the Vancouver Mayor as "their mayor". They also see Vancouver as "their city". Lots and lots of people work downtown Vancouver. Everyone who has grown up in Greater Vancouver, like Christy did, knows every haunt downtown, knows where every restaurant is, went to the Roxy to dance when they were younger, knows where every neighbourhood is, drives through the downtown eastside every day, goes shopping at the Pacific Centre, either went to school at UBC or Langara, at least has half of the friends they know living in Vancouver. They read the Vancouver Sun. They watch Vancouver TV. They hear about the Vancouver civic election in the news in the same frequency as anyone who lives in Vancouver. They hear the same radio stations, all of which are Vancouver-centric. In short, someone from Port Moody, or burnaby or West Van knows Vancouver very well.

Not many people from vancouver can say the same thing about Port Moody, or Coquitlam, etc.
It just doesn't work the other way. Probably only about 5% of the people who live in Port Moody spend their workday in the town they sleep in.

Gary Farrel Collins is probably like most Vancouverites and doesn't know that Port Moody is only 25 mintues from downtown. Closer than Wreck Beach.

It really is apples and oranges.

Coquitlam resident,

That's precisely why Christy is running. You said it yourself, the media in the lower mainland is Vancouver-centric, and a candidate for Port Moody Mayor would never get the level of coverage as would one for Vancouver's big chair.

It's the perfect launching pad for Christy's ambition to take over the West Annex and become the next Premier of the province.

NPAers need to ask themselves, do they want a mayoral candidate who has dedicated himself to serving Vancouver and the greater public good for over a decade, or do they want someone from outside the city who wants nothing more to seize a stepping stone to her ultimate, overinflated aspirations?

In a nutshell, do Vancouverites want a mayor who will serve the city, or one who will use it for her own personal gain?

The NPA and the City of Vancouver deserve better than Christy Clark. And Sam Sullivan is exactly that.

Coquitlam Resident, ... there's a REASON why you live in Coquitlam. It's because you cannot afford to live in Vancouver. And neither could the Clark-Marrissens. That's the issue.

Vancouver's self-declared "creme-de-la-creme" electors in such distinguished neighborhoods as Arbutus, Oakridge, Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Shaughnessy, Point Grey, etc. are not going to vote for someone who not only couldn't afford to live in their neighborhood, they couldn't even afford to live in Mount Pleasant or Fraserview!

If the Clark-Marrissens were selling their home on the North Shore and buying one of comparable price in Vancouver, ... well, ... that would be different. About $300,000 different as a matter of fact. But sadly, that is not their station. And neither is it their station to be Mayor of Vancouver on a right wing ticket.

Jen: "I wonder what our crackerjack resident political expert, Budd Campbell, will say when Christy wins and the last three weeks of his comments will seem so foolish? Budd, you're not Machiavelli. Please stop being foolish."

When Christy wins I will be busy trying to chip the ice out of Hell and scrub the blue paint off the moon. What will you be doing?