And just who contributes to the "mayor's fund"?

People who attend those NPA fundraisers who stand around trying to look important.

They're the people who attend those swanky shing-digs put on by the political parties which sell you the idea of having dinner with the Preimer, Mayor leader etc. when in fact you end up sitting at a round table with 9 other people who think they are way more important than you are while eating a dinner that is only worth $12.00 but you paid $1000 for the ticket and listen to a speech that isn't particularly news over a sound system
that is run by a company who got the work because the owner contributed company money to the party in an amount that exceeds what the work is actually worth.

Having seen George in action I can tell that the mayor could not have picked a finer guy. George knows his stuff!

It seems we keep waiting for Sullivan to show some leadership and some vision and he keeps hiring someone to try and provide it.

The Mayor's fund or Sam's Club who cares. George Higgins will do a tremendous job and we should not expect the Mayor to go into debt such as he did in the Knowards Campaign. The NPA owes its majority on Council because Sam single handledly stopped the implementation of ward system.

Sully,

The NPA do NOT owe it's majority to Sam.

The majority (a pretty pathetic one considering there was no opposition) was a result of alphabetical voting (ABC) and three star candidates (Anton, Capri and Ladner). Otherwise Ball and B.C. Lee garnered great benefit from being so close to top vote getters Anton and Ladner. Don't believe me? Suit yourself.

A couple of thousand little votes for Fred Bass and a few thousand less for James Green and the NPA would have been a minority with no Mayor. It was THAT close--and it absolutely should not have been. But the NPA ran a marginally less ridiculous campaign than VV, and that was the tale of the tape.

On the Issue of George Higgins: the Mayor's office, once again, blew the announcement, and had no communique at the ready. That's their problem. But the public issue is: should the Mayor be operating out of a private fund that is unaccountable for something that crosses the line between party business and the public trust? Those councillors, trustees and commisioners serve us, the people. At the end of the day, if it was simply a party appointment, great, that would have been different, but Ms. Lilly blew it bigtime when she said it was a "Mayor's hire". It was actually a "Party Leader's" hire (even though the Party neither approved George or vetted any other applicants)...but that would imply that there is leadership coming from anyone in the Mayor's suite wouldn't it...oh well.

At the end of the day this entire affair shows poorly on everyone involved except for George and the NPA Board, and particularly President Matt Taylor, who obviously had to swallow some pride in having George just presented to him/them as a fait accompli and not hit the roof in the process--well, at least not in public. The NPA Board obviously are not willing to give the Mayor a blank cheque with Party funds, and good for them, they shouldn't.

I'm intrigued by the recent postings of Mr. Tsakumis. This man not only appears to be someone with a personal axe to grind, but he clearly has some history with Ms. Lilly? What else would explain his apparent obsession and rants about her on almost every posting he has made here in the last few months? All I can say is, for the sake of all of us who enjoy public eye online, get over it (or her), and stick to real political dialogue.

As for Tsakumis's take on how the NPA board has supported (or not supported) its Mayor, I ask this question. If Gordon Campbell or Stephen Harper had gone cap in hand asking for help from their respective political organizations do you think they would have been treated in the same manner as Sullivan? I doubt it. There would have been hands in the air saying "how can we help?" For Gods sake, if you believe Sean Holman's sources, when Sullivan pleaded with the NPA Board for partisan political support for his Caucus, they sent him packing with a request that he submit a 20 page business proposal.

Doesn't the NPA Board realize they don't have a lot of PR credits banked with Vancouver voters after what they did to Philip Owen vis a vis the Jennifer Clark debacle in 2002. Haven't they learned their lesson yet? Apparently not. If the Board continues these types of shenanigans, supported by people like Tsakumis, it's clear the NDP disguised as Vision Vancouver are well on their way to taking over City Hall.

RE: "Axe to grind"... Didn't A.G.Tsakumis get kicked off the NPA board? That sure sounds like he has an axe to grind to me...

"RE: "Axe to grind"... Didn't A.G.Tsakumis get kicked off the NPA board? That sure sounds like he has an axe to grind to me..."

You're right. He does have an axe to grind. and the sparks from the axe grinding are flyin all over the place.

Bit strange since he's also buddy-buddy with Colin The Conservative.

Wonder if he would honk the same note if let's say if his hero Gordon Campbell did the same thing.

Seems like Alex's honking is getting louder than the noise from the chainsaws in Stanley Park.

Pretty soon his honking will be enough for him to be a foghorn, perhaps sit him at the enterance to False Creek at the Coast Guard dock next to the Planetarium.

Tsakumis may have an axe to grind, and he may be somewhat loquacious about it, but that doesn't mean he can't be right.

And I'm hearing the ever-so-slight sounds of spinning from some of the last few posts....

Oh, oh, the kids are on the midnight meds again...

1) I was never removed from any Board I have ever sat on in my life--period. The NPA Board cannot remove a Director either--it requires a Special AGM of members, of course. I served two terms with distinction and privilege. Sorry you can't handle that.

2) There is NO personal animus between Anna Lilly and I. She and I got along very well when Board mates. I have been critical of her, as is my right.

3) Sam's problems are his own and his staffs'. He went the Board and requested a blank cheque. He did that once before when I was still a member. Appropriately, he was rejected, both times.

If you clowns have to offer are half-baked lies, great, so much the better.

Keep tilting ay those windmills. Sorry I didn't see this earlier as I was in Whistler.

But the bullshit form you three begged response (read: truth).

Thx for the support obscurantist.

Within six months, we'll see the final chapter, one way or another.

Ouch, looks like someone is on the defensive. Hmmm, I wonder why he is protesting so much.

A good relationship with Lilly? Excuse me, but any regular reader of this site will get dizzy with that kind of spin. Perhaps this exchange will entice Lilly out of her hiding spot so she can post her own version of the story?

Speaking of more spin, if you talk to anyone who was (or is) associated with that NPA Board, they’ll confirm they couldn’t wait to see the backside of one of public eyes biggest bloggers – now who might that be?

Let there be no doubt that A.G. Tsakumis was up at Whistler providing the local Mayor and Council with his sage advice on how they can turn their Council around. You know the story: Mayor gets elected, Council flounders, A.G. Tsakumis comes to its rescue

Let’s go live to Whistler for an excerpt of the conversation:

Tsakumis: Hello Ken, did you know that I’m a self-proclaimed political commentator in the same league as Palmer, Smyth and Holman – really, I am. If you want to win your next election, you simply have to listen to my political advice.

Mayor Ken: But you’re from the big City, I don’t know if you know how to manage small town politics.

Tsakumis: Did I tell you I am a political commentator? Did I tell you I am a former advisor to Sam Sullivan, a former advisor to Dianne Watts and a former Director on the NPA board?

Mayor Ken: Wow! With credentials like those, I simply couldn’t live without you on my team.

Meanwhile, back at the farm… if only Sullivan would still return Tsakumis calls, I’m sure his political fortunes would be so much rosier.

Carrot Top, er, I mean, Eugene,

I think it is only you that has a spin problem. Anna Lilly and I got along very well while Board mates. I was extremely supportive of her during the campaign, and she of me, because we understood the depth of the incompetence at the campaign committee level. She was very good at doing her job during the campaign and picked up a great deal of slack left by campaign manangement. Her performance, though, as Sam's media relations person is a matter of public record, and public interest since she is being paid by the taxpayer. If you do not agree with my opinion, that's your prerogative.

I keep in regular contact with many in the NPA, former and current Board (a number of whom are very good friends); you must be referring to the culture of entitlement (that you are aligned with?), whom I exposed, who are currently in deep caca. Sit and spin all you want to my friend. There was never a more generous member of the Board in the history of the NPA, nor someone who was willing to call the bullshit that was being shovelled as campaign leadership. You'll notice the NPA squeaked by in a fight with no opposition.

I have never been an advisor to Dianne Watts, nor have I ever said so. You are stretching, greatly, in order to smear me, but it won't work. She is someone I know and have immense respect for. I think you could group me in, in that respect, with anyone who knows her. She's that amazing at what she does. And she is surrounded by exceptional people, not one of whom has anything other than smarts, integrity and political savvy.

You obviously have a long streak of jealousy over my poltical opinions, and frankly, me. I'm sorry you feel that way. I never asked for a spot as a political pundit. Anything I have ever written or any appearance I have ever made was solicited. CKNW, the CBC, Global, the Vancouver Sun, 24hrs., OMNI Television...I guess they're all wrong. I enjoy my being a pundit. So do the over 1200 people signed on to my email distribution list who constantly send their ideas and thoughts and can;t wait for the next offering. I appreciate them all, very much. Can't get you on there, though, right? Because you can't do someone else's bidding if you have to be you. That's how much credibility you have. That's how much self-respect you have. It's a pity really, for you.

Finally, I have never, ever made a phone call to Sam that was not promptly returned by Sam himself. Also, any time he has called, I returned the call as soon as I could. I doubt we'll be speaking any time soon, but that suits me as well as I'm sure it does the Mayor. Sam's had lots of great advice from me and others. Some he took, some he obviously didn't.

I m unrepentant in what I have said about Sam's mayoralty or his staff. The City deserves better than what it's getting and there are a myraid of reasons for it. It's all true, and very disappointing. But I guess you have decided that you want to bash me to bolster your friend(s) in the Mayor's Office. And that's okay, but making stuff up to post here, so that you can try and assasinate my character or pretend that I am defensive, when I am most obviously not, isn't going to help you. I am simply replying to your bilge.

If you'd like to carry on privately and still maintain your anonimity, great, agtsakumis@yahoo.ca. I have no animosity towards you, although your opinions are failures to reality.

I'll look forward to perhaps hearing from you.

Take care.