CUPE 15 President weighs in on Vancouver Courier Newsmaker for 2011

It just goes to show you that when you say what you're going to do, how you're going to do it and then deliver, people will support you. That's what happened this past civic election, my choice for newsmaker of the year.

On Nov. 19, we saw the re-election of a Vision Vancouver majority. Sadly, the coalition with COPE will be missed once we get down to business. Those progressive voices have been replaced by the NPA, famous for their reactionary, Tea Party-style politicking, hopefully now minus the chicken suits.

Even the NPA and Suzanne's Anton-ics couldn't use the Occupy Vancouver movement to their advantage. They tried to insert a significant wedge between Vision and voters but voters could see the reality: that Mayor Robertson and city staff were handling it carefully, respecting the spirit of the protest, and setting an example to the rest of the country how it's done.

Vision promised to continue building affordable housing, increasing bike and pedestrian safety, and making this the greenest city in Canada. That platform resonated with voters.

Vision has many challenges ahead, but I believe they're up to the task. We'll miss COPE's voice, but the voters recognized the achievements of Vision's first term, and supported the commitments for a second term. I believe we've elected a majority we can all count on. For our union, we look forward to working with Mayor Robertson and city council to make the public services and programs in our city even better.

—Paul Faoro, president, CUPE Local 15

For the the full Vancouver Courier article "Contributors choose their Vancouver newsmakers for 2011" Click here.