Alan Lowe (born July 26, 1961 in Victoria, BC, Canada) is a Canadian politician. He is a former mayor of Victoria, British Columbia, serving in office 1999-2008.
In 1982 Lowe earned a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Manitoba, and in 1985 he earned a Master's Degree in Architecture from the University of Oregon.
He is one of only a handful of mayors of Victoria who were actually born and raised in the city, and was the city's first mayor of Asian heritage to be elected. At 38 years old he was also one of the youngest candidates ever to win Victoria's mayoral election.
In 1999 Alan Lowe managed to win a hard fought three way race versus Bob Friedland of the Victoria Civic Electors on the left and veteran right wing councilor Geoff Young. His campaign slogan was "Aim High, Vote Lowe", which highlighted his sense of humor and charm.
1999 Election Results
- Alan LOWE 7,080 43.59%
- Bob FRIEDLAND 5,626 34.64%
- Geoff YOUNG 3,076 18.94%
The accepted opinion in the next election was that Lowe was unassailable and therefore no serious candidates chose to challenge him. He handily won the 2002 election (61.65% of the popular vote) against a number of opponents, including his closest contender, Ben Isitt, then a 24-year-old master's student at the University of Victoria.
Alan Lowe won re-election in the 2005 elections. He again faced Ben Isitt and defeated him by 1,400 votes. Lowe's completion of the new police headquarters building and the Save On Foods Memorial Centre were very positive for his public relations. The arena project was not finished under the tenure of his predecessor mayor, Robert "Bob" Cross, former owner of Cross Meat Market.
In the December 5, 2007 edition of the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper, Lowe stated that he would like to spend more time with his family, friends, other interests and would not seek re-election. He served on Victoria City Council for 15 years as a Councilor and Mayor.
| Preceded by Robert Cross |
Mayor of Victoria, British Columbia 1999-2008 |
Succeeded by Dean Fortin |
Famous quotes containing the words alan and/or lowe:
“Power lasts ten years; influence not more than a hundred.”
—Korean proverb, quoted in Alan L. Mackay, The Harvest of a Quiet Eye (1977)
“I call it our collective inheritance of isolation. We inherit isolation in the bones of our lives. It is passed on to us as sure as the shape of our noses and the length of our legs. When we are young, we are taught to keep to ourselves for reasons we may not yet understand. As we grow up we become the “men who never cry” and the “women who never complain.” We become another generation of people expected not to bother others with our problems.”
—Paula C. Lowe (20th century)