COPE's Only City Government
In 2002, an unprecedented surge in voter turnout elected the first COPE mayor and board majorities in Vancouver's history. Every candidate running under COPE's banner was elected
City Council (2002 to 2005) (COPE candidates elected to 8 of 10 positions in all):
- Larry Campbell (mayor)
- Fred Bass
- David Cadman
- Jim Green
- Tim Louis
- Anne Roberts
- Tim Stevenson
- Raymond Louie
- Ellen Woodsworth
Note: The mayor and three other councillors left the party's caucus in 2005 to form Vision Vancouver.
Vancouver School Board (2002 to 2005) (COPE candidates elected to 7 of 9 positions)
- Allen Blakey
- Jane Bouey
- Noel Herron
- Angela Kenyon
- Adrienne Montani
- Kevin Millsip
- Allan Wong.
Board of Parks and Recreation (2002 to 2005) (COPE candidates elected to 5 of 7 positions)
- Heather Deal
- Lyndsay Poaps
- Eva Riccius
- Anita Romaniuk
- Loretta Woodcock
Mayor Larry Campbell (now a Liberal senator), delivered on a campaign promise in 2003 to open North America's first safe-injection site for intravenous drug users in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. However, by late 2004, there were growing signs of disunity between the COPE mayor and some COPE councillors. Campbell formed an independent caucus along with three of his COPE colleagues (although they all remained as members of the party). The other COPE councillors remained in the original COPE caucus.
The maverick COPE councillors (dubbed "COPE Lite" or "Diet COPE" by the media) eventually separated and formed a new party, Vision Vancouver, to run in the 2005 municipal election. COPE did not run a mayoral candidate to challenge Vision nominee, former COPE concillor Jim Green .
In the election for Vancouver City Council held in November 2005, only one COPE councillor (David Cadman) was elected. The party was reduced to three seats on the city school board and two on the parks board, newcomer Spencer Herbert (who was elected an NDP MLA in Vancouver-Burrard at a by-election in 2008), and Loretta Woodcock.
Read more about this topic: Coalition Of Progressive Electors
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