This evening I attended the soft launch of Pete Fry’s campaign for the City Council by-election in October, running for the Greens to work with Adriane Carr. Tonight’s event was a crowded and loud party at the Emerald on Gore. The joint was packed and it was great to be surrounded by the banter of civic politics once again.
Pete gave a speech of suitably moderate length but in which he hit all the right points. He showed that he understands we have been building the wrong kind of housing in Vancouver, and that the secret backdoor CAC negotiations with developers need to end and be bathed in transparency for the benefit of all. He noted that, with Geoff Meggs gone, there is a chance to make a genuine contribution to the City with the issue of the viaducts. And he mentioned that he and his team are working on an imaginative scheme for redevelopment of the Hogan’s Alley heritage area.
Most of all, Pete stressed that he is willing to listen — a quality sorely lacking in much of Vancouver politics for a decade or more; that this is “our City” and that “together we can make changes.”
It was a good speech and was well received. My only concern is that, as we don’t have wards, his message needs to reach out beyond the issues facing DTES and Strathcona. I will be looking for him to be broader in his messaging as the campaign rolls out.
Pete Fry for City Council!
Jak's View of Vancouver v.3 
How does Pete Fry intend to take money out of city politics? Or stated another way, how do the *actual* owners of Vancouver feel about Pete Fry?
I’m going to step out on a limb and say that they don’t want their city to be handed to commoners.
We don’t really need Pete Fry, though I’ll take your word for it that he’s a great guy.