Vancouver Elects Soccer Player As Mayor

[vancouversoccerman]

Tonight, Vancouver elected Gregor Robertson as its new mayor. Gregor is known as the CEO of the organic juice company "Happy Planet", and also plays soccer in the Vancouver Metro Soccer League (Div.2).

He is very much in favour of the Whitecaps Stadium, as well as their bid to join MLS. In yesterday's Vancouver Courier, he said:

"The current council has not facilitated a good process for getting a purpose-built soccer stadium in Vancouver and attracting an MLS team. It's frustrating for all soccer fans to see no urgency...I'll certainly inject myself in the process to try and get it moving faster."

Hopefully, good news for Vancouver.

[carnifex2005]

Great news! I'm pretty sure that being the CEO of Happy Planet certainly helped. It's the only juice I'll buy in the stores now.

[piltdownman]

Watch for a war with the BC Liberals.

[Krammerhead]

It's not going to make an iota of difference that the new mayor of Vancouver plays soccer.

[vancouversoccerman]

It's not going to make an iota of difference that the new mayor of Vancouver plays soccer.

Now there's a quote worth saving! :rolleyes:

[Krammerhead]

Now there's a quote worth saving! :rolleyes:

I'm sure getting a new stadium is right up there in importance with his ending homelessness and a bunch of other promises he made.

[vancouversoccerman]

I'm sure getting a new stadium is right up there in importance with his ending homelessness and a bunch of other promises he made.

Yeah Krammer, he's made a bunch of promises on a lot of stuff. But he did campaign on this issue as well (Three public statements on what he would do about the stadium...2 more than what he said he would do on Skytrain fare evasion :p) He's made the claim that he's "one of us", and he personally handed me a free smoothie as I was leaving a Whitecaps game.

Hell, if that doesn't get it done, what will? :D

[canuck51]

flipping through channels tonight and saw on the Cantonese News, they were interviewing Lenarduzzi about the waterfront stadium. I missed most of that, but there was a short clip near the end of Robertson talking about the situation and that the previous mayor and council hadnt been doing enough.

If he is able to get the stadium ball rolling and is able to help vancouver's MLS bid, I might be able to look past his ex-NDP/left wing side, but I'm not holding my breath. I dont see how being a soccer player himself really makes any difference. Ladner's a pretty athletic guy himself too. I had a brief chat with him after the sun run last year.

I dont see how a left leaning Vision majority council can be viewed as good news for development and business in the city. Don't forget it's been councillor's like Raymond Louie who are the ones always 2nd guessing everything. Suzanne Anton, the only NPA councillor left now, has been one of the most outspoken propents for the waterfront stadium on the municipal level.