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Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson was re-elected on Saturday, soundly beating main rival Kirk LaPointe despite signs late in the campaign that his bid for a third term in office was in trouble. Robertson was first elected in 2008 and is best known for being Vancouver’s public face in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Robertson’s Vision Vancouver party was the clear front-runner against newcomer LaPointe’s Non-Partisan Association. However, during the final weeks of the campaign, Robertson’s lead had diminished in the past few weeks, with the campaign becoming increasingly ugly as LaPointe accused Robertson of corruption, who responded with a defamation lawsuit.
However, Robertson took the lead on election night, and by then, was elected with 46% of the vote; his Vision Vancouver also won the city council majority.
A single policy issue did not dominate the campaign, which focused on the perception that Mayor Robertson ignored the concerns of Vancouver’s residents as he expanded bike lanes, homeless shelters, social housing and approved new development projects.
In his concession speech, LaPointe acknowledged the heated nature of the campaign.
“So the campaign has not always brought out the best in us, but it did deliver a clarity of choice”, LaPointe said.
Robertson had responded to the complaints in last Wednesday’s mayoral debate, surprisingly apologizing to voters for failing to live up to their expectations.
He echoed his apology in his victory speech as well.
“I’ve heard from lots of Vancouverites about their strong belief and love for our city, our shared values. I’ve also heard loud and clear that there are things that we could do better and we will”, Robertson said in downtown Vancouver.
Despite discontent over his social and environmental policies, Robertson made clear that he will continue with his strategy.
“There are some very urgent issues we face”, Robertson said, singling out public transit, homelessness and climate change.
“There is a lot more to do and we’re really looking forward to working together as one big team in Vancouver to accomplish these great goals”, he added.
