In a year when the city had both a federal and a civic election, development of the downtown core really started to take shape, the Woodlands Centre Block tower came down and concerned citizens railed about Westminster Pier Park, New Westminster was as interesting a place to cover as ever.
But the story of the year, to this observer at least, was how local politicos displayed an increasing level of incivility that saw the lines between political division and personal dislike blurred in a way that hasn't been seen since the tumultuous New Westminster " council days of the mid-1990s.
When James Crosty and Wayne Wright fought over who would be the next mayor, the word that seemed to draw their ire was "lifestyle" and what that word meant. The
disagreement then devolved into a discussion that went right into space and which of them was a shooting star or an asteroid. i M
"We are two different people, totally different, how we live, our lifestyles," said Wright. "The only thing we have in common is we live on the same boardwalk."
Crosty was quick with a reply: "I am not sure what about my lifestyle is so different that he felt he had to make comment about it, but if the current mayor would like to discuss it, I encourage him to call me - on the caveat that I can ask him about his."
And it was up to a third mayoral candidate, Vance McFadyen, to provide yet another viewpoint on this issue: "What he (Wayne Wright) was really saying is, 'James Crosty is gay.' That is the different lifestyle."
The simmering hostility between the two mayoral candidates reached a crescendo on Nov. 19, election night, when Wright handily won a fourth term and Crosty declined to congratulate Wright.
Incivility wasn't confined to the mayor's race, as the year began with school trustee Lori Watt and local parent Patrick O'Connor getting legal opinions on whether Watt was in a perceived conflict-ofinterest situation on two matters: the approval of a new collective agreement with CUPE Local 409 and a motion to ban bottled water in school district facilities.
"This type of nonsense has me seriously considering running again," Watt said. "Here's the thing that's laughable. I told my family months ago I wasn't intending on running, but Patrick O'Connor has frustrated me so much. - This is a gentleman who has run unsuccessfully before. I'm a three-term trustee, and this is a politically motivated attack.
"I just find it incredibly frustrating that somebody like Mr. O'Connor would engage in such a malicious personal attack on me. He's attacked me for nine years now."
O'Connor went so far as to solicit and receive a contribution from Nestle Waters Canada to help pay for his legal opinion.
Watt would eventually decide not to seek a fourth term, but upon leaving in December, she had some parting words for an old adversary: former city councillor and current trustee Casey Cook.
"The last three years were incredibly challenging. - We've done a lot of good things on the board," said Watt. "But I'm not going to miss serving on a school board with Casey Cook on it. I Politics: Words were powerful weapons won't miss him one bit."
Watt's departure was newsworthy, but she wasn't the most senior school trustee to look for greener pastures.
Brent Atkinson, a 31-year veteran of the school board, also called it a day and cited frustrations about working on a board that had much difficulty reaching consensus on many issues.
"What I've always tried to do in my 31 years is to work with the consensus at the board table, and I've had a lot of difficulty doing that in the last three years," said Atkinson. "It hasn't been as personally rewarding as in the past."
But Atkinson wouldn't get out of the district that easily, as he decided to send a letter to former supporters telling them who he would vote for. That led to one school trustee candidate MaryAnn Mortensen calling him out publicly, with Atkinson taking on both Mortensen and Casey Cook, and the mudslinging began anew.
"I'm hearing that Casey Cook thinks I've made a personal attack on MaryAnn Mortensen. - Now if Casey has a problem with the letter, why doesn't he call me instead of calling reporters. Who the hell does Casey Cook think he is? Is he MaryAnn's keeper? - If Casey has a problem with the letter, surely he would have the balls to call me. I'm listed, I'm not hard to find," said Atkinson.
Cook wasn't taking that laying down.
"He wants to continue as CEO of the business company," said Cook. "It's highly inappropriate. - He is striking back for what he thinks are past grievances. - It is straight retaliation."
When Atkinson was asked what his relationship with Cook was at this present time, he said: "It's not 100 per cent, and I understand it's deteriorat-
ing as we speak."
Mortensen was more than able to defend herself.
"I think it's unbecoming of a current trustee and the current CEO of the district's business company to be endorsing any candidates," said Mortensen. "And for him to do a character assassination of someone for advocating for their community, that I find objectionable."
Atkinson didn't back down from Mortensen, who eventually won a spot on the board that Atkinson formerly served on
"I was merely stating facts," said Atkinson. "It's not new info that MaryAnn led the Save Grimston Park issue. - That's a fact pattern.
"Do we live in a democracy?" he asked rhetorically. "I often take many calls from people asking me who they should vote for."
By the time election night came, it wasn't just Watt and Atkinson on the outside looking in, as Mortensen won the final spot at the expense of Voice compatriot Jim Goring.
Goring was naturally disappointed, and he didn't mince any words after getting the bad news.
He said he regretted attacking Atkinson and said he should have focused on the school district's business company. But Goring did have one person he wanted to single out: Michael Ewen.
"Who created the problem? Mr. Ewen was part of that. He never acknowledged or apologized for helping create the initial problems with the business company."
For Ewen's part, when asked what he thought about the only incumbent to lose his spot, Ewen didn't say a word, only shaking his head to denote that no comment was forthcoming.
Ewen's civility, at a time when he could have gloated, was somewhat refreshing.
"I think this reaffirms my belief that in New Westminster, people want a positive vision and they don't want an American-style of negative, attack politics. - The people of New Westminster want a positive vision for this city, and tonight's results indicate that," said Ewen.
Hardened cynical reporters are used to the name-calling and dislike that can take place in the blood sport that is politics, but this year saw more of it come to the surface than in recent memory.
We're not so naive to think that this type of stuff hasn't been said in many a closed, in-camera meeting, but for it to come out so publicly, in so many different ways, has been unusual to see.
In the end, all the insults resulted in no change in the mayor's office, but the New Westminster school board saw 46 years of experience go out the door and three newcomers take their spots.
If there's any hope for the future, we were witness to a nice sign of civility in city hall chambers on election night.
Brenda McEachern-Keen was unsuccesful in winning a school board spot, but she made a point of congratulating top vote-getter Jonina Campbell on her overwhelming win.
"I'd love to work with you, I've heard a lot of impressive things about you," McEachern-Keen told Campbell on election night.
"That was very classy of her," said Campbell. "I really appreciated how genuine that was."
And perhaps with that, we may see a return to civility in all walks of civic politics.
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