It’s Mayor Campbell’s final day
Larry Campbell’s term as Vancouver mayor ends today when a new council is sworn in and Sam Sullivan becomes mayor. We wanted to review some of the highlights of Campbell’s three years in office, but so much prose has been written about him that we think
COPE storms into city hall; Charming ex-cop holds voters in thrall Politician to keep promise, shocking every Doubting Thomas Now nicely perched atop the heap Our man had promises to keep And years to go before his sleep. Vancouver votes to back the Games; The bid will not go down in flames In year oh-three did Larry C A public plebiscite decree. For he had vowed that we would vote To keep the Winter Games afloat and heed the premier’s plea. No matter that they voted no; The TransLink Rav Line is a go TransLink is broken, critics say But in the end they save the day TransLink, thou art sick; The parochial bug That ravels insight Like a moth in a rug Has pierced the RAV twice But it will not die And in the third vote More than half voted aye. Old Larry Campbell is come out of the West Through all of Vancouver, his polls were the best; All snug on his coattails, COPE rode to the stump Together they stripped NPA to its rump. Triumphant, our Larry accepted the crown And none could surmise he would soon set it down. Policeman and cor’ner and Dominic’s Inquest With his kilt and his hat in the wet coastal forest A sharp, clever tongue always good for a quote A smile on his face, an imbiber of note With his plans for reform on the Downtown Eastside How could a man fail with such virtues supplied? So Larry fought to back the bid While Big Jim Green sought quo pro quid And having won support for social housing Stood side by side with Larry, Games espousing. And lo, the voters, sharing their intent Approved the bid by sixty- four per cent. Oh, the RAV project line is a mighty fine line Oh, the RAV project line is the premier’s ride If you want the money, you build it down to Richmond Cast your ballot up at TransLink for the RAV project line. Trouble ahead, trouble behind The mayor has things on his mind It is an ancient activist Whose heart belongs to COPE Will he always stand on principle Or for solutions grope? On council and the district board The votes fly left and right And Larry’s allies split in two ’ Tween Classic and COPE Lite. All is not well with the police When it comes to Pillars Four. When Larry wants injection sites They just arrest some more. The council does agree to fix The old department store And votes to change the housing mix Up on the False Creek shore. But when it comes to slot machines For gamblers at the track The council splits both up and down And votes to bet the stack. He’s thinking about politics Our Larry the magician. “These meetings never end,” he thinks. “Am I a politician?” Larry lends a helpful hand To the rulers of the land T’was in the election of twenty-oh- four That his foot became wedged in the oak Senate door. Paul Martin had promised big money for cities While Harper was singing less generous ditties. The mayor grew swiftly contrarian And labelled the Tories barbarian. Mayor’s health becomes the news Will it sway his future views? Let us go then, you and I, When the cardiologist has an opening in his schedule For a patient etherized upon a table; Let us look in certain half- obstructed arteries For breath-shortening deposits From many cigarettes, good drink and food Not walking much and betimes getting stewed. Chest pains he has, and may need angioplasty Until the doctors say it’s really not that nasty. No call for surgery, but ought to change his lifestyle If he wants to stop choking He must give up smoking. In council chambers, COPERs come and go Trying to overturn the status quo. There is no next campaign; Larry won’t run again Ha! wh’are ye gaun, ye crowlin’ ferlie!