Video credit. Eliot Galan. @collectivista
Derrick O’Keefe’s candidacy for Vancouver City Council represents the most heartening and principled candidacy in Vancouver civic politics since the rise of our city’s multi-term, cherished top vote-getter, Harry Rankin.
Over the years, new candidates have emerged on the political scene, barely gaining power at City Hall as they sought office, squeaking in by the narrowest of electoral margins, yet once in office going on to become our most beloved and venerated civic representatives.
In Vancouver, in 2011, Adriane Carr won elected office by a mere 909 vote margin, in an election where more than 135,000 votes were cast. In 2014, Councillor Carr topped the polls with more than 74,000 votes. Same thing in Seattle with socialist professor Kshama Sawant, squeaking to victory over incumbent Richard Conlin, running on a $15 an hour minimum wage platform, in 2013. One year later, as is the case with our very own Ms. Carr, residents of Metro Seattle and Washington state voted Kshama Sawant the Seattle region and Washington state’s most popular political figure.
VanRamblings has known committed community activist Derrick O’Keefe for 15 years, dating back to the early 2000s, when Derrick and his best friend, author and humourist Charlie Demers, emerged on Vancouver’s political scene with the boldly imagined Seven Oaks arts & politics magazine.
A well-considered, well-written and conceived activist academic journal, in every issue Seven Oaks laid out for its readers a road map for change, in order that working people would no longer get the short end of the stick. During its halycon years of publication, Seven Oaks was a much anticipated must-read each month for its legion of appreciative activist readers.
Derrick was recruited by Canadian feminist icon Judy Rebick to edit the online journal she had created, rabble.ca, with Derrick O’Keefe on the masthead as editor-in-chief, as always keeping his activism a fundamental aspect of how he brings himself to the world, as a peace activist, a renter’s and affordable housing activist, and one of Canada’s finest political writers (after leaving rabble.ca, Derrick co-founded and edited ricochet.ca, widely considered to this day to be Canada’s leading public interest journal).
Of course, as is the case with all activists of conscience, Derrick O’Keefe loves baseball. Sitting in the bleachers in Section 3 at Nat Bailey Stadium on a revivifying summer’s eve, his children and Andrea nearby, the warm breeze of the early evening wafting through the crowd, the feint scent of beer and popcorn in the air, baseball at The Nat is Derrick’s idea of heaven.
And now Derrick O’Keefe finds himself on the ground fighting for all of us who live in the city of Vancouver, in the midst of an affordable housing crisis and a looming environmental crisis on the near horizon, running as an absolutely necessary candidate for Vancouver City Council, with COPE, the Coalition of Progressive Electors. Not a moment too soon, Derrick O’Keefe.
When you cast your ballot at the polls, placing a checkmark beside the name of O’KEEFE, Derrick, allowing Mr. O’Keefe to be elected to Council, the fate that awaits Mr. O’Keefe is popularity among the citizens beyond all measure — and in 2022, the prospect of topping the civic election polls in the next municipal election. Because Derrick O’Keefe is a difference maker.
The prospect that awaits us? Deliverance from the ills of our city, when we cast a vote for Derrick O’Keefe for City Council, as we head to the polls.
As we wrote yesterday, in identifying the historic trinity of civic election candidates that are must-elects, who in working together on Vancouver City Council will build the city we need, OneCity candidate Christine Boyle, Green candidate Pete Fry, and the tremendous ‘on our side’ Derrick O’Keefe represent the three most charismatic, thoughtful, educated, action-oriented urban planning democrats to run for City Council in four decades.
“While the Greens’ Pete Fry is the visionary, COPE’s Derrick O’Keefe is the take no guff charismatic, truth-telling spokesperson, with One City’s Christine Boyle the democratically-engaged, collaborative, ‘get things done’ negotiator with stakeholder groups, Derrick O’Keefe, Pete Fry and Christine Boyle all working together to implement their plan for change: more truly affordable housing — co-and-co-op, rental and social housing built on city land — and soon; a socially just city that serves the interests of all; better, less expensive and more frequent transit; more child care, less expensive and more accessible; enhanced public safety throughout the city; an environmental plan that will serve the interests of our children and future generations; unprecedented support for the arts and creative community, as well as for Vancouver’s parks and recreation system.
In order for the change that we all need to occur, when you go to the polls this next week, you’re going to have to place a check mark beside the name of O’KEEFE, Derrick — 13th from last on the randomized Councillor ballot — the most important and critical to our collective future decision that you’ll make in the 2018 Vancouver municipal election, a commitment in support of your family, your neighbours, your colleagues & your friends.
