I was surprised this week to see a Facebook page dedicated to Vision Vancouver park board commissioner and former chair Sarah Blyth and a possible run for council in the November civic election.
Initially I thought Blyth had created the page, but upon further examination, and a phone call, discovered it’s the work of supporters — 212 since Feb. 24.
The creator of the Facebook page had this to say on the site: “Friends and supporters of parks board commissioner Sarah Blyth, this page is to show our encouragement for Sarah to seek a place at the table as a council person in the up coming civic elections. She has fought hard for those with little or no voice and has delivered her mandate against very difficult opposition. Thank you commissioner Blyth!”
Other comments on the Facebook page include, “Friends and supporters of Sarah Blyth, community champion and parks board commissioner, would like to encourage her to run for Council! GO SARAH!” and “Let's keep the momentum going! Run for council commissioner Blyth! The people have spoken!”
The page also list some of Blyth’s recent accomplishments, including the return of the Dude Chilling sign to Guelph Park (see below) and her recent initiative to offer cell phones to seniors so they can dial 911 for help (see related story at vancourier.com).
Blyth said while she didn’t start the page, should the campaign receive enough support she would consider seeking a Vision Vancouver nomination for council.
“I consider it up to the public,” says Blyth. “If they want me to represent them then of course I will. I’m a grass-roots person. But I also really love my work at the park board.”
Vision Vancouver park board chair Niki Sharma announced Wednesday that she will officially seek a Vision nomination for council.
Sharma said, in a prepared statement, she wants to be a councillor because “as a city we can always strive to be more just as a society, to innovate and to listen to one another."
Sharma, elected to park board in 2011, has been endorsed by several Vision Vancouver elected officials, including school board chair Patti Bacchus and city councillors Geoff Meggs and Andrea Reimer. Sharma, the mother of a five-month-old girl, is a lawyer specializing in aboriginal law, through which she defends residential school survivors and works for band councils across B.C.
“Dude” redux
An East Side art instillation that recently caught the attention of Big Lebowski fans across the globe, as well as late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, will be permanently resurrected in Guelph Park as of Thursday morning.
The Dude Chilling Park sign mysteriously appeared in Guelph Park on Brunswick Street at East Seventh in November 2012, as an exact replica of an official park board sign. The name pays homage to the Reclining Figure sculpture by Michael Dennis that lies in the park. Parks staff immediately removed the sign, but following public consultation the board decided to return it to Guelph Park for good. A ceremony and unveiling was to take place Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. with remarks by Blyth, who was the catalyst for bringing the sign back to the park.
