So the news that former journalist Kirk LaPointe is running for mayor on the NPA ticket surprised absolutely no one covering or interested in municipal news.
But what about the rest of the city? According to a few street interviews the CBC did for Tuesday’s Early Edition, regular Vancouverites have no clue who this LaPointe character even is.
Since he’ll be dominating Vancouverites’ news feeds for the next few months, here’s a primer on the new guy gunning for mayor.
So, uh, who the heck is this guy?
LaPointe is best known in Vancouver as the former managing editor of the Vancouver Sun, a position he held for seven years. Until Monday, LaPointe was the publisher and editor-in-chief of Self-Counsel Press, a publisher of DIY law and small business books. He’s also an adjunct professor in the journalism school at UBC and the executive director of the Organization of News Ombudsmen. He’ll retain all these positions during the campaign, though in a more limited capacity at Self-Counsel.
He’s also worked for CTV, The Canadian Press, the National Post and the Hamilton Spectator. He also spent a year between 2002-2003 as the advisor to then-Toronto Star publisher John Honderich.
He’s a self-described social liberal and fiscal conservative.
Why is he running for mayor?
On a post on his campaign blog, LaPointe writes he wants more openness in government, a point he revisited with reporters at his campaign launch on Monday.
"I believe we have an opportunity here to have the most transparent government of any in Canada, maybe inNorth American,” he said."I don't particularly like the culture that now exists in which information [at city hall] is routinely withheld, budget documentation is very opaque, public servants are muzzled – I'd like all of that to change."
What else is he running on?
That’s not exactly clear. He’s been silent on the city’s meatier issues, including drug addiction, skyrocketing house prices, homelessness, transportation and the LNG pipeline.
But he did promise free citywide Wi-Fi.
Is there anything that can cripple his chances of winning?
Well, LaPointe is a political rookie. This is his first foray into politics and, as a result, his experience is very limited – a fact he readily acknowledges.
"I'll admit I'm the underdog," he told reporters. "I'm the outsider. I'm the person with fewer resources than my competitor. I happen to have, at this point, four months and a day before the vote a much lower recognition factor. That's what I have to work on, that's what the team will work on."
Also, right now, he doesn’t technically live in Vancouver. His address is at the UBC campus, which is an unincorporated area sealed off from the city.
Yes, OK, but what does he think of the BIKE LANES?!?
He likes them.
OH MY GAWD.
If it helps, he’s opposed to the Point Grey Road bike route, telling reporters, “I don’t think that the process to change that road was an effective way to engage the community.”
What about his personal life? Any juicy Gregor-esque gossip?
Not really. He was born in Toronto and graduated from Ryerson University.
He’s married to Mary-Lynn Young, associate dean at the UBC faculty of arts. He has two adult children from a previous marriage and a stepson with Young.
He keeps his blog and Twitter feed mostly free of personal musings, but he did let this typo go – a grievous mistake for a man known as a “media executive” – while tweeting at the New Order show.
New Order hits the stage after ages in Vanxouver. Should be a great show. pic.twitter.com/BVNNemL6aN
— Kirk LaPointe (@kirklapointe) July 9, 2014
SCANDAL!
He listens to freakin' New Order?
Evidently. He also attended the recent Kraftwerk concert…
Kraftwerk and the 3d show at the QE Ttheatre. Pretty spectacular. pic.twitter.com/hs4Dr9xdLM
— Kirk LaPointe (@kirklapointe) July 4, 2014
…and the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds show…
The great Nick Cave at the Orpheum. pic.twitter.com/33S8Dytuo2
— Kirk LaPointe (@kirklapointe) July 1, 2014
…and apparently has a pretty crappy camera phone.
So he has pretty good taste in music then?
It would seem that way. He started his career as the Canadian editor of Billboard in 1983, where he stayed for eight years, reporting weekly on the music industry as the only Canadian correspondent for the magazine.
Whoooooa…
Whoa indeed.
Anything else we should know?
He’s 56. He’s “sun-bronzed.” He’s a Sagittarius. He’s a jogger and cyclist. He once worked at a juice factory, the experience from which will apparently assist in taking down his opponent (who is also a known juice enthusiast).
He spent four years on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Centre for Faith in the Media, which “specialized in fostering understanding faith and spirituality among media.”
He currently serves on the advisory board for Frontier College, Canada’s largest literacy organization and is the president of the Vancouver Minor Softball Association.
According to his LinkedIn profile, LaPointe cares about “Arts and Culture”, “Education,” “Politics”, “Literacy,” and “Media Standards.”
LaPointe also plans to blog throughout the campaign at The Vancouver I Want, but little has been posted yet.
