TEAM Burnaby is expanding its definition of "team" in an attempt to prepare for the 2014 municipal election.
The party is approaching other parties and independent candidates from the last election to suggest they work together next time around, according to TEAM's new president, Ray Power.
"We've already started talks with other groups because we need to unite into one group," he said in a phone interview Monday. "It's been proven over and over again that if you have split parties or special interests or one issue, it just doesn't work."
And the purpose of the group would be to run a non-NDP affiliated slate in the next election, he explained.
"We have to try to bring everybody in together," Power said, adding the party has already started talks with some of the candidates from the last election.
Nick Kvenich, who ran as an independent council candidate, attended TEAM's general meeting last week, he said, and spoke with Power.
"As it sits right now, Ray has a lot of work to do before individuals like myself and other groups would consider getting involved," he wrote in an email. "There must be changes that would reintroduce a trust amongst future candidates of character to work together as one group."
Kvenich was a founding member of the party, which was formed as an umbrella organization for people of varying political backgrounds, he said, but infighting and a lack of trust have badly impacted TEAM since then.
"I do believe that the TEAM brand name has taken a very hard hit and may not survive, unless there is some cleaning of the house of TEAM," Kvenich said. "With that being said, I believe there were some good candidates in TEAM, the Green party and Parents' Voice."
The Burnaby Municipal Greens have not been contacted by Power about working together as of yet, according to former Green council candidate Carrie McLaren.
"I wouldn't mind having a conversation with him about the next election," she said in an email.
But she'd like to see who is sticking with the party and what their future plans are first, she added.
"Coalitions and cooperation are not out of the question, but requires discussions with all Green members," McLaren said.
Independent school board candidate Jade Tomelden had not been contacted, she said.
Parents Voice and other independent candidates did not respond before press time.
Power was appointed party president at a meeting on Dec. 7.
He is a retired RCMP officer who ran for mayor in Vancouver in 2005, mayor in Burnaby in 2008 and council in Burnaby in the recent 2011 election.
He also ran with the federal Green party in the Burnaby-Douglas riding in the 2006 election and in the same riding as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the 1997 election.
Power is looking forward to preparing TEAM for the next election, after losing the mayoral, council and school board trustee spots to the entire Burnaby Citizens' Association slate.
TEAM is looking at its campaign priorities as well, he added.
"I think the biggest issue is taxes and spending," Power said.
"Taxes are going up, and service charges have gone up," he said, pointing out that some police service fees have recently increased by 1,000 per cent.
How the city handles its finances is a big issue for TEAM, according to Power.
"Economists believe we should tax and spend in bad times," Power said, "and Burnaby politicians think we should tax and spend all the time."
If TEAM got in, they would reduce wasteful spending, he said, such as advertisements placed by the City of Burnaby in news publications regarding recent achievements, such as the two-page ad in the Burnaby NOW during the election about the city's new website.
"These announcements are paid for by tax dollars to congratulate themselves on doing what they're supposed to be doing," he said. "It's so blatant how they use taxpayer dollars to promote themselves."
Pay increases are another issue TEAM will be focusing on, he said.
However, Power is unsure how to proceed on getting more people to vote.
"Our job is to get the voters motivated," he said, adding he doesn't know how the party will work on that.
