Derek Corrigan and his BCA team have won another resounding re-election in Burnaby.
Thankfully there was a little less chest beating this time around, but there was still a lot of ‘I told you so’s’ to make up for it.
BCA and Mayor Corrigan supporters will say that the left-leaning slate has taken the whole ball of wax again because the voters respect his leadership, trust his government and know that it’s being run well. And to be sure, many, many voters put their mark next to BCA because they are completely satisfied with the way the city is being run. Or, perhaps, because they agree with the city’s anti-pipeline stance. But a fair number put their mark beside a Burnaby First Coalition candidate because they either didn’t have faith in the BCA government, disagreed with its principles, or felt that there was a need for more voices on city council and the school board.
As Corrigan asked us (rhetorically) in the election run up, does that mean BCA should not do its damndest to win every one of the seats? Of course not. In politics you play to win, and you hope to take home all of the marbles. But it doesn’t mean that after winning you ignore every idea and every concern coming from people of different political stripes. City hall and city government shouldn’t be a closed shop.
It was refreshing to hear Baljinder Narang, the BCA school board chair, say that she recognizes there are concerns with one-party rule and the perception that all board members are in lock-step on issues. Her pledge to try and open up the discussion a bit, is a welcome one.
As for the Burnaby First Coalition’s pledge to rebuild and come back stronger. Good for them. Politics is a hard game. It takes fortitude. It also takes a thick skin and a incredible devotion to building a community. Derek Corrigan has certainly shown he has all of that and more.
