It's official.
Alderman Gordon Campbell will be seeking the Non-Partisan Association's nomination for mayor.
If nominated, Campbell will go head-to-head with veteran Committee of Progressive Electors alderman Harry Rankin.
Campbell made the announcement Thursday, following fellow NPA alderman George Puil's decision not to run for mayor.
The civic election is still seven months away.
"I am seeking the nomination because I think I can focus people's attention on issues and fresh ideas," Campbell said. "I am seeking the nomination because I think I can bring new energetic people into the political process. I am seeking the nomination because I think I can recruit new people to run for office."
Puil announced at city hall Tuesday that he was bowing out of the mayoral race because of family reasons. "I took a vote with my family (whether to run for mayor)," Puil said. "My wife and two children voted no."
Puil also said a poll he commissioned to determine the frontrunners in the November showdown indicated that COPE mentor Rankin held the edge in recognition and popularity.
But Puil said the lead by Rankin wasn't insurmountable and it was not the reason he decided to stay out of the race to replace the outgoing mayor Mike Harcourt.
Harcourt has announced he will be seeking the NDP nomination provincially in Vancouver Centre.
Campbell said he had been considering the run for mayor for some time but finally made his decision this week. He said his 17 years in civic government has given him the experience needed.
"I know how important the mayor's job is," Campbell said at the press conference at the Hotel Vancouver. "I have not made this decision lightly."
At council Tuesday, Rankin said he would have welcomed the opportunity to battle Puil for mayor. But he wasn't surprised by Puil's announcement.
"I said all along that Campbell would be running for mayor," Rankin said after Tuesday's council meeting.
Campbell said he knew he was taking a risk "but it's a risk I must take because Vancouver is worth it."
This story was taken from the EastEnder newspaper archives from 1986 Vol. 3, No. 27 March 20, 1986.
