Toronto’s Rob Ford isn’t the only person running for mayor in a fall civic election to drop out and go for city council instead. The Cedar Party’s Glen Chernen, however, didn’t decide to resign his mayoral candidacy due to health reasons but rather because he didn’t want to run against newly announced independent candidate Bob Kasting.
Chernen made the announcement Friday afternoon at a press conference held in the upstart party’s office in Kitsilano, saying he first met Kasting when looking to hire a litigation lawyer over a conflict-of-interest lawsuit filed against Mayor Gregor Robertson.
“I met Bob about a year ago and throughout the past six months have gotten to know him,” Chernen said. “I heard Bob might be interested in running for mayor and I was relieved when I got the indication that he really wanted to run. I am relieved he is taking over and I can step back and I will be running for council. I fully support Bob’s run for mayor with anything I can provide.”
Kasting announced his mayoral candidacy Sept. 17 outside city hall. When asked by Globe and Mail reporter Frances Bula why he chose to run against Chernen, who was also at the meeting, he replied that he felt Chernen would make for a much better candidate for city council instead.
Two days later, Glen Chernen now joins his brother Nicholas Chernen on the ballot as Cedar Party members running for city council. Other candidates include Charlene Gunn, Jeremy Gustafson and Wesley Mussio.
Kasting also attended the announcement but said he has no plans to run as a Cedar Party candidate, saying that his desire to rid city hall from the influence of deep-pocketed development companies is something a number of smaller parties share.
“I am both humbled and honoured by the fact that Glen had decided what he believes, and what I believe, are the best interests of Vancouver and to step aside to create a coalition of people who are thinking in a like-minded way,” said Kasting. “I think I have things in common with several of the small parties, or at least less small parties without the powers of the larger parties that are development-funded and development-controlled. Cedar is one of them and, for example, I looked in the press this morning and saw what the principles of the Green Party are and they are remarkably similar and TEAM’s as well.”
Kasting also received an endorsement from Bill McCreery, a former NPA council candidate who last year started The Electors Action Movement (TEAM) grassroots party that is not running any candidates in the Nov. 15 election.
