Sean Antrim, a self-described artist, historian, economist, political analyst and co-founder of The Mainlander website, has been named COPEs new executive director.
Antrim has been involved with the Residents Association of Mount Pleasant (RAMP) and the Vancouver Renters Union and has worked for the Greater Vancouver Community Credit Union.
[My goal] is to increase [COPE] membership, to engage groups of people that we havent been engaging, to reactivate our committees and start talking about arts and culture, the environment and housing, Antrim told the Courier Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Vancouver-born activist graduated from Kitsilano secondary school and has been a member of COPE for about three years. Antrim, who replaces Alvin Singh, ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the partys executive in February as part of a faction dubbed Independent COPE, which opposed alliances with Vision Vancouver.
RJ Aquino, COPEs external chair, said Antrim was the best person for the executive director position and that his position on alliances with Vision played no role in being selected for the job.
We hired Sean on the basis of his ability to organize, to help build capacity and build our membership base, Aquino said. Hes a very smart, very articulate. I personally vouched for him and I felt he would be a great asset to help COPE build its capacity moving forward.
The party needs rebuilding. It was all but eliminated from Vancouvers political scene last Novemberonly Allan Wong won a school trustee position. Some critics blamed COPEs close ties with Vision Vancouver. The two parties ran a coordinated campaign, but only Vision elected all of its candidates. COPEs Ellen Woodsworth lost her council seat by fewer than 100 votes.
Antrim insists COPE can rebound.
COPEs done it before. Its going to be an uphill battleI think thats why they chose me, because I have experience over the past few years working across the city on campaigns, he said.
The reason Im so excited about getting chosen for the position with COPE is because its rare for a political party to have all of their decisions being made by the membership, so what we need to do is make sure we have as diverse a membership as possible.
Aquino said a potential city byelection is definitely on COPEs mind since Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs announced plans to seek the NDP nomination to run in Vancouver-Fairview.
We havent talked in depth about it but we certainly want to be involved. COPE has a lot to bring to the table at council and we feel the things were fighting for and advocating for are not being talked about, so COPE should definitely play a role [if a] by-election comes.
Tim Louis, who also ran unsuccessfully in February for an executive seat with the so-called Independent COPE faction, said hes very pleased with Antrims appointment and optimistic about the partys future.
He brings a lot of enthusiasm and high energy to the job, but more importantly a track record of working with the community on community issues from tenant rights to densification, or should I say protecting neighbourhoods against densificationa proven track record that makes it very clear that he is a progressive, Louis said.
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