Outgoing COPE Coun. Ellen Woodsworth sorted through files and recycled paper Wednesday while packing up her third-floor city hall office 11 days after the Nov. 19 election. She must be out by midnight Dec. 4-a day before the new council is sworn in, but she expected to be finished earlier. It was a tough day in a tough year for the 63-year-old.
She lost what many considered a sure seat at the council table-not to mention a job that pays $63,609. Her aunt is dying in Toronto and the home she's rented for 32 years just sold so she may face eviction.
"It's not a good year at all," she admitted, pulling a file out of the cabinet, while noting the disappointment of losing had resurfaced during the office cleanup. "It's like hiking up a mountain, going down and up. It's letting go of people who touched my life and whose lives I've touched."
Woodsworth served two terms as a Vancouver councillor-from 2002 to 2005 and the current term. She ran in 2005, but placed 18th in the race for 10 council seats.
In the 2011 vote, the Green's Adriane Carr edged Woodsworth's out of the last spot by 90 votes. None of the three COPE candidates landed a position on the Vision Vancouver-dominated council.
"In 2005 it was a shock. First the [COPE] party split and second I lost my seat. This time it was completely unexpected, but I received literally hundreds of cards, tweets, phone calls and emails almost immediately. Everybody thought I was going to win. Nobody thought I was going to lose. I actually couldn't believe that I lost. It didn't seem possible. [Losing a second time] was a shock but in a different kind of way."
Woodsworth considered asking for a recount given the close race between her and Carr, but concluded it was impossible even though she maintains hundreds of Downtown Eastsiders were turned away from the polls.
"Had they been able to vote, I would have been elected, but the city doesn't keep track of [those who are turned away] so there's no basis for a recount and there's no automatic basis for a recount if, say, the difference is less than 100 votes."
The financial hit from the election loss won't be easy to absorb. She'll need to look for full-time work. She organized forums on environmental and social change initiatives before becoming a politician.
"Councillors don't get unemployment. It's the loss of a job. It's the loss of a pension plan and my partner is retired," Woodsworth explained. She's been asked to blog for an online news site, which she's "very interested" in, although a meeting hasn't happened yet.
Woodsworth plans to continue volunteer work with groups such as Women Transforming Cities-Designing an Ideal City for Women and Girls, and other pet causes, but she'll miss political life. "I like a lot of things about this job. I like the people and I'm a born organizer. I've worked with neighbourhoods across the city. I enjoyed listening to people who came to speak at council, I've liked the public speaking aspect and bringing forward good policy," she said.
There were things she didn't like.
"Some of the dynamics between councillors have not been good and we do need wards_ One party wins all leads to a very bad dynamic and city council really underutilizes the capabilities of all [city councillors]."
Woodsworth is nonetheless proud of pushing for projects such as housing over the Strathcona library branch, work on concerns such as civil liberties during the Olympics and having council look at initiatives through a "gender diversity lens."
She's convinced it's not the end of COPE despite the left-leaning party's punishing experience at the polls.
"COPE has been around for 40 years and we got about 25 per cent of the vote, so I'm sure COPE will continue to be very active," she insisted.
So will Vancouverites see Woodsworth run in the next election?"
"You might," she said.
Twitter: @Naoibh
