Yep, Kirk LaPointe is the NPA’s mayoral candidate.
He made it official Monday morning to five civic affairs reporters, including yours truly, at a Main Street café.
I recommend you read the web version of my story since I didn't have the space in print (heavy sigh) to publish the entire piece. Plus, you’ll get to read former mayor Larry Campbell’s take on being a rookie politician, which he was when he won a landslide victory with COPE in 2002. (Sadly, I couldn't print Campbell's off-the-record comments — which are always hilarious, insightful and pointed — but off the record is off the record.)
Anyway, a lot of what LaPointe said Monday is already out there. But I bet some of you are wondering how a longtime media guy is going to be covered by reporters who used to work for him or were taught by him.
For the record, I’ve never worked for LaPointe. Colleagues Frances Bula of The Globe and Mail, Jeff Lee of The Vancouver Sun and Emily Jackson of Metro have; Jackson was also taught by him.
From what I know of my colleagues, the coverage will be as it has always been: Fair, balanced and unbiased. Lee weighed in on the issue in a blog post Monday, where he disclosed a reference he gave LaPointe on his Linkedin profile while he was still managing editor at the Sun.
“Although I stand behind it, no one, least of all him, should interpret that this will mean he gets soft treatment. Journalists naturally eat their colleagues when they do things like enter politics.”
LaPointe, who is married to a former Sun reporter, was asked by a reporter at a press conference at Jack Poole Plaza — after the sit-down at Kafka’s Coffee and Tea on Main Street — about how he thought such connections would play out in the campaign.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an advantage. I know too many of the practitioners in this city and their integrity, and I know that they’re going to want to — in many ways — assert their independence and make it clear that they’re not going to be culpable in the same way of an inside deal in the administration they’ve covered. So I expect that they’re going to be pretty difficult on me at times. And I think that’s fair, that’s their job. My commitment is to keep the dialogue open — that if something is written or said that I consider to be grossly unfair, I’ll mention it to people. But I’m not going to stop talking to them.”
LaPointe wasn’t in charge at the Sun when I worked there in 2000-2001. My only previous connection to him is that we talked a few times on the phone about a job years ago in Hamilton. He never hired me. Probably a good thing because, well…have you ever been to Hamilton?
A little joke there, Hamiltonians.
Seriously.
Great city, good steel.
Of course, the birthplace of Neil Peart and Eugene Levy, too.
What else?
Of course, yes — go Ti-Cats!
Note: LaPointe says he will be blogging during the campaign at thevancouveriwant.ca
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