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“I want to wish these amazing candidates, who are still in the race, our incredible OneCity candidates, so much success. I also want to wish Pete Fry, the Greens, and COPE the absolute best of luck,” Azaroff said. “I’m counting on you, and our city is counting on you.”
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OneCity council candidate France Bula, a former longtime civic journalist in Vancouver, also addressed the crowd at Tuesday’s news conference.
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Bula said most Vancouverites she has met campaigning in recent months didn’t appear to know an election is coming next month. But she expects Vancouverites will start paying attention over the next 39 days, she said, and hopes “they’ll be paying attention to the plan from OneCity that hopes to deliver them a voice and a place and a future.”
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Fry, a second-term Vancouver councillor, and Allen, a former non-profit housing executive, both attended Tuesday’s news conference.
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Speaking after Azaroff’s remarks, Fry thanked the former OneCity and COPE candidates, both of whom he has known for years, and said the three parties “share a lot of the same values” and are united on “the need to get rid of Ken Sim.”
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Fry said there are no continuing discussions between the Greens and the other three parties running mayoral candidates: the Vancouver Liberals, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, and Vote Vancouver. Those other three parties, all led by former political allies of Sim, “are really Ken Sim-esque,” Fry said, and voters “who are upset with the last four years and feel they were misled in voting for ABC, I think that they are not interested in more of the same.”
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Asked whether anything was promised to Azaroff, Allen or their parties in recent discussions in exchange for dropping out of the race, Fry said: “There was no promise made at all, other than the original negotiation that we would figure it out, and only run one mayoral candidate among the three of us.”
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After Azaroff finished his public remarks at Tuesday’s news conference, he had a little chat off to the side of the plaza with Allen and Fry. As the three broke after sharing some quiet words, handshakes and hugs, Fry borrowed COPE’s frequent rallying cry, quipping: “All right, now let’s evict Ken Sim.”
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In the hours after Azaroff’s announcement, TEAM and the Liberals issued their own respective statements thanking him for his contribution to the campaign, and making the case for why their party should get your vote.
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Second-term Coun. Rebecca Bligh, who was elected in 2022 with ABC before being expelled from the party early last year and is running this year with the new Vote Vancouver party, said Tuesday she’s not considering dropping out. Bligh questioned whether supporters of COPE and OneCity would actually consolidate behind Fry, when the three parties have been at odds on many policies as recently as this year.
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“When Vancouverites go to the ballot box, they’re going to vote based on who puts forward a platform and solutions that are going to solve their biggest issues. And we haven’t even gotten started yet,” Bligh said. “The race essentially started today.”
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With files from Stephanie Ip
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