Sullivan wins Liberal nomination
Posted February 20, 2013 11:41 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER(NEWS1130)- A former Vancouver mayor has made the leap to provincial politics. Sam Sullivan will represent the BC Liberals in Vancouver-False Creek in the provincial election this spring.
Sullivan won the nomination over former Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt, who was also attempting a political comeback, and Vancouver lawyer Brian Fixter.
“I am so deeply moved by the support that I had from so many wonderful volunteers,” says Sullivan.
“And I love introducing young people to the processes of our government,” he adds.
Sullivan credits a youth movement in the riding for propelling him to victory.
“You know, I had very few people who were involved in my mayoral campaigns, or the city council campaigns,” he says. “All these new people showed up, young people.”
The new Vancouver-False Creek candidate says his riding is the youngest in BC.
“And we’ve got all these young people who are the entrepreneurs, the professionals, the people who are going to make our future economy,” Sullivan says.
He says it is his job, and his party’s, to create a supportive environment for business to thrive.
Sullivan is taking over the riding from MLA Mary McNeil, who decided not to run in the election coming up on May 14th.
McNeil has represented the riding since 2009, when then-MLA Mayencourt quit to run for the federal Conservatives. His bid to unseat longtime Liberal MP Hedy Fry in Vancouver-Centre failed.
Sullivan and Premier Christy Clark are no strangers. He defeated Clark to capture the NPA nomination and win Vancouver’s 2005 mayoral race, serving a single term.
“She got involved with my campaign after we had that little bit of a dust-up,”says Sullivan.
“Politics is interesting.You know, one day you’re enemies, and the next day you’re friends.”
Sullivan has been out of politics for five years and spent time studying government at UBC.
“But I realized that all of the great thoughts, all of the great academic studies aren’t worth anything unless you do something with them,” he says.
517 ballots were cast at the nomination meeting, held at a hotel in downtown Vancouver. Two of the ballots were spoiled.
Sullivan received 273 votes. He needed 258 to win.
Mayencourt received 201 votes while Fixter received 40.
