Tweet could cost Vancouver Park Board chair her job

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It looks like an offensive tweet could cost the chair of the Vancouver Park Board her job.

Sarah Blyth called fellow commissioner Melissa De Genova a liar last month during a heated exchange regarding the ongoing issue of centralizing the control of Vancouver’s community centres.

“We can disagree on policy but there’s no need to be unparliamentary in our behaviour to each other and I’m hoping to move forward with this notice of motion tonight,” says De Genova.

The March 13th tweet has since been deleted, but that wasn’t enough for De Genova, who filed a notice of motion last week calling for Blyth to be censured and removed from her post.

Blyth has since said sorry to De Genova, as well.

“While I do appreciate that the chair has informally apologized… it was not until after the media picked up on this, and I’m sure she was pressured,” says De Genova.

But Blyth would just as soon turn the page and move on. “I’m committed to being respectful and getting on with the good works that we do and that’s the most important thing to me and that’s why I ran and got elected and that’s what I’m hoping.”

She admits it’s very easy to get carried away in the heat of debate. “Sometimes we get passionate about different issues… but it’s always best to remember [to maintain] respectful conversations between all of us.”

De Genova feels there is a larger issue than her personal pride — that of the neutrality of the chair. “I’m hoping that we’ll able to have a discussion and debate at the board and that perhaps a new chair, that is neutral will be chosen.”

“It’s crucial to the success of the entire park board that our chair is neutral and able to handle themselves diplomatically in all situations,” she adds.

The offensive tweet was in response to a media report that Blyth had reversed position on a board move to hold consultations on how community centres are going to be run.