‘It’s not personal’: Vancouver mayor’s ex-chief of staff starts his own political party

He was fired, sued, and now he’s trying to run the show.

Kareem Allam — Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s former chief of staff — has officially launched his own political party, with the goal of dethroning Sim in next year’s municipal election.

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The party is called the Vancouver Liberals, a name Allam says is a nod to his political roots, and a pitch to Vancouver voters who are fed up with the city’s ABC majority.

“I’ve been involved in politics for 25 years, [and] the party that I spent the most amount of time with was the BC Liberals. So it was natural for me to gravitate towards that name,” Allam told CityNews.

“Looking at what’s going on in the city, what I think people are craving is balanced, thoughtful, evidence-based decision making…it’s time to bring some responsible leadership back to City Hall.”

On Friday, Elections BC confirmed it has granted the Vancouver Liberals official registration status.

Allam says his platform will focus on slashing red tape, fast-tracking housing, and restoring affordability — especially for younger generations.

“Young people are not setting up roots here in the city of Vancouver, and they’re not doing it for two reasons: one, we’re not creating the jobs that they want; and two, we’re not building affordably. We need to build faster, smarter, and cheaper.”

If elected, the long-time political strategist says he would roll back some of ABC’s more controversial policies — like Task Force Barrage and the city’s supportive housing ban, both of which were implemented under Mayor Sim’s direction.

“I think a lot of people have been disillusioned by ABC, and the last byelection is all the indication that we need to show that Vancouver voters are deeply unhappy with ABC.”

On day one in office, Allam says he would also send a letter to Premier David Eby to make one thing clear: “Our parks and our park board are not for sale.”

And while Allam insists his return to the political spotlight isn’t about settling scores, the timing is hard to ignore.

He’s currently in the middle of a legal battle with Vancouver’s mayor, who is suing him — and local businessperson Alex Tsakumis — for alleged defamation.

The lawsuit revolves around conversations and social media posts in which Sim was accused of being pulled over for drunk driving and let go by police.

In legal responses, Allam and Tsakumis both deny defaming the mayor, and Allam’s recently-filed response asks for the case to be dismissed.

“It’s not personal,” Allam said.

“There’s only one reason to run for office, and that’s because you think you can do a better job. The only reason why I’m stepping forward is because I really care about the city, and I don’t feel that it’s being led in a direction that the voters of Vancouver actually ever supported.”

–With files from Mike Lloyd