Pubdate: Wed, 30 Nov 2005
Source: Voice, The (CN BC Edu)
Copyright: 2005 Langara College
Contact:  http://www.langara.bc.ca/voice/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3592
Author: Sabine Boersch, and Luke Brooki

PAST `RESEARCH' HAUNTS SULLIVAN

Must Look Into Future Mayor's Illegal Admission, Says Police
Chief

Vancouver's mayor-elect, is facing heat again -- this time for his
admission to buying drugs for a crack addict while serving as city
councillor.

Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham requested two weeks ago the RCMP
look into Sam Sullivan's admission, RCMP spokesman John Ward said.

The seven-year-old incident came up during the campaign when Sullivan
admitted to giving money to an addict for drugs and allowing the
addict to smoke the drugs in his van. Sullivan wanted to learn more
about addiction at a street level, according to an interview Sullivan
did with CBC.

"I think I'll do whatever I have to do on all these incidents,"
Sullivan told reporters before yesterday's council meeting. "Every
citizen knew about the issues and they still voted me mayor." Coun.
Tim Louis, under Coalition of Progressive Electors, believes the
request was politically motivated.

"It only became an issue when [Graham's] candidate [Jim Green]
appeared at risk of being defeated. If this had just happened
yesterday, nobody could suggest that the politician is above the law."

But Graham said this was not a political decision, according to CKNW.
He said he could not ignore that the mayor had broken the law.

As mayor-elect, Sullivan will become chair of the Vancouver Police
Board. Shona McGlashen, executive director of the Vancouver Police
Board, said it is the law that Sullivan becomes the chair and no
investigation would change that.

Darrell Kean, a Langara political science instructor, said that police
officers can still be on the police force with a criminal record of
minor charges, including drug possession. He does not know if the same
would apply to the Vancouver police board.

This is the second time Sullivan has been scrutinized since he was
elected mayor on Nov. 19. Shortly after the election, an inquiry was
made into the relationship between independent mayoral candidate James
Green.

According to CBC, Sullivan's main opponent, Vision Vancouver's Jim
Green, may have lost because two mayoral candidates with the same
surname confused voters. James Green got 4,273 votes, which is more
than the 3,747 ballots separating Sullivan and Green.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin