It's official - David Eby running in Vancouver

Now we can officially advise you Vancouverites to vote early and often for David Eby for councilor!  Oops, did I say early and often?  My roots must be showing.  Vote early and ONCE only, not a few times under the registered names of deceased relatives.  (Actually, I think he has to get the Vision Vancouver nomination first, but c'mon, he is the unofficial darling of A Creative Revolution - it's a sure thing.  We are highly influential, yanno.  Heh!) 

Now for the burning question - why would someone so young and so bright do such a thing?  

Second, for why I’m taking this step, for anyone who has been to city hall lately, I imagine I shouldn’t have to explain why I’m interested in running generally. If you’ve spent time at city hall, it’s surely crossed your mind that you could do a better job than the, unfortunately, majority of the folks behind the wooden barrier.

For the DTES, and the whole city, when we can’t even council to vote to get a staff to report back on the possibility of a planner coming to Carnegie once a month, something is extremely wrong.

The very good possibility of being able to cancel the money wasting and divisive Project Civil City, move forward on the Standards of Maintenance Bylaw that we’ve been begging for (for years) to ensure minimum standards in rental housing, enforcing the 20% minimum affordable housing (real housing, not just land or money) in every new development, guaranteeing the 20% athlete’s village “affordable” housing will go to the homeless, dedicating money to building housing instead of turning parking lots into Olympic TV theatres, requiring police to intervene in illegal evictions, scrapping the Downtown Ambassador private security expansion, establishing a right to shelter for the homeless so they can protect themselves from the elements, making it expensive for owners to keep SROs closed, punish those who convert SRO rooms illegally, and on and on and on is too tempting to pass up.

I just simply adore this guy.   Yes, even though he doesn't respond to comments on his blog.  It's okay, he's busy stickin' it to The Man and that's more important than telling some brave Anonymous to get bent in the com box:

Hi David,

I totally support your running for city council and fully intend to vote for you.

That said, I disagree with pretty much all of your views so my reason for supporting you will be so you can finally see that the REAL world is lot more difficult to balance priorities in.

That said, if you plan on being 'just another special interest advocate' (this time, for the DTES) then I fully believe you will fit in with the rest of the nobs on City Council who just sit around trying to get their pet projects passed.

Good luck.

So I will say to Mister Anonymous douche: get bent.  *Common sense disclaimer - I do NOT speak for Mr. Eby and the views of A Creative Revolution, its authors or commentors do not necessarily reflect his views or that of his campaign.  When I say, "Hey, you douche, get bent!", it's coming straight from my heart, not Eby's.

Read David Eby's blog to get a better feel for what he stands for (hint: justice, humanity, housing, giving voice to those who have none, etc.).   Also check out Pivot Legal Society's site to see where he works and what he can bring to the table as a city councilor.  Vancouver will be LUCKY to get this guy on council. 

Run, David! Run!