Pubdate: Wed, 18 Sep 2002
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author:  Allen Garr

OWEN TRIBUTE TURNS INTO CLARKE FOCUS GROUP

Jennifer Clarke's campaign for the mayor's chair is turning into an 
exercise in poor taste, bad political judgement and raw ambition. In her 
latest move, she and the NPA are trying to hijack a fundraising screening 
of the film FIX: The Story of an Addicted City, billed as a tribute to 
Mayor Phillip Owen.

Owen is still ticked about the way he was manhandled by the Non Partisan 
Association-"they kneecapped me and tossed me out." He announced a couple 
of weeks ago that instead of doing the usual thing by making his parting 
tribute a moneymaker for the NPA, he would raise funds for filmmaker Nettie 
Wild and her 90-minute documentary.

Wild's work supports the drug policy Owen champions, the policy that got 
him tossed by the crowd that now controls the NPA and handed the nomination 
to Clarke. (Clarke has been denying ever since, to anyone who will listen, 
that she had anything to do with knifing Owen.)

Owen's son Chris-who, until that bit of butchery, had been a powerhouse 
fundraiser for the NPA-came up with the idea of a special screening at the 
Vogue theatre Oct. 16 at 100 bucks a pop. That would raise the first 
$110,000 towards converting Wild's film from video to 35mm so it can be 
shown in theatres, then distributed to high schools and community groups 
across the country.

Last Tuesday, Chris Owen got a call from NPA Godfather J. P. Shason, the 
guy who orchestrated the plot to dump his dad. J.P. told Chris that the NPA 
was going to throw in $10,000-peanuts for folks with their deep pockets-to 
buy 100 tickets to show support for the mayor's tribute. Chris was speechless.

The next day, Clarke's spin doctor, Norman Stowe, put out a press release 
announcing what the mayor apparent and her party were up to. Those of you 
who've already laid out your dough should know that Clarke and the NPA plan 
to turn what was a fundraiser for a documentary and a tribute to Owen into 
a Jennifer Clarke campaign event.

It's reminiscent of tactics employed by the Trotskyists in this city in the 
'60s. Huge demonstrations were organized by broad-based coalitions to 
protest for peace or an end to the war in Vietnam. Moments before the 
masses were about to move through the streets, a handful of Trotskyists 
would turn up with their banners and assume a spot at the head of the 
parade. The news photos the next day made it appear as if this splinter 
group of opportunists had massive support.

The 100 tickets J.P. is buying will be handed out to community groups, 
Clarke says. And here's the clincher: "We're asking community leaders to 
join me, and other NPA candidates in the upcoming municipal election, at 
the screening." She plans to use the movie as motivation for a focus group 
to get her crowd elected-"I'm looking forward to getting their reaction 
when it's over"-so she can shape her policy.

When I tracked down Wild at the Toronto Film Festival and read her the news 
release, she said Clarke's hijack plans were "tasteless."

Owen said what Clarke and her pals are trying to do is "awful," adding: "My 
stomach started churning when I saw the wording in the press release." Owen 
says Clarke makes it sound like for the past four years, all he's been 
doing on his drug strategy is pushing pieces of paper around. In her 
release she says: "I'm looking forward to taking it off the drawing board 
and turning it into a reality."

That, says Owen, "is rather offensive." He says Clarke and the NPA has 
neither understood nor supported his policy.

What Clarke does understand, though, is that her perceived opposition to 
the drug strategy could cost her and the NPA the election.

That's why they're trying to buy their way to the front of someone else's 
parade.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens