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. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens