Sullivan vs.Ladner......saturday, Saturday, SATURDAY!!!

From CBC.ca

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan says he has the unanimous support of his party's councillors to run again for mayor, but his challenger, Coun. Peter Ladner, says the mayor is using intimidation to secure that support.

The two candidates, who are both hoping to win the Non-Partisan Association's mayoral nomination on Saturday, squared off Wednesday morning in a debate aired live on CBC Radio.

Ladner opened by saying Sullivan's popularity had fallen and opinion polls suggested he couldn't win the November civic election, but councillors are feeling pressured to continue to support the mayor anyway.

"The mayor has a certain amount of power over people," Ladner said. "He can intimidate people. There are a lot of people who fear reprisals from the mayor if they're not doing what he thinks they should do."

Sullivan said the suggestion he was strong-arming the party's outspoken councillors into supporting him was laughable.

"The idea that any of our caucus members can be intimated by me is ridiculous," he said. "The one group of people that has more at stake than anybody is that caucus, and not one of them believe that Coun. Ladner is going to win the election with the team."

Sullivan maintained he had wider support inside the party, vital for presenting a united front in the coming election against candidates from rival civic parties Vision Vancouver and COPE.

The two candidates also debated a range of other issues. Both said they supported disciplined spending at city hall, with Ladner proposing three-year budget planning and Sullivan promising to keep taxes down.

On housing, Sullivan said his eco-density plans would allow people to build more affordable housing and defended his record on social housing, saying thousands of units had been created or planned during his tenure.

Ladner said the city needed to get developers building more rental accommodation rather than just condominiums for those ready to buy a home.

On the issues of homelessness, drugs and mental illness, Sullivan argued he was working hard to have the province reopen the mental hospital at Riverview in Coquitlam while Ladner said Sullivan's poor relationship with provincial politicians was getting in the way of progress on the issue. More treatment facilities are need for addicts, Ladner said.

On transit, Sullivan defended his record promoting plans for a new rapid transit line to the University of British Columbia and the coming completion of the downtown-to-Richmond route, as well 100 kilometres of new bike routes.

Ladner criticized what he considers Sullivan's lack of influence and leadership on transit planning across the wider Metro Vancouver area and advocated extending student transit passes and promoting the use of bikes through a bike-sharing program.

NPA members will choose between the two candidates in a vote on Saturday. No matter who wins the nomination, both candidates said they would support the party's choice in the upcoming civic election.

Sullivan was elected to Vancouver City Council in 1993 and served as a councillor for 12 years before he was elected mayor in November 2005. Ladner was first elected to Vancouver City Council in 2002 and re-elected in 2005