District of North Vancouver Coun. Roger Bassam announced Friday he is pulling out of the race for mayor.
In a statement released late Friday afternoon, Bassam wrote, “Effective today I have suspended my campaign for mayor of the District of North Vancouver.”
Bassam wrote that “While I remain passionate about this community and have deep concerns about our future I have made the decision to pursue a private sector opportunity. I do this in recognition that my family obligations trump my personal desire to participate in our local politics and lead our municipality.”
Bassam has served three terms on council since 2008. Speaking to the North Shore News at the time he announced his run for mayor he said he was inspired to seek the top job, in part, because of his dissatisfaction with the rollout of locking garbage bins. To him, it was emblematic of a council that had lost its focus on serving residents.
“I think it’s a pretty pivotal time in the district,” he said. “It was kind of step up or step away.”
On Friday, Bassam said in his statement that while district is in good shape financially, it is “at a crossroads philosophically.”
“Government is painfully slow,” he wrote, adding he hopes the community “chooses to stay the course and implement the OCP fully and within the 20-year horizon.” But he added, “I have my doubts this will happen. We appear to be far more concerned with the inconveniences of today than the consequences our inaction will have upon our children.”
Bassam also lamented in his statement what he described as a “meaner” politics on the municipal stage.
“Perhaps it is a cascade effect from the toxic populist politics that are dominating the United States and shown on media everywhere,” he wrote, adding, “I fear the days of reasonable and rational thoughtful debate on the issues are over. We have politicians who have spent decades in office and now clearly feel entitled to behave awfully and ignore the rules which govern council conduct.”
“I will not miss the ‘alternative facts’ and awful conduct that dominated this past council term. We can be better,” he wrote.
He added he hopes “our community embraces change and stops fearing it.”
Bassam was not available for an interview with the North Shore News prior to releasing his statement late on Friday afternoon.
Bassam’s depature from the mayoralty race leaves three candidates in the contest so far.
Those include former District of North Vancouver councillor Mike Little, newcomer Ash Amlani who is running under the banner of the newly-formed Building Bridges Electors Society and Deep Cove filmmaker and entrepreneur Erez Barzilay.
It’s early days yet, however.
Nominations for council positions officially open Sept. 4 and close Sept. 14.
Voters cast their ballots Oct. 20
