District of North Vancouver Coun. Roger Bassam is dropping out of the race for mayor.
Bassam released a statement Friday afternoon saying he was suspending his campaign to take a promotion within the software company he works for.
“You never know what will happen in the future but I had to make a decision. … I thought I was going to have enough runway to get through the election but I have opportunities here in my private life and the company I’m working with,” Bassam said in a later interview. “You look at the balance of personal responsibilities to your family versus seeking opportunities and following your heart. Sometimes the responsibilities weigh much more heavily.”
Bassam’s departure from the mayoralty race leaves three candidates in the contest so far.
Those include former District of North Vancouver councillor and federal Conservative candidate 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.
Bassam said he is doubtful he will endorse any competitors in the mayoral race but he will be campaigning for council candidates who share the same goals as him – keeping the district growing in line with the official community plan and eventual North Vancouver amalgamation.
“We are at a pretty pivotal point for the community. I recognize there is a lot of frustration and angst that has built up over the years, but packing it in out of frustration is usually the wrong answer,” he said. “I think we have a really good official community plan in place and what we need to do is execute it well. I know there are some people who understand that, who recognize that it’s not easy but it is the best way forward for us.”
As for whether he stood a chance of winning when voters go to the polls on Oct. 20, Bassam conceded it wouldn’t have been easy, especially if voter turnout stays at traditionally low levels and incumbents are at risk.
“My calculations have always been that it would have been a little bit of an uphill battle,” he said. “I think I had a really good shot at winning if we had a high voter turnout.”
In leaving civic politics, Bassam said his hope is that voters in the next election will think about the future.
“Much as today we have minor troubles and inconveniences in our lives around transportation, think about the future because council’s decisions are not about today or tomorrow. They’re about five, 10 and 20 years from now. We need to recognize that North Vancouver district needs to be a little bit different than it is right now. We’re not going to survive as a single-family neighbourhood,” he said.
