Vision Vancouver focusing on upcoming 'historic election'

About 100 people packed a small room atSFUlast night for Vision Vancouver's annual general meeting, which focused largely on the upcoming municipal election.

The meeting followed anannouncementlast week fromGregorRobertson thathe won't seek re-election as mayorof Vancouver.

"I think it's a good time to pass the torch," Robertson said. "I'm really excited about who comes next."

While the news of Robertson's departure is still fresh, it isrumour and conjecture as to who's next in line for the job.

Coun. Raymond Louie says he's mulling thepossibility and checking in with supporters and family.Coun. KerryJangwasn't at the meeting Monday night, but an announcement is expected soon.

"He's working on the family side of things now," Robertson said.

'Ahistoric election'

Coun.AndreaReimerand Coun.Tim Stevensonalso have said they won't run for re-election.

Outgoing party co-chairMariaDobrinskayaadmitted the party will see a lot of transitions in the next few months, but she said that could be a positive change.

"There hasn'tbeen a lot of opportunityfor new people entering the race, council in particular,"Dobrinskaya said.

"Andin many ways it's going to be a historic election because there's going to be a lot of space."

She admitted the party recently came out of a "tough byelection," which emphasized the need for co-operation from all the city's progressive parties.

"If we don't work together, the NPA gets elected,"Dobrinskayasaid.

That was a refrain repeated by Robertson, who said Vision welcomes "anyone who wants to work with us."

He noted that theparty's victories in 2008 and 2011 were due in large part to those partnerships.

Campaign financing

Dobrinskayasaid the party expects to open nominations by mid-February, and have allcandidates in place by the end of June.

Whoever takes over the new positions will have to face new municipal campaign financing reforms, which came into effect last fall.

The reforms include rules thatban union and corporate donations and limit individual donations to $1,200.But Dobrinskayasays she's not worried.

"We've been long-term advocates of campaign finance reform," she said.

"We have the largest individual donor base of any party and we're well positioned to continue to build on that."