Vancouver councillor to challenge mayor's nomination

A battle is brewing within Vancouver's ruling civic party, the Non-Partisan Association, over how candidates will be chosen for November's civic election.

Coun. Peter Ladner has told CBC News he will ask NPA executives to scrap a "green-lighting" process that would protect incumbent NPA civic politicians, including Mayor Sam Sullivan, from challengers within their own party.

The board of the NPA approved the green-lighting process last year.

Essentially it means if an incumbent can raise enough money, bring in enough memberships and demonstrate they have the support of the community, then their nomination to run in the next civic election in November will be approved by the NPA Board.

The mayor has been issuing news releases almost daily bearing the endorsements of prominent community members.

When the executive board meets on Wednesday, Ladner said he'll ask that nomination be opened up to a more democratic process.

"I want to let the NPA members have an opportunity to decide who the candidates should be for the next election,"Ladner told CBC News on Tuesday.

Ladner would not say whetherhe plans to challenge Sullivan for the mayor's job.

"I'm going to be talking to the NPA board about the process of the NPA and I'll make any public statements after that,"he said.

Ladner also refused to answer when asked if he was disenchanted with the mayor's leadership.

Sullivan told CBC News that the party membership would have a chance to vote on all the green-lighted candidates at an upcoming meeting. He denied the move by Ladner is a sign of a rift within the NPA ranks.

Sullivan waselected to Vancouver City Council in 1993 and served as a councillor for 12 years. He was elected mayor in November 2005.

Ladner was first elected to Vancouver City Council in 2002 and re-elected in 2005.