Vancouver's NPA opens up race for mayor's seat

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and city Coun. Peter Ladner will go head to head in the battle for the Vancouver Civic Non-Partisan Association's endorsement to run for the top job in the next civic election after the partychanged its nomination process.

NPA's president has confirmed the party will waive its current nomination process,and hold an open leadership vote bypartymembers.

But party president Matthew Taylor told CBC reporter Stephen Quinn on Mondaythat when that vote will take place is still being worked out.

The change comes after Sullivan wrote a letter to the board of theNPA over the weekend, asking the party to do away with the candidate approval process that gave him an almost automatic endorsement to run again as the party's candidate for mayor in the comingNovember election.

The so-called green light process, put into place six months ago,endorsed all the sittingNPA councillors and the mayor to run again, provided they could demonstrate they still had strong community support.

Last Wednesday, Ladner, an NPA member,asked the board to hold an open nomination race so he could challenge Sullivan, but the board refused. Sullivan had said he saw nothing wrong with the process but on Monday said he now also wants an open vote by members.

"I really reflected on my priorities. No. 1,I wanted to see the city having good government. No. 2, I wanted to see the NPA is healthy and cohesive. And way down the list, No. 3, is my own ambitions and my own career," said Sullivan.

Ladneroriginally voiced no objections to the green light process, which would have allowed him to run again for council, until recently, after hedecided to run for mayor. He was first elected to Vancouver city council in 2002 and re-elected in 2005.

Sullivan was elected to council in 1993 and served as a councillor for 12 years. He was elected mayor in November 2005.