Veteran Vancouver politician goes independent

Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Allan De Genova, who was suspended from the caucus of the civic Non-Partisan Association earlier this year,announced Mondayhe has decided to serve the rest of his term as an independent.

The veteran commissioner has been a member of the VancouverNPA for 18 years, and has been on the park board for the past 13 years.

De Genova was kicked out of the NPA caucus by Mayor Sam Sullivan back in May when he argued that a fellow NPA commissioner should not vote on the planned expansion of the Vancouver Aquarium because of a conflict of interest.

De Genova said Mondayhe's become frustrated with what he says is the mayor's inability to make decisions.

"I go to Sam on a number of occasions and Sam will not make the decision himself. He will get back to me. He will caucus widely. And that is great to encompass the people to work with, and then come back, but he still doesn't make the decision, and that's what frustrates me."

The five-term commissioner also said he will now be able to speak his mind as an independent.

"I have always been a person who has voted with my conscience, and increasingly over the past year or so, I have found it difficult and constraining to speak my mind as much as I would have liked."

Vision Vancouverthe city's opposition partysaid De Genova's decision is evidence of a rift in the NPA.

Vision has been talking to De Genova about running on its slate in the next civic election in 2008. But the veteran commissioner said he's made no decisions about his political future.