Vancouver’s mayor-elect Ken Sim is wasting no time preparing his transition to power.
Sim beat out incumbent mayor Kennedy Stewart for the city’s top job in the election Saturday and his ABC party is now holding eight of the 11 seats in the council chamber.
In a press conference Monday morning, Sim said they are excited the city of Vancouver gave them a “very clear message” that they want change.
Sim said just 12 hours after their win, they have already begun the process of transitioning to new leadership for the city.
“The goal is to hit the ground running on Nov. 7 when we take office,” Sim said.
He added he does not anticipate any surprises for the people of Vancouver as the party was very clear on its 94-point platform moving forward.
“Everyone in the city knows what our priorities are,” Sim said, “in fact, they voted on it and they gave us a resounding yes that they wanted to see it happen.”
He said the immediate focus will be working with the transition team to map out the four-year implementation plan.
Describing his election as the “longest job interview ever,” Sim told cheering supporters Saturday they would see a difference in city hall.
“ABC Vancouver was born out of a desire for change, a desire to do politics differently,” he said.
“It was born on the promise that decision in government should not be made on the advice of polls, lobbyists, activists, or whatever is trending on Twitter, but instead it should be made on the advice of parents and educators and scientists and health-care providers and what’s happening in community town halls and coffee shops.”
Sim and ABC have pledged to immediately hire 100 police officers and 100 mental health nurses to address the city’s crime and drug issues — a campaign pledge they say resonated on doorsteps.
He has pledged to pay for the new hires by finding savings from wasteful spending in the city budget.
Speaking Monday, Sim said they want to move quickly on those two promises, including speeding up the permitting process.
“We do want to make a big push on making more daycare spaces available,” he said.
Sim said they also want to make the City of Vancouver a ‘best employer’ in B.C.