Today, Friends of Soccer is inviting the major Vancouver mayoral candidates to use our website to address the stadium issue. We'll be publishing their responses as soon as they arrive, unedited and without commentary.
The letter below has been sent to Mayor Sullivan, Peter Ladner, Allan DeGenova, Raymond Louie and Gregor Robertson. Although he has not formally declared his intention to run, we have also extended the invite to David Cadman.
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My name is Bill Currie, and I represent the grassroots citizens movement Friends of Soccer. Since October, 2005, thousands of citizens have used the Friends of Soccer movement to voice their support for the proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium. Thousands more consult the Friends of Soccer website (www.friendsofsoccer.org) every month for information on current developments regarding the stadium project. Many of these people pass this information on to their associations, teammates and others. We operate independently of the Whitecaps and our supporters span all ages, cultures and political beliefs.
While the upcoming election will encompass many major issues, it has become obvious that the Whitecaps stadium will be one of them. Many of our supporters want to know the candidates' positions regarding the stadium, and one major mayoral candidate has actively sought out our support. While we have no intention of endorsing any particular mayoral candidate, we believe it would be fair and transparent to provide all candidates with an opportunity to address our supporters regarding the stadium.
I am pleased to invite you to use the Friends of Soccer website to express your detailed position on the Whitecaps Stadium. You have my personal assurance that, regardless of your position, your words will appear in their entirety, unedited, and without commentary by our website. You are also free to use this as an opportunity to inform our supporters on where they can find more information on your campaign, and how they can join. I highly encourage you to take this opportunity.
While you are free, of course, to take any stance on the stadium, you should be aware that our supporters are most interested in your answers to these three questions:
1.Do you support the Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium Proposal? Why or why not?
2.If you support it, what plan of action do you have to make it a reality?
3.What makes you uniquely qualified to succeed on this issue?
I will publish your position soon after we receive it. Should you choose to decline, we will simply print that you chose to do so, without further commentary. We ask that you reply no later than Wednesday, May 21.
Regardless of your position on this issue, I believe it's fair to say that the stadium has engaged average citizens in the political process in a unique way. It is my hope that you will accept this invitation to continue the dialogue.
Sincerely,
Bill Currie
Friends of Soccer
www.friendsofsoccer.org
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