Residents turn on alderman
Larocque calls criticism sour grapes
Kim Guttormson, Calgary Herald
Published: Monday, September 24, 2007
It happens so rarely, a cash-strapped organization rejecting money.
But the Martindale community association board returned $500 to the city this summer, stating it didn't want Helene Larocque, the alderman for the area, to interfere with a movie night in the park.
The event went ahead. Larocque passed out campaign literature nearby. And relations between the incumbent and a number of her constituents hit what some would consider a new low.
For her part, Larocque dismisses the criticism, saying it's simply politics.
While there has been bad blood between Larocque and pockets of the ward for her entire first term, it's starting to spill over into open hostility as the campaign heats up.
"She is the incumbent in the most trouble in the city, at the most risk of losing her seat," said Naheed Nenshi, with the Better Calgary Campaign, which advocates for better municipal government and will be making a group decision around endorsements at the beginning of October.
Nenshi, who ran fourth against Larocque in the 2004 election, said the fight for Ward 3 will likely be the most interesting race in the city.
"You have a situation where you have an incumbent, who won by a very narrow margin, who is not universally loved in the neighbourhood, but certainly does have pockets of support," Nenshi said, "competing against someone who pretty much started campaigning the day he lost last time and has a lot of endorsements, representing the traditional parts of the community, the community associations and so on.
"And then you have this third candidate who may not be as well known in those traditional parts of the community, but is exceptionally well known in the more ethnically diverse parts of the community."
Trying to unseat Larocque on Oct. 15 are businessman Jim Stevenson, who also ran in 2004, and George Chahal, a vice-president of Oxford Homes, who has a degree in planning.
Many community leaders are supporting Stevenson and -- while stressing they speak for themselves, not their associations -- are happy to document at length what they see as Larocque's failings.
Those include an abrasive manner, not returning phone calls and inflating her role in area projects, including the proposed northeast recreation centre and the extension of the LRT line to near Westwinds park.
Her decision to vote against the 2007 city budget -- which included money for fire and EMS and for planning work on the recreation centre -- has drawn criticism from constituents and some of her council colleagues.
"I'm really sick of her taking the credit for all the work the volunteers have done. She's never once said we're responsible," said Grant Galpin, who's involved with both the Saddleridge community association and the North East Centre of Community Society.
"We've done more without her than we've done with her," said Kelly Jones, who's with the Martindale community association, where Larocque was once the president.
Khalil Karbani, who lives in Taradale and is involved with the recreation centre, says organizers often feel they need to take it upon themselves to convince other aldermen to support their projects.
"We've had to go to every alderman separately and do her work," he said.
Larocque calls it sour grapes; a few unhappy people who supported other candidates when she won the hotly contested 2004 race.
"I think there are a few key people in the community who have personally allowed their opinions to cross over into their community work and I think that's very unfortunate," she said. "And they haven't attempted to try to mend the relationship.
"I've tried, but I think that they've publicly had some hostility towards me."
However, it's evident the dislike runs deep on both sides. For example, in correspondence, the president of the Martindale community association, Terry-lyn Martin, and Larocque don't refer to each other by name, just titles.
While Stevenson, who lives just outside the ward, hosted a barbecue in Martindale last weekend, Larocque knocked on doors directly across the street.
Larocque believes she has support in the larger ward and argues the community associations don't necessarily represent the wider area.
In an interview this week, the incumbent alderman wouldn't commit to public forums during the campaign, saying it depends on her schedule.
Her critics say it's another example of her attitude.
The Northern Hills Community Association said it tried to reach her team numerous times before setting a date for their Oct. 1 forum, but received no response.
Ghosts of the 2004 race hang heavy over this battle. Three years ago, Ward 3 was wide open after longtime alderman John Schmal retired.
Thirteen people vied to replace him, with Larocque edging her closest opponent by 154 ballots. Many felt the number of candidates split the vote, allowing Larocque to win.
Stevenson, finishing third, was 181 votes behind Larocque. At least two of his opponents in 2004 now support his bid to unseat the first-term alderman.
Nenshi, who is not personally endorsing any candidate, said the introduction of Chahal, the only fresh name on the ballot, adds an interesting element.
The 32-year-old father lives on the west side of Deerfoot -- the other candidates live to the east. He is a Calgary-born member of an ethnic group in the most diverse ward in the city, and is apart from the Larocque-Stevenson fray.
He won't comment on the other candidates and posts their newsletters in his campaign office. He and Stevenson have also sat down for a quick chat.
At the same time, he's not as well known as the other two candidates.
As the campaign enters its second week, the pieces are falling into place for an intriguing battle, ensuring that for the second election in a row, political watchers will be keeping a close eye on Ward 3.
kguttormson@theherald.canwest.com
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So, sounds like Larocque is not popular with her own constituents. Anyone going to put down money on her getting the punt?
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