Where did Gregor go? Poll reveals Vancouver pining for leadership

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson appeared today after a long silence.

The mayor's lengthy absence during the city's biggest cold snap in 30 years sparked anger on social media, but a political branding expert in Victoria B.C., says the disappearing act during the deep freeze was just the last straw.

Public frustration peaked on social media this week after Robertson's 50 per cent approval earned him the lowest mayoral approval rating in Canada in a recent Mainstreet poll taken in the midst of the city's "snowpocalypse".

The Jan. 3 and 4 telephone survey hit when many people were angry and trapped inside.

Mainstreet's executive vice president, David Valentin, described the poll as a snapshot in time that can change and does not predict the next election.

And the mayor pointed out that Vancouver is tougher on politicians than other cities and polls are often skewed.

Deeper problems than a poll

But a political branding expert says the poll does tap into deeper problems.

Vancouver's wrath toward the mayor stems from messaging missteps in the new world of Twitter politics, said University of Victoria business professor David Dunne.

Even before the cold snap, Dunne says a lot of voters felt "he was not their guy. He wasn't identifying with their pain. So when the cold snap hit those voices got louder."

Everybody deserves a holiday, but politicians must now have a strategy in place to respond if something blows up.

That's how other mayors — like Calgary's Naheed Nenshi and Ottawa's Jim Watson — remain popular.

In the new world, voters talk back and smart leaders engage with them, said Dunne.

Nenshi is well-known for thoughtful Twitter posts, even in response to racism or smears. Watson tweets about Rideau Canal skate days and even his glee at a day off.

And then the rain came

On Tuesday, Robertson faced a rain of questions from reporters.

"I understand people's frustration. I was on the phone almost every day dealing with the challenges," said the mayor.

"This was not about leadership," he said, pointing out the city faced unprecedented weather woes.

But many feel the mayor only sees green, often ignoring basic city needs.

He did vow to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world and expressed disappointment with the recent approval of Trans Mountain pipeline's expansion, warning of mass protests.

"Yes, he's very interested in the oil tankers and pipeline files, but he just doesn't seem to have the degree of interest when it comes to, not just keeping the roads clear, but many civic services," said social housing advocate and developer Michael Geller.

'Mayor Moonbeam'

Others seem to agree, pointing to Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart who appeared in constant contact with citizens, even tweeting about how much brine was applied on frozen B.C. roads.

People stuck inside their homes who fear ice-rink sidewalks and piled-up recycling are grumbling on social media about "Mayor Moonbeam."

Some, like Kirsten Jenna on Twitter, defended Robertson for staying "true to his morals." 

But with a civic election still more than a year-and-a-half away, six weeks of snow and garbage pileup fuelled frustration.

Even queries from the media were met with silence over the holidays.

"City Hall is closed this week, so it will be tough to get anyone lined up for the media," Tobin Postma, wrote on Dec. 28 to CBC after numerous pleas for answers about city services or some word from the mayor.

Even the ton of salt the city provided for free to solve the problem did little to alleviate public irritation.

Basic services first 

Many complained even before their sidewalks were unpassable. Traffic was a huge irritation.

The mayor has seemed out of touch, focusing on bike lanes when Vancouver traffic woes rank up there with New York or Los Angeles, according to a Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) report.

Others are frustrated with backlogs at city hall where the glacial pace of building approvals infuriates developers and housing activists alike.

And even some Robertson's campaign pillars — a promise to rid the city of homelessness — have now turned to silence, as the city struggles with chronic housing issues.

Pick up a shovel

The mayor said Tuesday he is focused on city issues.

He weighed in on the need for warming shelters in the cold and the need to review city snow and ice services.

He also told reporters today that he paid attention to the city and the "carnage" caused by Vancouver's opioid-overdose crisis.

He pointed out he added an extra 0.5 per cent on already spiking property taxes, to fix "balls dropped" on that provincial issue.

Nor does Robertson apologize for going on holiday, lauding staff's efforts while he was away and downplaying his own usefulness.

"Sure, I would have been another person here. I could have been shovelling the sidewalks," he said today.

The mayor just seems to miss the point of how powerful an image of him — shovel or pickaxe in hand — might have been.