Bob Mackin
Was it a clever, trick question or another mistake from the polling company that blew last year’s Calgary election prediction?
The Mainstreet Research robocall poll on the Vancouver election asked about support for mayoral candidates, including one named Maya Richards. Mainstreet reported Sept. 9 that 1.1% of the 862 respondents were most likely to vote for Richards, while 2.6% considered themselves decided or leaning toward Richards.
Who is this candidate?
The infant daughter of Vision Vancouver supporter Rory Richards.
In a satirical, April 29 Facebook post, Rory Richards wrote under the headline “Vancouver’s Youngest Mayoral Candidate Emerges.”
Rory Richards’ satirical Facebook post.
Maya Richards announced her Mayoral candidacy in Vancouver’s highly anticipated municipal election.
‘lt’s time for a change.’ Richards told a packed room of supporters at a Chinatown fundraiser on Sunday. And she wasn’t referring to her diaper.
From Tories to treehuggers, granola lovers to gas guzzlers, Richards feels that she is the unity candidate the city needs to heal the deep partisan lines that have kept Vancouver divided.
‘Whether you’re a whiny 1%’er or a crybaby communist – I speak your language and share your sense of entitlement.’ Richards told supporters. ‘But the tantrums stop here. We must unite for a better Vancouver.’
When pressed on policy she dodged questions about her platform, but insiders close to Richards say that it will likely be liberal on Cheerios and tough on broccoli.
However, Richards did reveal that a core focus of her campaign will be tackling affordable housing. She says that between her child tax benefit and salary as a professional matzah ball, she struggles to make her crib rent and stroller payments.
And like many babies in the city, attending daycare in the future is a pipe dream. She says adults are taking up valuable daycare stock, making it impossible for babies like her to get into the market.’
‘The adult daycare at City Hall has got to end.’ says Richards. ‘It’s time to grow up and make room for real babies.’
Minimum age to run for public office in British Columbia is 18, which means Richards cannot really be included on the 2018 ballot to decide a replacement for Gregor Robertson.
Mainstreet president Quito Maggi has not immediately responded for comment.
The inclusion of Maya Richards is reminiscent of U.S. opinion polls in 2015 and 2016 that included a presidential candidate by the name of Deez Nuts. The satirical candidate was actually Iowa teenager Brady Olson, who wouldn’t have met the minimum age of 35 to be sworn-in as president.
That was not the only oddity in the Mainstreet survey.
theBreaker obtained a recording of the poll on Sept. 5. The questionnaire omitted left-wing parties COPE and OneCity. Same for Fred Harding, the mayoral candidate for Vancouver 1st.
Mainstreet Research
The Greens were the fourth party listed in the two questions about party preference, but they were not included in the results.
Maggi claimed in a news release that he wanted to see the relationship between some of the mayoral candidates and their parties. Greens and COPE will be included next time.
Among decided and leaning voters, independent Kennedy Stewart led with support from 23.3% of respondents, followed by the Yes party’s Bremner (13.6%) and NPA’s Ken Sim (12.4%). Vision Vancouver’s Ian Campbell, who quit the race on Sept. 10, was fourth at 9%.
On the two questions corresponding with Bremner’s campaign, almost as many people (35.2%) supported as opposed (34.7%) Bremner’s proposal for a 50% speculation tax on homes sold unimproved within two years and 43.1% disagreed that the mayor must have city hall experience. Rookie Bremner is the only candidate with Vancouver city council experience, albeit only 10 months after winning last fall’s by-election.
The Sept. 4-5 poll sampled 862 adults 18 years and older living in Vancouver. However, theBreaker learned that not all contacted on mobile phones and landlines were eligible to vote in City of Vancouver. The company said the survey was not sponsored by a third party, and it had a plus or minus 3.34%, 19 times out of 20, margin of error.
Mainstreet apologized profusely for conducting three polls for Postmedia that incorrectly predicted challenger Bill Smith would knock-off incumbent Naheed Nenshi in last fall’s Calgary civic election.
Listen to the Mainstreet Sept. 5 robocall poll. Click below.
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