Thanks for visiting this website.

The election is over, the results are in, and it is time to pause and reflect.

On a personal level, I would like to thank all of the voters who  put their confidence in my candidacy for School Board. It is gratifying . I will not let you down.

I am very happy to be joined on the board by incumbent Lisa Graham and by Jim Goring. They are both quality individuals and together, we will try to bring change to a situation that is crying out for it. 

In the last two years, Voice has made a huge contribution to the political landscape in New Westminster, and it has culminated in five Voice candidates being elected. That is a great show for a first election effort. There were many  stellar Voice candidates who did not get elected. I hope they remain involved and will put their names forward again. 

At council, the composition and the political balance has changed. We will have to wait and see how the special interest agenda plays out. One thing is more clear than ever, and that is that the tax and spend crowd is in charge. They will allow the Mayor to continue his 'development at all costs' agenda, while they pursue their social re-engineering agenda. You thought your taxes were high now? Hang on to your hats folks! In the last six years, the City's budget has increased a whopping 40%. Look for this trend to continue as friends and insiders get rewarded.

It will be interesting to see the financial disclosures from the individual candidates, and also third party involvement. The orgy of spending in the final week of the campaign will be revealing. It will disclose who really is in charge in the council chamber and the back rooms.

At the School Board, the picture will be much the same, with a majority of candidates being the same people that got the New Westminster School District into the incredible mess that it is in. Voice candidates will pursue the eight point agenda that was put before the electors. From private conversations that I have had, I am convinced that the challenges and the need for change is even greater than what was discussed during the election. (Nov.17, 2008).

I will leave some of the pre-election material on this page, to provide background.

Best wishes,

Casey. 

Very exciting developments have been taking place in New Westminster in the last year. Since the last election, many residents of New Westminster have been saying that it is time for a civic voters group to be formally organized. It has been abundantly clear that for several years, a de facto group had been  operating as a slate at both City Council and the School Board .  People shared the opinion, that for the last six years, the overall interests and  well- being of the city were not being served. It was largely felt  that special interest groups and selected individuals had the ear of both the city and the school board, and that the decision making processes reflected that fact.

At the School Board, it is clear that student well-being and educational outcomes have been compromised by hidden agendas, conflicts of interest, nepotism, and cronyism. On several occasions the Provincial Ministry of Education has had to step in, appoint consultants, and save the School Board from their own incompetence. Millions of scarce education dollars have been squandered by the current Trustees,  alias " The gang that couldn't shoot straight". Most of the board's business is done behind closed doors, and away from the board table. The board's business is badly in need of "daylighting".

At the city level, aging and inadequate infrastructure, the stench of back room deals, benefits to friends and insiders, the mass exodus of staff, litigation and threats of litigation, all have led to a pervasive sense of malaise.

Casey Cook

For too long, New Westminster has been operating in a fashion reminiscent of the New York days of Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed. If you are unfamiliar with those days, try googling, and you'll get the idea of what I'm talking about.

As VOICE NEW WESTMINSTER prepares for the election in Nov., much work remains to be done. The Slate for Council has been announced. It is an excellent group of individuals.It brings a mix of experience  and of grass roots representatives. Blair Armitage brings a fresh perspective to the Mayor's race. THe Council Slate has been named. It is as follows: Incumbents Betty McIntosh and Bob Osterman will be joined by challenders Steve McClurg, Gavin Palmer, Neil Powell and Susan Wandell. This group represents a mix of experience, community grass roots, dedication and knowledge. The school board slate has  been named. Incumbent Lisa Graham will be joined by Casey Cook, Maylen Crespo, Jim Goring, Kirpaul Kaur, Patrick O'Connor and Shelley Waldie.It is a mix of experience, a wide range of knowledge and exiting new faces. The diversity on the slate is outstanding.

I am very encouraged by all of our candidates for Mayor, Council and School Board. It is a strong line-up indeed!! 

The organization's numbers are growing, and we need still more people to come on board. For more information, go to www.voicenewwestminster.org

I'm sure you'll be excited by what you find.

 Best wishes.

Casey Cook. 

You can contact me by email by clicking here.