After a wild election campaign that saw Vancouver elect a brand new mayor in Ken Sim, Kennedy Stewart said goodbye to the Twitterverse, and the reaction was pretty harsh.
In his goodbye tweet, former mayor Stewart thanked all the citizens who participated in the 2022 municipal election, including voters, candidates, volunteers, campaign teams, election staff and even the media.
He also graciously wished Sim the best for the next four years.
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Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2022 Vancouver municipal elections: voters, candidates, volunteers, campaign teams, elections staff, and media. It has been my honour to serve for the past four years. I wish @KenSimCity & the new council all the best over the next four.
— Kennedy Stewart (@kennedystewart) October 17, 2022
While there was a handful of support, including people thanking him for his service to the city, a lot of the reaction was harsh.
One person responded, “good to see you get the boot.” Another said, “Glad you’re gone.”
The last four years have been an interesting time in Vancouver, as Stewart had to navigate the city through a global pandemic and an ongoing housing and opioid crisis. The perception by many residents is that crime increased in Vancouver under Stewart’s reign as mayor, which turned into a critical voter issue.
Thanks for being the worst mayor in the history of Vancouver! You have turned Vancouver into a toilet and seem to be proud of it. We are embarrassed by the mess you made Vancouver during your term. We showed by votes. You ignored tourists, people & businesses in lieu of crime
— Rex Rider (@RollerRexRider) October 17, 2022
Others suggested that Gregor Robertson was worse, acknowledging the unfortunate circumstances Stewart was forced to deal with.
I had hoped you’d do better, but you also got the worst set of local & global circumstances since polio & the Great Depression.
As disappointed as I’ve been, Robertson was far worse.
What’s next is going to be even worse than that, Sadhu https://t.co/L3zH55INoE coming back…— Takurua (@Takurua2) October 18, 2022
For others, the downtown eastside and Hastings Street specifically were the focus.
You left a mess on East Hastings
— Garrett (@Garrett33687864) October 17, 2022
You ignored our safety, while prioritizing tent cites, (keeping them alive and thriving). You created chaos. Grab a broom and clean up your mess on your way out.
— Sean, Patrick Finnan (@SeanPatrickFin4) October 18, 2022
Some were also critical of his work on housing.
Kennedy Stewart, the one who loosened regulations on housing, but then proceeded to line the pockets of condo and townhouse developers and like Aquilini with hundreds of millions? The one who had a policy of catch and release for violent criminals?
— S W (@Lip_Lya) October 18, 2022
There were also some mean gifs shared.
— FadeToBlack (@F4DE2BL4CK) October 17, 2022
The reaction also came from his political opponents, who were more gracious than some of Stewart’s tweets.
Thank you for your services and works in the past four years. Not an easy job. You and everyone put their names forward have my huge respect. Wish you all the best!
— Lenny Zhou (#119) ABC for City Council 🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@LennyNanZhou) October 17, 2022
The reaction to Sim’s victory was also divided but not quite as harsh.
It’s unclear what’s next for Stewart, but we’ve reached out to his camp to see if the former mayor of Vancouver has any plans.
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