Vancouver mayor-elect Pete Fry appoints Rebecca Bligh to lead transition team

Vancouver Mayor-elect Pete Fry announced that outgoing city councillor Rebecca Bligh will lead his transition team as preparations get underway for his administration's first one hundred days in office. Bligh previously ran as the mayoral candidate for Vote Vancouver in the October civic election and delivered her official farewell remarks during the final public meeting of the outgoing city council. Fry made the appointment just ahead of the new city council and mayor taking office at an inauguration ceremony scheduled for Monday at the Orpheum Theatre.

Fry and Bligh served together on the municipal council for eight years. Fry stated that while the two did not always agree on every policy, they always worked well together, emphasizing that this kind of cooperative relationship is exactly what Vancouverites want to see from their elected leaders. He noted that he deeply trusts her judgment and values her insight and counsel. In her new capacity, Bligh will chair a specialized transition group and advise the incoming mayor on establishing his core administrative priorities.

Alongside Bligh's appointment, Fry named re-elected COPE councillor Sean Orr to serve as deputy mayor for the new council term. The incoming leadership team will also feature Dominique Damian-Wallace stepping into the role of chief of staff, supported by Cheryl Rowley as deputy chief of staff. Fry spent his first week following the civic election meeting with various stakeholders and mapping out his agenda.

The transition team aims to smooth the shift in municipal power after a heated election campaign that reshaped the political makeup at City Hall. Fry has emphasized his intention to act as a moderate leader capable of bringing together different factions among the newly elected councillors. He will officially take over the mayor's office following Monday's ceremony.