---
title: "Pete Fry names Sean Orr as deputy mayor and sets out first priorities"
description: "Mayor-elect Pete Fry spoke to reporters at city hall about his first week, naming his deputy mayor and outlining his plans for housing, the police board and the plebiscite results."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/pete-fry-first-week-mayor-elect-october-29"
last_updated: "2026-10-29T11:09:19.690Z"
---

Pete Fry named re-elected COPE councillor [Sean Orr](/candidates/sean-orr) as deputy mayor and named outgoing councillor [Rebecca Bligh](/candidates/rebecca-bligh) to lead his transition team, he told reporters at Vancouver city hall on October 28, Vancouver Is Awesome reported.

Fry held a press scrum in the lobby of the council chamber immediately after the outgoing council's final meeting of the term. The scrum, conducted by Vancouver Is Awesome reporter Mike Howell, covered his first week as mayor-elect, his plans for the provincial relationship, the plebiscite results and his role on the Vancouver Police Board.

Bligh, who was Vote Vancouver's mayoral candidate in the October 17 election, will help advance Fry's first 100 days of priorities and provide strategic advice. She will work alongside incoming chief of staff Dominique Damian-Wallace and Cheryl Rowley as deputy chief of staff.

## The provincial relationship

Fry told reporters he has reached out to every newly elected Conservative MLA in Vancouver and hopes to meet with Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson soon. He said the two met about a month ago and joked they might be in completely different positions in about a month.

Fry told Vancouver Is Awesome he expects some differences on social policy but said Doerkson's victory speech signalled excitement about more prosperity for British Columbia. He said he wants to work with Doerkson as a partner on housing and infrastructure.

Asked whether Vancouver might be left behind given the Conservative government's promises to Surrey during the provincial campaign, Fry said he was not presupposing that. He said the UBC subway extension has been discussed with the Prime Minister's office and he hopes it remains a provincial priority.

## Plebiscite and police board

Fry told reporters his incoming council already planned to address street disorder before the plebiscite, and that the results confirm that direction. He said he will bring the message about secure care beds to the new provincial government in case there is any doubt about what they are proposing.

On the Vancouver Police Board, Fry said he wants to look closely at how it operates. He said he has concerns about transparency based on high-profile resignations and comments from former board members. Whether Fry chairs the board will be decided by board members voting, following 2024 changes to the Police Act that allow local governments to determine their representative and let board members elect their own chair.

## What the new council looks like

Fry told reporters he has talked to all new members of council about focusing their efforts on Vancouver's big challenges. He said he does not expect concerns from the business community to be well-founded, pointing to his own small business background.

[Pete Fry](/candidates/pete-fry) will be inaugurated as mayor on November 2, 2026, at the Orpheum Theatre, along with the 10 newly elected councillors. Residents who want to follow how Fry and the new council act on their campaign promises can track them at [voche.me](/tracker).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.