Veteran city hall reporter Frances Bula running for Vancouver council

Frances Bula speaks to reporters outside Vancouver city hall on March 9, 2026.

A city hall reporter who spent decades covering Vancouver’s municipal affairs has decided to transition into politics.

Veteran journalist Frances Bula announced Monday that she’s seeking a council nomination under the OneCity Vancouver party, citing a desire to take a “more direct” approach to public service.

“I see it as capstone project where I take all the knowledge I’ve acquired over 30 years of covering the city and I try to put it to more effective use,” Bula told reporters.

Bula said she picked OneCity because she believes in leader William Azaroff, but that she would happily collaborate with councillors from other parties to get things done, if elected.

The hardest thing about holding office after a career in journalism will be the “shitty decisions” councillors are sometimes faced with making, Bula said.

“You can’t do what the journalist does, which is sit back and say, ‘They should have done this,’ or ‘They should have done that,’” Bula said. “You have to be in there, sometimes choosing between two not-so-great options.”

But the longtime reporter said she sees local democracy as being in crisis, and that she felt compelled to get involved.

In a statement, Azaroff said he’s supporting Bula’s bid, describing her as a “powerhouse” who can help challenge Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC slate this fall.

“There’s not a skeleton in Ken Sim’s closet she doesn’t know about,” Azaroff said.

Bula outlined her four priorities as fixing housing, supporting small businesses, building more active transportation routes in the city, and improving public safety.

“You can’t run a good city if people feel like they’re unsafe or there’s public disorder,” she said.