► On the Record

“The message sent by increasing taxes in such tough times would be terrible – it would be like saying, ‘we know you’re struggling, but we’re going to ask for more taxes anyway.’”

– Mayor-elect Tim Leavitt, writing on his blog after voting against a 1 percent property tax increase on Monday. The Vancouver City Council voted 4-3 against the tax hike, which would have helped plug a $6.4 million deficit in the projected 2010 budget.