While I am thrilled with the city of Vancouver’s very recent action to remove the Hough homeless encampment along West Mill Plain Boulevard, I can’t help but wonder — why now? Is it because things have shifted into reelection mode? The questionable timing of this 180-degree turn by the city makes me wonder what will happen if current leaders are reelected. Will they slip back into old habits? I fear the encampment will simply move to another location and the city will return to dragging its feet and coming up with excuses, while concerned taxpaying citizens are painted as devoid of compassion. I feel there is just cause for my cynicism: the shifting decisions and priorities of elected leaders make it exceedingly difficult to predict where we will land. Be very careful of voting for an incumbent, because what happens during a reelection campaign does not foretell the future.