In anticipation of the municipal election in October, the Richmond News takes a look at what names have been been announced so far.
Richmond First
At an event for its supporters at Continental Seafood Restaurant and in a video posted to YouTube last month, Richmond First has announced its team of six councillor candidates and five school board trustees.
City council incumbents Bill McNulty, Linda McPhail and Derek Dang are all seeking re-election to council in October.
Andy Hobbs, retired superintendent for the Vancouver Police Department, and Sunny Ho, a Richmond businessman both ran for council in 2014 and are back again in this year’s municipal race.
Peter Liu, who ran for school board trustee in 2014 is now running for council.
“We have some very good candidates.We’ve got a very complete and broad comprehensive team,” said McNulty
When asked what issues the team will focus on in the upcoming election, McNulty told the News that “community safety is paramount in our mind.” According to McNulty, the Richmond First team wants to continue working towards adding police officers, improving fire-rescue services and enhancing the city’s emergency services plan.
Richmond Community Coalition (RCC)
The Richmond Community Coalition (RCC) announced its first four candidates for October’s municipal elections, including incumbent councillors Chak Au and Ken Johnston, and two new candidates.
The new candidates are Parm Bains, a communications instructor at KPU and former officer for the B.C. government, and Melissa Zhang, a financial services professional and past president of the Sunshine Lions Club.
“As a lifelong resident of Richmond, I’m tired of my friends moving out of Richmond,” said Bains.
Zhang said she hopes to address the lack of communication between the city and residents, and between different residents with opposing views.
Johnston is concerned about harmony.
“Every issue seems to be very divisive in our community…Over the next four years, I want to see a council not focused on one little group, but open to and working for the whole community.”
Au said he is excited to see two new members representing diverse groups running for council.
“We have a very diverse community and we want to have people who come from different backgrounds to come to council and to bring the voices of different communities,” said Au.
Richmond Citizens Association
At age 80, Coun. Harold Steves, a retired teacher, will be back on the ballot in the 2018 election to continue his stated quests to protect farmland and ensure development is sustainable, with city-backed projects such as geothermal district energy.
Steves, who has called recent real estate speculation the “worst attack” on Richmond’s farmland since the inception of the Agricultural Land Reserve, will be joined by up to three other candidates, according to RCA president Colleen Glynn.
The RCA will confront the problems surrounding affordable housing and farmland protection, said Glynn.
The RCA will nominate its candidates May 23. This year, Judie Schneider, Kelly Greene and Jack Trovato petitioned on behalf of the RCA for a new hospital tower and limits on farmland mansions. They have featured prominently on RCA’s Facebook page.
RITE Richmond
Coun. Carol Day, of the longstanding RITE Richmond slate, an offshoot of R.I.T.E (Richmond Independent Team of Electors) is running with high school teacher Michael Wolfe, a member of the BC Green Party, who will enter his fourth council race.
In the past, Wolfe and Day ran on a platform opposing overdevelopment.
“l am building a team of candidates and supporters that will help me get rid of the dead wood that have allowed mega mansions on farmland, [land-use contracts] that have destroyed neighbourhoods and high-density ghost towers with no purpose other than investment opportunities.
“It is time to declare war on councillors that refuse to listen to the people of Richmond,” said Day.
Independent
Mayor Malcolm Brodie is seeking re-election in the October municipal election. Brodie, a lawyer, was elected to city council in 1996 as a member of the Richmond Non Partisan Association and was elected mayor in 2001. He left the now disbanded RNPA, and currently serves as an independent. He is the second-longest serving mayor in Richmond’s history, next to Ruby Grauer, who served from 1930 to 1949.
Also, independent councillor Alexa Loo will run for re-election. Loo, a two-time snowboarding Olympian, competed for Canada in the 2006 and 2010 Olympics. She was elected to city council for the first time in 2014.
Hong Guo, a Richmond real estate lawyer, will run for council in October. She revealed before that she was considering running for mayor but that has not been confirmed. Guo was a council candidate back in 2002.
With Richmond News files
