Richmond First is the latest slate to release its platform ahead of next month’s municipal election, pledging to “control spending,” and “reduce traffic gridlock,” amongst other promises, according to a news release Tuesday.
The slate’s eight-point platform also includes: Support for public safety and first responders; increased transparency for tax dollars at city hall, the Richmond Oval and other city facilities; balancing growth with the need to preserve the character of single family neighbourhoods; ensuring new developments pays their fair share towards community infrastructure and amenity improvements; protecting farmland; and increased communication with Vancouver Coastal Health for seniors health care.
Richmond First includes city council incumbents Derek Dang and Bill McNulty, whose tenures date back to the 1990s.
Linda McPhail is another incumbent on the slate, having served one term on council, after being a school trustee since 2002.
New candidates Andy Hobbs, also a former trustee and retired Vancouver Police superintendent, and Elsa Wong, an entrepreneur and president of the Canada Asia Pacific Business Association, join Richmond’s biggest slate.
“We’ve been listening to people throughout our community and they’ve helped us create our vision for the future,” said McNulty.
The platform has a decidedly “stay the course” flavour to it.
McNulty said the slate would continue to protect single-family homes inside arterial roads, continue densification of the City Centre, and continue its “transparent” record keeping.
“Everybody is talking about transparency, I’m already transparent and I’ll continue to be. I think we have been more transparent and more open about finances than probably many municipalities. And I want to continue that. I treat the money at city hall as if it’s my own,” said McNulty.
As for development charges, McNulty was vague about what direction those rates need to go in. He said Richmond First would “continue to monitor” them annually.
The five Richmond First school trustee candidates — current trustees Donna Sargent (chair), Dr. Eric Yung and Debbie Tablotney, and new candidates Kevin Lainchbury and Peter Liu — have, among other things, promised to continue “building positive student, teacher and parent relationships.”
Trustees also want to ensure “fiscal leadership” on the board, which would be driven by community decision making.
Read the news release below
