New West election roundup

Events can take on a life of their own during election season.

Don Hauka, who is publicizing the Hyack Tailgate Auction, said many of the candidates in this year’s civic election will be attending this weekend’s big event.

“It’s become almost like an all-candidates meeting,” he said. “We put out an invitation to say you may be opponents on the hustings but I am sure you’re all on the same team when it comes to supporting junior football or community football. Well, gosh darn didn’t they bite.”
Hauka said incumbent mayor While Wayne Wright is a regular attendee at the event, but several other candidates are slated to attend this year’s shindig, including Jonathan Cote, Bill Harper, Chuck Puchmayr and Betty McIntosh (who isn’t running).
“There’s a few others,” he told The Record. “It seems to be the unofficial all-candidates meeting.”
The annual Hyack Tailgate Auction taking place on Saturday, Oct. 18 at La Perla Ballroom raises funds for the high school and community football programs’ costs. This year’s event includes a best of New West wine tasting reception, dinner, entertainment, a silent auction, door prizes, and a live auction.
Tickets are $70 each or $500 per table. If you want to support the Hyacks – and have a chance to rub shoulders with local politicos – visit www.hyackfootballtailgateauction.com.

Who’s in the race?

Vacancies are opening up on New Westminster city council and school board as several incumbents prepare to vacate their seats.

When nominations for the Nov. 15 civic election closed at 4 p.m. on Oct. 10, four candidates had filed paperwork to run for mayor, 22 for city councillor and 13 for school trustee. That’s an increase from the 34 who ran in 2011, when there were four mayoral candidates, 18 councillor contenders and 12 trustee hopefuls.

On the mayor’s front, four-term mayor Wayne Wright will face challenges from three-term councillor Jonathan Cote, 2011 mayoral candidate James Crosty and 2011 councillor candidate Vladimir Krasnogor. In 2011, Cote was the top councillor vote getter with 6,481 votes, compared to Wright’s 6,633 votes for the mayor’s seat. Crosty, garnered 3,139 votes in his 2011 bid for mayor and Krasnogor got 1,098 votes in the 2011 councillor race.

With Cote running for mayor and longtime councillor Betty McIntosh retiring, 22 candidates will be vying for six spots on city council: John Ashdown, Marge Ashdown, Jim Bell, Tracey Block, Heather Boersma, David Brett, Catherine Cartwright, Calvin Donnelly, Mike Folka, Raj Gupta, Bill Harper, Patrick Johnstone, Matt Kadioglu, Tej Kainth, Gerry Liu, Jaimie McEvoy, Scott McIntosh, Gavin Palmer, Chuck Puchmayr, Mary Trentadue, Lorrie Williams and Harm Woldring.

The councillor race includes four incumbents (Harper, McEvoy, Puchmayr and Williams), former councillor Donnelly and previous council candidates John Ashdown, Bell, Liu and Palmer.

In what may be a first in New Westminster, Marge Ashdown will be vying for a council seat against her husband, John. McIntosh is retiring but her son Scott is hoping to put another McIntosh on city council.

Bell, as some voters may recall, sought spots on both city council and school board in the 2008 election, something he’s trying once again this time round.

A number of local residents are contenders for council, including several who are involved with local community and business associations. In what may be a first for New Westminster civic elections, two of the council candidates – Gupta and Kadioglu – are realtors who live in Vancouver, as is school trustee candidate Pandey.

Candidates who filed by the Oct. 10 deadline are considered preliminary. The final declaration of candidates will be posted on the city’s website on Oct. 20, once the challenge period ends.

Meet the candidates

Now that you know who they are, you’ll soon get to hear what they want to do if elected in the Nov. 15 civic election.

Three all-candidates meetings have been scheduled, all in the last week of October.

The New Westminster Chamber of Commerce is holding a forum for the mayoral candidates on Tuesday, Oct. 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Inn at the Quay, 900 Quayside Dr.

A night later, the Queensborough Residents’ Association is holding an all-candidates meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Queensborough Community Centre, 920 Ewen Ave. For more information, contact [email protected].

The last week of the month is shaping up to be busy for candidates, as the New Westminster Downtown Residents’ Association is holding an all-candidates meeting on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at Holy Trinity Cathedral. For information, email [email protected]

Not so fast

A press release from the Cote campaign gives the impression city council supports his bid to be mayor.

“New Westminster city council throws their support behind Jonathan X. Cote in is bid to become the next mayor of New Westminster,” states the title of a press release from the Cote campaign team.

While councillors Bill Harper, Jaimie McEvoy, Chuck Puchmayr and Lorrie Williams have endorsed Cote in his bid for mayor, Coun. Betty McIntosh hasn’t endorsed Cote – or anyone else – for mayor.

“It should be ‘some members of council’,” said McIntosh, who said candidates need to ensure they’re using the correct words on printed materials. “I think they are manipulating words.”

Mayor Wayne Wright, who is seeking re-election, not surprisingly hasn’t thrown his support behind his council colleague who is running against him.

Open for business

Mayoral candidate Jonathan X. Cote was first out of the gate to open for business.

Cote opened his campaign office at 336 Columbia St. on Oct. 4 with a launch party that included activities for kids, so parents could chat with the candidate.  Along with being the first candidate to declare his plan to run for mayor and to open a campaign office, Cote also appears to be the first candidate to put up election signs as they started popping up on the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Election news, tips? Send them to [email protected]