Royal City residents are campaigning to have two men join the mayoralty race in the 2011 civic election - and one of them appears ready to take on the challenge.
Longtime New Westminster resident James Crosty has long been rumoured to be interested in challenging incumbent Wayne Wright for mayor in the Nov. 19 municipal election.
"Obviously I am seriously considering it," Crosty told The Record. "All the rumours and people who have encouraged me to run, it is truly humbling."
Although Crosty said he hasn't officially declared his intention to run for mayor, he has developed a website (that includes a "countdown to change" ticker until Election Day) and has been distributing brochures and business cards in his role as a "citizen advocate."
"I believe the three main issues facing our Royal City are: taxes, transportation and trains," states the leaflet. "I hope you will join me as I work toward positive changes on these important issues."
Crosty said he's been happy working in the background as a community advocate, but has considered running for council. He said it's natural to "test the waters" before making a decision, and that's something he's been doing.
"There is support for me to run," he said. "I hear it all the time."
Crosty expects to make a decision within the next two weeks. To date, he said he hasn't started raising funds for an election campaign.
"I haven't myself. I know others are doing that," he said. "I have actually had people come into the office offering money. I said, 'I haven't declared.'"
According to a press release from STC Communications, New Westminster resident Anne Mayo has started a petition to encourage Crosty to run for mayor. Names were being collected on the petition at the recent Quayside Community Festal and Sale.
"We were overjoyed with the attention our petition garnered, creating multiple pages of signatures in just five hours with only one person working in the booth," Mayo said in a press release issued by STC Communications, a company co-founded by Crosty.
In addition to the Friends to Elect James Crosty for Mayor, J a booth at the festival included p petitions related to elimination of nighttime rail noise, protection of the children's playground at Westminster Quay and asbestos.
In addition to Crosty, a number of citizens have been encouraging Chuck Puchmayr, a former city councillor and ex-MLA, to run for mayor. After being elected MLA in the 2005 provincial election, he didn't seek reelection in 2009 and chose to focus on his health after battling liver cancer and undergoing a liver transplant.
"They are asking me to run for mayor," he said about supporters. "Many, many people have asked me to run for mayor. One has asked me to run for council - that is the current mayor."
Puchmayr said "it's pretty late in the game" to consider running for mayor, given that the election is less than four months away.
"My decisions are based on my health," he said. "You don't own your life when you are in political office. You owe everything to the job you are doing."
Puchmayr said Crosty appears to be in "full-fledged election mode," - whether his plan is to run for council or mayor.
Crosty, president of the Quayside Community Board that organized the recent Quayside Boardwalk Festival and sale, said he was unaware a petition urging him to run for mayor was being circulated at the event because he was too busy working.
"I was surprised by that," he said about the petition that he received the next day. "I haven't declared. I am humbled that someone would start a petition. I didn't know they were doing a petition."
Crosty said Mayo sometimes works at his business, but she didn't inform him of her plan to start a petition encouraging him to run for mayor.
"I have been at work on that stuff for a long time, even before the election year started," he said of issues like train noise, transportation and taxes.
Crosty considers himself to be a "citizen advocate" and believes there's a distinction between activists and advocates.
"An activist is someone who takes one issue and a whole bunch of people follow," he said. "An advocate takes care of the little things, the individuals. . Advocacy is saying let's talk about it first but if you are not going to talk about it, we are going to get someone to champion a cause. Advocacy is saying if you don't want to talk about it, there are a lot of people on a petition or who talk together who do."
According to the press release from STC Creative, the "citizen advocacy booth" that was set up at the festival showed that the move to be pro-active in the community spans issues from children's playgrounds, to the right to a peaceful night sleep, to the civic elections scheduled for Nov. 19, 2011.
"The citizen advocacy movement is rapidly replacing the radicalized and antiquated 'community activist'," said the press release. "Popularized by New Westminster resident, business owner and active citizen advocate James Crosty, this movement looks at the smaller things in life, not always the bigger ones and is fast taking root among the citizenry."
At the recent Quayside event, a number of residents were present in a booth that displayed a banner reading, Citizen Advocacy: Working Together to Make Our City Better.
A rail petition, which currently has 800 signatures, seeks citizen support for the Quayside Community Board's ongoing challenge with four rail companies regarding the cessation of rail noise and vibration.
Quayside resident Ted Eddy continues to collect names on a petition to ensure that the Quayside Park isn't eliminated to make way for a pedestrian link from the Quay to Queensborough. More than 800 people have signed the petition.
New Westminster resident Maureen Albanese is spearheading a local movement in support of a national ban of all asbestos.
tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
