After serving two terms on New West city council, Mary Trentadue is ready to simplify her life.
Trentadue has announced she won’t be seeking re-election in the Oct. 15 civic election.
“It’s been such an interesting time to be a city councillor and I’ve been privileged to witness such incredible acts of community spirit during some pretty hard times,” she said in a statement posted to social media. “While it’s been an honour to work for the community, it’s time for others to step in. I’m a strong believer that no one should stay in this position for too long, and I’m happy to move aside now for new faces and ideas.”
Serving as a councillor has been “a privilege and a great opportunity” but Trentadue said it also provides a great distraction from being present and available to her family.
“I will miss being in this role in this great city, but I’m really ready to simplify my life and spend more time with my amazing and patient family,” she said. “I’m really proud of the work we have accomplished over the past eight years and I’m excited to see projects come to completion and affect great change for our community. There is more work to be done, and I will look for ways to support and participate as a community member.”
Acknowledging that much of council’s work is done as a team, Trentadue said she’s personally proud of her role related to: advocating for non-profit childcare requirements for new developments as an amenity; bringing forward the motion that initiated the city's work for the DIEAR framework (diversity, inclusion, equity, and anti-racism); supporting the work of the arts advisory committee in developing the arts strategy; supporting and persisting in the negotiations with the school districts related to the transfer of Massey Theatre to the city.
Trentadue said she’s also proud of advocating for changes to the police department’s budget, saying it resulted in the city's opportunity to participate in the PACT (Peer Assisted Care Team) with the Canadian Mental Health Association and to receive support and funding from the province.
“Finally, I'm proud of working on tangible ways to make city hall and the council process more accessible and inclusive so we can welcome more of our community into this work,” she said in a statement to the Record. “What may seem small like changing the terminology from the formal ‘Your Worship’ or ‘Councillor Trentadue’, to talking to the people in the jobs, Jonathan or Mayor Cote and Mary, it can have a big impact on who might see themselves here as an active community member or elected official.”
As her time on council hits the homestretch, Trentadue has been contemplating how she’ll stay involved in the community.
“My thoughts lean toward working to support arts organizations, but I am also really interested in working with local sports associations to improve their policies related to diversity, inclusion and anti-racism training,” she said. “Obviously, this is personal for me but I believe that this could make a difference for many kids and their families.”
Trentadue described her time on council as being “rewarding, frustrating, inspiring, and disappointing – a mixed bag really.
“The last two years have been really challenging, and while we've learned how to make our meetings and work more accessible, the connection to the community has been impacted,” she said. “I always want and expect change to happen faster than it typically does so, I've had to prioritize and think about what work is crucial to the health of our residents.”
In her first run for a seat on city council in 2015, Trentadue placed sixth in the polls and joined Lorrie Williams as the only other woman on council. She placed third in the polls in 2018, when she was part of the Team Cote slate that included candidates Chinu Das and Nadine Nakagawa, who were both elected to council.
“I benefited greatly from having two other women at the table in this last term,” she said. “Two women of colour from diverse backgrounds made a very big difference for me and for our city. The conversation changes when you have more diverse voices at the table – and we are able to keep each from being harmed by the process and the institution of ‘politics’. We can be braver and bolder – we can push back – and offer different solutions. This is extremely valuable and crucial to the health of our city.”
Trentadue said she will be supporting city council and school board candidates from the Community First party. She asks that the party continue to work on building a more inclusive and welcoming community and encourages community members to continue electing more diverse representation in the next election.
“Mary's combination of bravery and humility, mixed with her commitment to ongoing , is what I look for in any leader,” Nakagawa said in an email to the Record. “I often say that I don't think people know how good Mary is as a councillor because she does the work so quietly, but her advocacy on behalf of families and the arts has made a tangible difference in the community. Serving alongside Mary has created more space for me to be braver and bolder because she is such an incredible ally.”
Follow Theresa McManus on Twitter @TheresaMcManus
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