NOVEMBER
Three-term city councilor Jonathan Cote dethrones four-term mayor Wayne Wright to become New Westminster’s new mayor. All seven members of New Westminster city council, including incumbents Bill Harper, Jaimie McEvoy, Chuck Puchmayr and Lorrie Williams and newcomer Patrick Johnstone and Mary Trentadue, were endorsed by the New Westminster and District Labour Council.
First-time candidate Kelly Slade-Kerr tops the polls in the school board race. Incumbents Jonina Campbell, Casey Cook, Michael Ewen, James Janzen and Mary Ann Mortensen are re-elected to the board of education, as is first-time candidate Mark Gifford.
The Ministry of Education is still on board with the long-awaited replacement of the aging New Westminster Secondary School. In a letter to the school board, the ministry indicates it’s willing to work with the school district to advance the project on a “priority” basis.
The New Westminster School District is adding more than $1.8 million worth of additional staff into classrooms in the fall, after years of slashing jobs to meet budget demands.
