Another Port Moody councillor is looking to become the city's next mayor.
Meghan Lahti will contest one of her council colleagues, Steve Milani, for the mayor’s seat in the Oct. 15 municipal elections.
Incumbent mayor Rob Vagramov announced July 26 he won’t be seeking a second term "due to changing priorities" in his life.
Lahti was first elected to council in 1996 and served until 2011 before she was elected again in 2014.
In a statement on her website, Lahti said Port Moody "is at a crossroad and there are some important decisions that we need to make about what our community will look like in the future."
She believes future must be guided by growth "that protects what we love about Port Moody," including more affordable and diverse housing, especially for seniors that will allow them to age in place.
Among other goals in Lahti's platform are:
- the creation of a signature park for the city’s south shore
- the expansion of Rocky Point Park
- reducing traffic congestion with the addition of shuttle bus services to the city’s two SkyTrain stations, as well as a fresh look at creating a new collector route along Murray and Clarke streets
- utilizing the old fire hall site at the corner of Ioco Road and Murray Street to build a new library and affordable housing
Lahti said one of her first priorities as mayor would be a review of Port Moody’s finances and the services the city provides.
"Our residents deserve to be confident that the operations of the city are being conducted and overseen with an eye to reducing redundancy and ensuring excellent 'bang for the buck,'" she said.
In addition to Lahti and Milani running for the mayor’s position, five candidates for council seats have so far stepped forward (in alphabetical order):
For more information on Lahti and her platform you can visit her campaign website.
You can contact Lahti directly by email: [email protected].
As well, the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a series of all-candidates debates for local 2022 civic elections.
Port Moody mayor and council nominees will get the chance to speak to the issues that matter to them, and take questions from the public, at the Inlet Theatre on Sept. 28.
