Veteran councillor Dean Washington has announced he will seek a fourth term on Port Coquitlam city council on Oct. 15.
First elected in 2011, and re-elected in 2014 and 2018, Washington said he's proud of his accomplishments over the past four years, including holding the line on property taxes.
As council’s designate for finance and budget, Washington said he can take some of the credit for responsible fiscal management, including keeping rates low.
"In the past four years, Port Coquitlam’s property tax increases have been the lowest out of the 21 cities in Metro Vancouver and the city’s average property taxes are now the third lowest," Washington states.
He said he has also advocated for the revitalization of downtown Port Coquitlam and supported the city’s focus on providing "excellent customer service and the back to basics philosophy of providing strong core municipal services."
“I’m proud of all the work and results that the city has delivered in the past four years. Everywhere you go, you can see improvements being made that residents have been wanting for many years,” Washington said.
Among the council accomplishments he's most proud is the completion of Port Coquitlam Community Centre, which was built on time and on budget during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If re-elected, Washington promises to focus on completing the downtown revitalization, bring improvements to the northside commercial area, "continue to respect taxpayers" and work as a team with council to "deliver for PoCo residents."
Washington is supported in his campaign by Mayor Brad West, who is seeking a second term as mayor.
Outside of council, Washington owns a tire and automotive repair business and is the lead organizer and co-founder of the Downtown Port Coquitlam Car Show, which drew crowds to downtown PoCo on Aug. 21.
Other known candidates who have formally announced their intentions to run include Mithila Karnik, Justin Alexander Smith, Sarah Harbord, Erik Minty, Jami Watson, council incumbents Glenn Pollock, Nancy McCurrach and Steve Darling, and mayoral incumbent Brad West.
For SD43's board of education, Michael Thomas and Christine Pollock have both announced they are seeking re-election.
As well, the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a series of all-candidates debates for local 2022 civic elections.
Port Coquitlam mayor and council nominees will get the chance to speak to the issues that matter to them, and take questions from the public, at Riverside Community Church on Oct. 3.
