Richard Stewart is on track to solidify a fifth term as Coquitlam mayor.
The 63-year-old life-long resident of the city earned 69.52 per cent of the preliminary votes counted (14,105) in the 2022 municipal election today (Oct. 15).
He's set to out-run fellow mayoral candidates Adel Gamar (26.45 per cent) and Mark Mahovlich (4.03 per cent) once the final ballots are verified by election officials. Polls officially closed at 8 p.m.
This marked the second consecutive election all three competed to take the big chair in one of Metro Vancouver's fastest-growing communities.
In 2018, Stewart won with 68.69 per cent of the final vote in a year where voter turnout dropped to 25.3 per cent.
In an earlier interview with the Tri-City News, he said the next four years would be his final term, and some of his key focuses will be the housing crisis, enhancing local amenities and creating more "walkable" neighbourhoods.
"I want Coquitlam to be more livable in four years than it is today," Stewart said, who won his first term in 2008.
"I want everyone to feel safe and feel proud of their community. These are things that we hear from a lot of residents every day. But we also know that there’s anxiety. The quarter-acre lot that dominated planning 50 years ago is not possible any more. I want young people to be able to stay here and not be displaced because of the housing crisis. I want more jobs here. I want a complete community."
According to the City of Coquitlam, there was a 20.33 per cent voter turnout for the 2022 election.
That marks the lowest participation rate for the community in the last five recorded elections.
