Linda Hepner not running for second term as city’s mayor
Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner, who leads B.C.’s second-largest city, will not run for re-election this fall.
Hepner, who is in her first term as mayor, made the announcement in an emailed statement on Tuesday evening. She is the ninth Lower Mainland mayor to say she will not run in October’s elections.
According to the statement, after some soul-searching, Hepner realized she needed to give her family higher priority than the city.
“For 33 years, the City of Surrey has been a chosen priority in my life and I have been honoured to serve the people of this city,” she said.
“During my time with Surrey, the city has evolved from a modest suburb into the region’s second metropolitan centre and a globally recognized leading edge city. I am very proud to have contributed to this transformation, but there will always be more to do, more to achieve and, therefore, there is never an ideal time to leave.
“I sincerely believe that now is the right time to dedicate more time to my family and friends.”
But sources told Postmedia News late Tuesday that there have been deep divides over Hepner’s leadership within the Surrey First party, which Hepner and all eight councillors represent. Hepner’s announcement came after she met with councillors at a Surrey hotel on Tuesday evening.
It’s an abrupt reversal for Hepner, who asserted in an interview with Postmedia in February that she would run for one more term as mayor.
Hepner plans to serve out the rest of her term, during which at least two major decisions remain: the final approval of the second phase of the Metro mayors’ 10-year plan for transit and transportation, which will include construction of at-grade light rail in Surrey, and the city’s housing plan.
Hepner has been in public service for 33 years — two decades as a senior city staffer, nine as a councillor and one term as mayor.
She ran for mayor under the Surrey First banner, a party she helped form with former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts.
Hepner was not available to answer questions Tuesday evening. She is expected to provide further comment on Wednesday morning.
Surrey-Cloverdale Liberal MLA Marvin Hunt, who spent many years on Surrey council after being first elected in 1987, ruled out a run to replace Hepner as mayor.
“I made a decision five years ago, which I confirmed a year ago, to the good citizens of Surrey-Cloverdale that I’m here to serve them in Victoria,” Hunt said Tuesday. “No, I will not be running for the mayor’s chair in Surrey. But I’ll certainly be supporting (Surrey councillor) Tom Gill if he chooses to run.”