West announces candidacy for Port Coquitlam mayor
Ten years ago, he was the youngest person ever elected to Port Coquitlam council and now Brad West could become the youngest person to occupy the city’s mayor’s office.
On Thursday, West, a 33-year-old, three-term councillor, announced he’s running for mayor in the city where he has lived his entire life. Sitting Mayor Greg Moore is not running for re-election.
West is the first person to officially announce their candidacy for mayor in PoCo, and he said he met and consulted with a lot of people in the community before throwing his hat in the ring.
“I was really pleased to have a lot of encouragement from people in the community and decided it was the right time for me to step forward,” West said.
West was first elected in 2008, and was re-elected in 2011 and 2014, receiving the most votes of any councillor those two elections.
He’s long been interested in politics, and worked for MLA Mike Farnworth before joining city council.
West said that like most communities in the Lower Mainland, housing availability and affordability are a top issue in Port Coquitlam, and that includes supporting a range of housing choices.
“Affordability has been so interwoven into our identity, so the challenges that we’ve been facing over the last couple of years with that have been even more significant because what happens now sort of flies in the face of what has been decades of the Port Coquitlam experience,” West said.
Revitalization of the city’s downtown, which is important to its identity, is key for West, including attracting more and diverse businesses.
Making more sports and recreational opportunities available to residents is also important, said West.
Having recently become a father, West said his campaign is centred on families and making Port Coquitlam an even better place for them to live. His focus is on serving the community, something he said many politicians forget.
“Support can never be taken for granted — you have to go out and earn it every day,” he said. “I have always tried to be myself, and be the product of how I was raised and the product of my community, and I think people respond to that.”
The municipal election takes place Oct. 20.