Councillors form new party after split from McCallum's Safe Surrey
Credit to Author: Nick Eagland| Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 02:05:41 +0000
Two Surrey city councillors have teamed up to form a new political party after splitting from Mayor Doug McCallum’s Safe Surrey Coalition last year.
Councillors Brenda Locke and Jack Hundial announced Tuesday that they had submitted paperwork to register “Surrey Connect.” Both left Safe Surrey last year amid growing concern over McCallum’s leadership style and handling of a transition to a municipal police force.
Hundial said Tuesday that Surrey Connect was formed with a goal of boosting ethical and transparent governance.
“It was the right thing to do,” Hundial said. “It’s trying to serve the public in the best way that we can and give them hope.”
Improving affordability and public safety, reducing congestion on roadways, and advocating for the city at a regional level will be priorities for the party, he said.
Surrey city Coun. Jack Hundial at his home Thursday.
Locke said the new party will also focus on boosting communication and citizen involvement with city hall. They will push for infrastructure to match the city’s growth with new recreational facilities, improved transportation and roads, and development that will “make sense,” she said.
“I think it was time that we gave Surrey citizens some hope,” Locke said. “I can tell you, just meeting people, they’re feeling pretty concerned about what’s happening in our city right now. We’ve seen two budget cycles that were rather devastating so I think this is providing hope to people.”
Locke said she is concerned that the city became increasingly divided over the past year, so Surrey Connect will work to reconnect town centres and encourage citizens to participate in the city’s growth.
“The name really speaks to what we want to achieve with this organization,” Hundial said. “We want to connect not only with the town centres, but also the individuals … because there are different concerns for different areas.”
Locke said that politically, the party considers itself “fiscally responsible” but “socially progressive.”
“We have to know that this city is one where everyone can participate,” she said.
Surrey city Coun. Brenda Locke.
Hundial, a retired Mountie, left Safe Surrey in July to sit as an Independent.
He had been critical of the city’s proposed plan to transition from being policed by the RCMP to starting its own municipal force, and objected to McCallum’s dissolution of a public safety committee in favour of a policing transition committee.
Locke left the party in June. The former MLA told Postmedia News at the time that she took issue with McCallum’s leadership style, warning that “democracy in Surrey has some major challenges right now.”
Coun. Steven Pettigrew left the party in May 2019.
Four councillors remain with McCallum and Safe Surrey, including Doug Elford, Laurie Guerra, Mandeep Nagra and Allison Patton.
Linda Annis is the lone Surrey First councillor.
McCallum didn’t return a request for comment.
— With files from Jennifer Saltman