Wayne Wright: "I am at my peak"

Serving as New Westminster’s mayor for the past 12 years has been a “labour of love” for Wayne Wright.

Wright is seeking his fifth term as New Westminster’s mayor in the Nov. 15 civic election. If successful, he’d be the longest serving mayor in the city’s history.

“Any team you have doesn’t get rid of their best players until they are really past their prime. You hold on to them right till the end,” he said. “I am at my peak.”

Wright believes his established relationships with provincial and regional politicians will serve the city well as it works to get a new high school built, to redevelop Royal Columbian Hospital and to build a replacement for the Pattullo Bridge.

“My job now is to work with the higher levels of government because that is where all the funding is going to come from,” he said. “The other projects that are within the city, we will do.”

Wright said he brings a “direct line of communication” to the province, Metro Vancouver and TransLink. Having recently been selected as one of two mayors on the TransLink board of directors, Wright believes the city is poised to benefit from his presence at the table.

Along with addressing transportation issues, Wright’s future plans for the city include getting the Queensborough to Quay pedestrian crossing built, building a new animal shelter in Queensborough and working on the Sapperton Green development.

“I think right now we have done enough big projects for now,” he said of projects like Anvil Centre and Westminster Pier Park. “I don’t have anything as big as what we have done but there will be other visionary projects that will come forward and they will be more community orientated.”

Prior to being elected mayor in 2002, Wright encouraged the city to bring the Tall Ships to New Westminster’s waterfront as a tourism and economic development initiative. With Westminster Pier Park now in place, Wright believes the city must build on its proximity to the Fraser River and Fraser River Discovery Centre.

“One of the things about the vision of the future will be some type of activity that goes to the water. A small marina, I think that’s going to be a process I am putting in place. I haven’t finished that one yet – I will,” he said. “I think we’re at the point now that we will have a naval ship in here within the next 24 months down at Pier Park. It’s a natural place for it.”

Along with making the most of the river, Wright also believes technology is a critical component of the city’s future.

“Really, the future of New Westminster is high-tech and tourism,” he said. “I’m going to work on high-tech a lot.”

According to Wright, Westminster Pier Park, Anvil Centre and the new office tower and great places to live make it easier for the city to entice people to come to New Westminster and make it even stronger. He said people from throughout the region are now looking at the city because of the changes made during his time in office, including dealing with the nuisance behaviours and drug dealing that was taking place downtown.

“What was there before?” he said of the downtown. “Does everyone forget how much dope and how many problems? All sorts of things were going on there.”

Wright believes the city needs a leader who’s not afraid of going out on a limb every now and then, citing Westminster Pier Park, Thornebridge Gardens seniors residence, redevelopment of the former Windsor Hotel site and the office tower at Anvil Centre as being controversial.

“Leadership is leading. Leadership isn’t following. Leadership is not being afraid to lead and to be controversial, to look at the risk,” he said. “When you are at the age I am, and the knowledge you get, don’t throw it away.”

Wright said he shares credit for the positive changes made in the city with council and staff, but believes the mayor has to be a driving force in the city.

“I have to be a catalyst that gets the people to sit around and make the plans and go forward with them. That’s what we have been doing. That is why we have been so successful. We’ve got great people to work with. The more you can share, the more knowledge you have,” he said. “And then every once in a while you have to take a little risk, like the Pier Park, like the Thornbridge. All these things that people said couldn’t be done. If you go back and think about it, it was just that it was the fear that we’d be making a mistake.”

Wright said being mayor is “one of the greatest jobs in the world,” one where people can “make things happen” and get results or sit back and let staff direct the path taken by city hall.

“I take this as a duty,” he said. “It’s a duty for me to be here and represent the people and all the people. I am not just saying these words.”

Looking back at what he’s accomplished as mayor, Wright said he’s proud of changes on the social front (working with governments to reduce street homelessness, creating policy that led to more childcare spaces, and approving plans for Honour House and Thornbridge Gardens). He’s also proud of creating Westminster Pier Park on a former brownfield site, adding more parks in Queensborough and building an office tower as part of the Anvil Centre project.

While mayoral candidate and incumbent councillor Jonathan Cote recently completed a master’s degree in urban studies, Wright believes his on-the-job training and business background still make him the best candidate for mayor.

“Education is only one thing in life,” he said. “There’s the education of life. If there’s a PhD on city development, than I guess I’ve had one. That’s what we are doing. Let’s not talk about education. Let’s talk about leadership. Let’s talk about experience.”