Another sitting New Westminster school trustee has announced he won’t be running again.
Mark Gifford, who was first elected in 2014, won’t be on the ballot for the Oct. 15 municipal elections. His announcement follows the same news last week from trustee and former board chair Anita Ansari.
“It’s a little bittersweet, but it’s a good time for me,” Gifford told the Record Tuesday morning. “I’ve always been a big believer that you do the best service you can for awhile and then make space for new folks.”
Gifford jokingly describes himself as the “old guy” on the current SD40 board, as the only sitting trustee in his second full term. Serving alongside seasoned trustees in his first term and then on a board made up almost entirely of rookies in his second were both learning experiences, Gifford says – not to mention the experience of being the only man on the current board.
“It’s been another gift, to be able to work and learn alongside such great female leadership,” he said.
Among the accomplishments of the past eight years, Gifford names the district’s commitment to issues surrounding equity and inclusion as among his most treasured: the universal school lunch program, a sanctuary schools policy, the Period Promise campaign, designation as a Living Wage employer, investments in inclusive education and the launch of an anti-racism and diversity process, among others.
His term has also seen the opening of new school facilities: Fraser River Middle School, École Qayqayt Elementary School, New Westminster Secondary School and Skwo:wech Elementary School.
“More than half of our students attend schools built in the past eight years,” Gifford pointed out.
He said all those accomplishments have come out of the collective effort of board members and district staff.
“We’re in a great spot as a district, and that’s a credit to everyone involved,” he said.
Gifford will back Community First candidates in October municipal election
Gifford will be staying involved in local politics through Community First, the newly announced electoral organization being launched by some high-profile NDP-affiliated New Westminsterites. Its inaugural AGM is set for this Thursday, April 28.
Gifford said he’ll be backing Community First candidates this fall.
He describes the path to the creation of the party as “a little bumpy” – acknowledging the initial formation of the left-leaning organization Together New West in December, renamed as Forward New West in January after a controversy over the initial name.
Community First was then announced in April, spearheaded by a separate group of left-leaning community members.
“In Community First, it’s really drawn on the strengths of the learning and energy that went into Together New West,” Gifford said. “It’s good energy right now.”
On the non-political front, Gifford said he’ll be devoting his energies to his career; over the course of the pandemic, he took on a new role as CEO of the Real Estate Foundation of B.C.
Plus, of course, there’s his family: wife Tonya Martin and son Isaiah, who's a student in the New Westminster school district.
“Tonya and Isaiah have been so supportive of this work, but it also certainly takes time away from time I have with them,” Gifford said.
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