A New Westminster resident believes it’s “long overdue” for the city to increase the number of seats on council.
Christopher Bell, a longtime council watcher, has written to Mayor Jonathan Cote about his desire to see council expanded from six to eight councillors. He noted the Community Charter allows cities with a population of 50,000 or more people to have eight councillors.
“I am all for it,” Bell told the Record. “It’s like a no-brainer to not do it. Why wouldn’t you do it? It’s an opportunity for more diverse voices.”
Earlier this year, Statistics Canada released 2021 census data showing New Westminster has a population of 78,916.
Given that New Westminster’s population exceeds the 50,000-persons limit required to expand to eight councillors, Bell wonders why the city hasn’t considered the matter in recent years.
“I am all for paying for the salary and expenses of two more councillors,” said the Moody Park resident. “It’s such a minuscule amount, the salary of two councillors, in the budget and in the taxes we pay. It’s not even an argument.”
Along with creating opportunities for electing more people from diverse backgrounds to council, Bell believes it could help newcomers fight the challenges faced when running against incumbents.
Bell plans on speaking before council at its April 11 meeting.
According to Bell, the city last considered the issue back in 2005, at which time it opted to stick with six councillors. He’d like the city to consider expanding council to eight councillors in time for the Oct. 15 civic election.
“We are 20,000 people past the 50,000 mark, and a rise in council size is long overdue,” he said in a letter to Mayor Jonathan Cote.
Cote said the issue isn’t one that has been raised recently, until he received Bell’s email. He said most local cities of New Westminster’s size still have six councillors, but the city does have the ability to move up to eight councillors.
“I have shared it with council and I have asked ask staff to provide a bit more information to council on the issue,” he said. “At this point, it hasn’t been scheduled as a formal discussion with council.”
Cote said it may be an interesting discussion to have in the community but it’s not one that the city has engaged in at this point.
“It sometimes can add the opportunity for some greater diversity and open up more space, more voices around the table. Sometimes that can bring value. Having said that, it does have to be in relation to the size of the community you have and how it can be best served,” he told the Record. “I think, from my perspective, it’s worth having a conversation again in the community, and maybe it’s even worth putting the question out to the broader public, just as we did in 2005. That’s something that will lead to a discussion with council as a whole and see if that’s something they want to pursue now or at a later date.”
Community input
On Monday night, Bell appeared before council to reiterate his belief that it’s time for the city to expand the number of councillors to eight. He also urged the city to send the idea to an immediate public engagement process, so citizens of New Westminster can provide input on expanding the size of council.
Bell also expressed concerns about the process that led to the 2004 bylaw that limited New Westminster council to a mayor and six councillors.
“I see an opportunity for a far more diverse council if there are eight councillors instead of the present six. I see a greater diversity across culture, gender orientation, religion, race, age, a host of other diverse communities that each one of you speaks to as having a place at the councillor’s desk this coming fall,” he told council. “I see no downsides to increasing the opportunity for a greater diversity of experiences and opinions on our city’s council. To rescind the current council size bylaw is to make available more opportunities for an individual to make a powerful difference in our community.”
City clerk Jacque Killawee later told the Record that staff does not follow up with requests from delegates unless council directs them to back on the topic. She said council did not direct staff to report back on Bell’s request that the city increase the size of council to eight councillors.
“The default council size per the Community Charter for a city with a population similar to New Westminster’s is one mayor and eight councillors,” she said in an email to the Record. “Increasing the size of New West council would involve repealing the 2005 bylaw, which sets the council size to one mayor and six councillors.”
Follow Theresa McManus on Twitter @TheresaMcManus
Email [email protected]
