8 responses so far ↓

• 1 Silly Season // Apr 20, 2014 at 9:51 pm

  OK, I’ll bite…

  What’s a ‘Surrey’?

  🙂

• 2 Terry M // Apr 21, 2014 at 4:26 pm

  Silly @1
  As farad I know, “surrey” is Tom Cruise’s little girl name! 🙂

• 3 Terry M // Apr 21, 2014 at 4:27 pm

  Oops… “As far as I know…”

• 4 Richard // Apr 21, 2014 at 7:57 pm

  @Terry

  That would be Suri.

• 5 Bill Lee // Apr 22, 2014 at 6:21 pm

  We should be following the web-page
  https://twitter.com/SurreyVotes
  Every few days.

  Surrey? Surrey!!

  [ Slowly I turned, inch by inch, step by step…. ]

  Surrey /?s?ri/ is a county in the South East of England and one of the home counties.
  The London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth, and parts of Lewisham (Hatcham) and Bromley (Penge) were in Surrey until 1889, and Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Sutton, and Richmond upon Thames south of the River Thames—in Greater London—were part of Surrey until 1965 at which point the county gained its first area north of the Thames, Spelthorne, from defunct Middlesex.

  Area 1,663 km2 (642 sq mi)
  Population (2011 est.) 1,135,500
  Density 683 /km2 (1,770 /sq mi)
  Ethnicity 95.0% White
  2.2% S. Asian

  Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada.
  …”When Englishman H.J. Brewer looked across the Fraser River from New Westminster and saw a land reminiscent of his native County of Surrey in England, the settlement of Surrey was placed on the map. The area then comprised forests of douglas-fir, fir, red cedar, hemlock, blackberry bushes, and cranberry bogs. A portion of present-day Whalley (named after Harry Whalley, who owned and operated a gas bar at the bend in King George Blvd, (formerly King George Highway) at 108 Avenue, “Whalley’s Corner”) was used as a burial ground by the Kwantlen (or Qw’ontl’en) Nation.”

  Area 316.41 km2 (122.17 sq mi)
  Population (2011) 468,251
  Density 1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi)

  The non-minorities population is 211,445, or 53.9% of the city’s population. The foreign-born population is 150,235, constituting 30.3% of the city’s population. Visible minorities number 181,005, or 46.1% of the population, while Aboriginal people constitute 1.9% of the population
  South Asian 142,445 30.7%
  Chinese 28,480 6.1%
  Filipino 26,480 5.7%
  Other S.E. Asian 13,080 2.8%
  Korean 8,385 1.8%

• 6 Bill Lee // Apr 27, 2014 at 8:15 pm

  Popular Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts will not seek fourth term
  by Frances Bula
  Published Saturday, Apr. 26 2014, 7:01 PM EDT
  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/popular-surrey-mayor-dianne-watts-will-not-seek-fourth-term/article18283769/

  Last updated Saturday, Apr. 26 2014, 7:03 PM EDT
  7 comments

  Going out on a high note, Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts – who was once rated as more popular than Christy Clark for the leadership of the B.C. Liberal party – announced Saturday that she won’t run for a fourth term this fall.

  “As in every book, there comes a time to turn a page and to end a chapter. I feel I have completed this chapter in my life and it’s time to pass the torch,” said the mayor, as she spoke as a huge celebration for the opening of Surrey’s new $97-million city hall.

  That new city hall, standing next to a new library and a proposed new commercial office and condo tower, was part of a vision she drove to transform this suburb of 500,000 into something more urban, complete with a downtown.

  As she stood in front of four red-coated Mounties and spoke to a crowd of several thousand on the plaza in front of the new hall, she emphasized that “a vision that comes to fruition allows us to feel we are part of something greater than ourselves.”

  The mayor has been hugely popular with residents of her municipality, which has transformed its image as a somewhat redneck bedroom suburb to a multicultural, green-focused, and economically vibrant city under her rule.

  Although there has been some criticism in recent months of her handling of Surrey’s spike in crime and of the cost of the new hall, she has largely received glowing reviews from residents of her municipality and from political journalists in the province.

  Ms. Watts, who was first elected as mayor in 2005 after having served as a councillor since 1996, refused to say whether she will run federally, as has been widely rumoured.

  Conservative MP Russ Hiebert, who represents South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale, recently announced he won’t be running again.

  But Ms. Watts said she will decide later what the next chapter will be and what fits with her life.

  Ms. Watts’ two children, 19 and 20, are now in university and she separated from her husband, which reduces many of the family responsibilities she’d had during her near-decade as mayor.

  The mayor also said she won’t commit to supporting anyone yet who is running to replace her.

  In 2005, Ms. Watts, then a councillor, broke away from the party that had run Surrey for the previous decade and ran as an independent against the incumbent.

  She won and, after some initial tussling with other members of that party, persuaded them – along with more left-leaning councillors – to join her in a new party called Surrey First.

  With no nomination meetings and no real membership, the party that Ms. Watts had crafted gradually took over the whole council.

  Two councillors from Surrey First, Linda Hepner and Bruce Hayne, have both been out testing support for a possible run for the mayoralty.

  As well, another councillor left Surrey First two weeks ago, saying that the party had lost its way and too much business was being run out of the mayor’s office.

  That councillor, Barinder Rasode, had said she was strongly considering running for the mayoralty job as well.

  As Ms. Watts made her brief statement about her decision not to seek re-election, a wave of “awws” rose up from the crowd, which had also gathered for the city’s annual “party for the planet” on Earth Day.

  For David Chu, it was a disappointment.

  Mr. Chu lives in a condo near city hall in the new downtown-to-be (still a long way from complete) – a concept that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

  “Surrey has been progressing under her leadership,” he said, as he milled around with others at the festivities in the city-hall lobby. “It’s too bad. She has been doing very well in terms of creating infrastructure.”

  =========== in the Vancouver Sun =
  Dianne Watts will not stand again for Surrey mayor (with video)

  Surrey First president counts her blessings, while remaining mum on her political future
  By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun April 26, 2014 7:05 PM

  Surrey Mayor Diane Watts announced that she would not be seeking re-election in November at Saturday’s grand opening celebration of the new Surrey City Hall. Photograph by: Jason Payne , PNG

  Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts won’t seek re-election for a fourth term this November, saying it’s time to start a new chapter in her life.

  Watts, who has always said she would only serve three terms as mayor, wouldn’t say what she plans to do in the future, or whether she would seek a federal Conservative nomination for the seat in her home riding South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale.

  She did say, however, she was open to opportunities both private and public.

  “It’s an exciting time and who knows what waits around the corner?” she said.

  The hugely popular mayor had been tipped at one point to replace former Liberal premier Gordon Campbell, while speculation has been rife in the past few months that she was being courted as a star candidate for the federal Conservative seat vacated by low-profile MP Russ Heibert in South Surrey-White Rock-Langley. She has stayed quiet on the possibility up to now, saying she was focused on Surrey.

  “Over the years I’ve been approached by every single party of every single level of government and I’m flattered but it has to fit into my life,” Watts told reporters following the official opening of Surrey’s new City Hall Saturday, which included a burst of fireworks.

  Watts’ announcement was met with ‘awwws’ from the crowd, who had gathered at City Hall as part of the Surrey’s Earth Day celebrations. Flanked by four Mounties in red serge, the mayor said she had been blessed for heading the city for nine years and helping to transform Surrey from residential suburb to a metropolitan core of 500,000 residents.

  It takes hard work and determination to build a city from the ground up, she said, and credited her team with helping to create a vibrant downtown centre that included not only the “extraordinary” City Hall but the library, residential towers, Innovation Boulevard, Surrey Memorial Hospital and Holland Park.

  “We were fearless, we were relentless and we were a team,” she said. “All of this, its not for me or for council but for you, the people of this city. My heart, my integrity and my passion have been here for this city and the people who live here and are raising their children here.”

  Watts, who plans to serve out her term, said she has no regrets but would have liked to have seen light rail running through the city before she left. That will be a legacy carried through by the next mayor and council, she said, while they will also continue dealing with issues such as crime. “There’s a lot of challenges in a growing city,” she said.

  Watts, as president of Surrey First, which holds the majority on council, said she has no idea who will be her successor but said any member of the team is very capable. Councillors Linda Hepner and Tom Gill have both expressed and interest in running for mayor. Coun. Barinder Rasode, who split, from Surrey First earlier this month, is also considering a run for the mayor’s seat

  Read more in the Sun: vancouversun.com/Dianne+Watts+will+stand+again+Surrey+mayor+with+video/9780022/story.html

  ========== in Surrey Now biweekly
  Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts will not run for a fourth term in next election

  Amy Reid / Surrey Now
  April 26, 2014 03:20 PM

  Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts will not seek re-election in the upcoming municipal election this November.

  SURREY — Mayor Dianne Watts will not seek re-election in the upcoming municipal election this November.

  Watts made the announcement at the grand opening event for the new Surrey City Hall on Saturday, during the annual Party for the Planet event.

  In 2008, while running for re-election, Watts called for a nine-year term limit for city council members. She said she would not serve more than three terms – nine years – as mayor.

  “All elected officials have a shelf-life, me included,” she said in 2008, “so it puzzles me that so many in elected office have trouble accepting the reality that at some point it is best for our democracy and for our communities that all of us move on.”

  And with nine years as Surrey’s mayor under her belt come November, Watts has held to her word and bowed out.

  Watts was first elected in 1996 as a councillor under former mayor Doug McCallum. Leading up to the 2005 election, Watts had a very public spat with McCallum over charges of bullying. She made political history when she defeated McCallum and became the city’s first female mayor in 2005, winning with 45,981 votes – roughly 10,000 more than McCallum’s 35,558.

  She later formed Surrey First, which swept all of the council seats in the 2011 election, ousting longtime councillor and former mayor Bob Bose. Watts took about 80 per cent of the votes, with her six mayoral opponents trailing far, far behind.

  And throughout her tenure, Watts has proved to be a popular mayor. In an Insights West poll released in March, she was given a 73 per cent approval rating.

  Some have already showed interest in the mayor’s chair, including Surrey First Coun. Linda Hepner and independent Coun. Barinder Rasode, though no one has yet to come out publicly confirming their intentions.

  And there’s been speculation that McCallum may be jumping back into Surrey’s political arena after he came out to the media with strong words about the dollars spent on the glitzy new city hall and criticisms of the Surrey City Development Corporation.

  Last week, Rasode departed from Watts’ Surrey First slate to sit as an independent on council. She claimed the more questions she asked of council, the more “hostile” the relationship had become. Rasode said she would “strongly consider” running for mayor is Watts didn’t run.

  After Watts’ announcement on Saturday, Rasode wouldn’t confirm whether or not she would be running as a mayoral candidate, only saying “today is all about Mayor Watts.”

  Rasode believes Watts will be remembered for “starting the vision and implementing the vision of a downtown core in the City of Surrey. And she’ll definitely be known for the Build Surrey program, in terms of building recreation facilities and I applaud her for that.”

  She described Watts as being “a very outspoken advocate,” adding, “that’s something I’ve watched and learned from.”

  If Watts chooses to serve at another political level, Rasode believes she will be a strong voice for the citizens of Surrey.

  There has been speculation that Watts may run for the federal Conservatives in the South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale riding in the 2015 election, after current MP Russ Hiebert announced he wouldn’t be seeking re-election.
  – See more at: thenownewspaper.com/surrey-mayor-dianne-watts-will-not-run-for-a-fourth-term-in-next-election-1.1003983

  ==== other Surrey biweekly

  Dianne Watts will not run for mayor this year
  surreyleader.com/news/256774181.html
  by Kevin Diakiw – Surrey North Delta Leader
  posted Apr 26, 2014 at 1:00 PM— updated Apr 26, 2014 at 2:59 PM

  Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts plans to travel with her children in the near future. – Evan Seal / The Leader
  Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts plans to travel with her children in the near future.
  — image credit: Evan Seal / The Leader

  Looking as relaxed as she has in years, Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts sat in the meditation room of her Cloverdale home and said what many predicted, but none have been able to confirm until now.

  “I’m not running for mayor this fall,” Watts told The Leader in an exclusive interview Thursday.

  She was planning to make the formal announcement today (Saturday), at the grand opening of the new city hall.

  Her reason for leaving is simple, she says.

  From the time she was elected mayor in 2005, Watts says she has made it clear she would serve no longer than three terms. She is coming to the end of that self-imposed time limit.

  As to where she’ll be going next, she insists she’s unsure.

  “I don’t know what’s around the corner,” she says. “It’s just a new chapter. I find that settling.”

  The room she sits in was once a home office where she burned the midnight oil on civic business.

  It’s now been stripped of the desk; the only piece of furniture remaining is a large meditation chair. Buddha statues line the shelves and the walls are home to Tibetan mandalas and quotes from Einstein and Zen Master Tich Nhat Hanh.

  Watts says several political opportunities lie before her, but she’s not ready to jump at any of them.

  Right now, she has plans to travel with her children and scratch at least one item off her bucket list – swimming with great white sharks in the Sea of Cortez.

  Watts was elected as Surrey councillor in 1996, then ousted former mayor Doug McCallum for the centre chair in 2005.

  In all, she’s served 18 years on Surrey council.

  Asked about the high point of her term in office, Watts said it would probably be the work putting together a social infrastructure in the city that didn’t exist before.

  That includes drug and alcohol treatment centres, mental health facilities and a child advocacy centre.

  She says she, her colleagues and city staff have done a lot to bring the city forward in the last nine years.

  “There’s been a collective vision, an ability to move beyond petty politics, and we’ve taken the city from a residential suburb to the second metropolitan core in the region.”

  She notes that has been done not by thinking outside the box, “we did it without a box.”

  Whoever takes the mayoral position in the general civic election on Nov. 15 will still have some work to do, Watts says.

  Moving into the future as one of the country’s fastest-growing cities has inherent challenges, she says, not the least of which are transportation, building on the city’s infrastructure and expanding on innovation.

  The person who leads that charge is going to need some special abilities.

  “You need someone at the helm that will be a very strong leader that can bring people together.”

  So who among Surrey First – Watt’s 2005 creation of a coalition of independents – will get the slate’s nod to move forward?

  Watts said she’s staying out of that decision.

  Her replacement on the slate will be chosen by all elected members of Surrey First, but Watts says she’s absenting herself from the vote.

  As president of the slate, she says she will be at the table, and will help to get the chosen person elected.

  But that will be done as a back-room supporter, not as part of a public campaign.

  Speculation has it that Coun. Linda Hepner is getting the nod from Surrey First, but Hepner was tight-lipped about it on Thursday.

  “I told you, you will be the first to know,” Hepner said.

  Coun. Barinder Rasode, who left Surrey First earlier this month, told The Leader she would run for mayor if Watts was stepping aside.

  Rasode said Saturday, this day is about honouring the mayor.

  “Today is about recognizing Mayor Dianne Watts and all the excellent work she’s done,” Rasode said. As to when she’ll make her plans public, she would only say “there willl come a time very soon to have that conversation.”

  Couns. Bruce Hayne and Tom Gill also said they would consider running for mayor if the seat is vacant.

  Coun. Judy Villeneuve said she hasn’t given it any thought.And Coun. Mary Martin said that she would absolutely not consider a mayoral run, saying she’s focusing on running with Surrey First as a councillor.

  As for Watts, she’s going to stay out of the sticky end of politics this fall, and focus on being mayor for the next seven months.

  She has mixed emotions about leaving municipal government.

  “It feels like the close of a chapter,” she says, “but in the same respect, I will miss it.”

  ——–
  Watts departure leaves three vacant seats

  News that Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts will not be running for civic office this fall leaves several empty seats to fill at Surrey City Hall.

  For the first time in years, there will be empty seats, at least three of them.

  Former Coun. Marvin Hunt stepped down from his council position this year after he was elected as Liberal MLA for Surrey-Panorama.

  His council seat is empty.

  With Watts deciding not to run, one of the Surrey First councillors, widely believed to be Coun. Linda Hepner, will vacate their council seat for the mayoral run.

  In addition, Coun. Barinder Rasode, who just jumped from the Surrey First slate, will be running for mayor, leaving her council seat vacant.

  So there will be three new faces on Surrey council.

  Or will there?

  This city is abuzz with rumours former Mayor Doug McCallum is planning a return to city council.

  He told The Leader he wasn’t interested, but members of the community have since told this newpaper he is working for support.

  With no mayoral incumbent, could he win that position? Or is he satisfied with a run for city councillor?

  There’s also a widely held belief that former Coun. Judy Higginbotham might return to the civic scene. She’s got good name

  recognition and might do well in the polls.

  The abiding question is, does she have an appetite for the mayor’s chair? And could she win it?

  No matter how it shakes out, this is going to be one of the most exciting elections Surrey has seen in decades.

  Stay tuned to surreyleader.com. We will be bringing you up to date coverage as it becomes available.

  twitter.com/diakiw
  More on this at Kevin Diakiw’s blog: postdeadline.com

• 7 teririch // Apr 28, 2014 at 11:46 am

  I give Mayor Diane Watts credit for making her intentions clear and not playing both side of the fence ultimately costing the taxpayer $$ for a bi-election.

• 8 Bill // Apr 28, 2014 at 12:17 pm

  @teririch

  No doubt she will be a Cabinet Minister when the Conservative government is re-elected next year.