Former Langley Township councillor Michelle Sparrow will run for mayor this fall, third candidate to announce they are running for that post so far.
Sparrow is pledging to run a grassroots campaign focused on transparency, collaboration, and respect, and said she will not be accepting donations from developers, including those employed by developers or lobbying on their behalf.
“Community building should be free of the financial influence of powerful development companies,” Sparrow said in a statement announcing her candidacy.
Sparrow also pledged details of her campaign financing would be made available on her Votesparrow.ca website immediately after they are received.
She said new contributions and expenses would be disclosed in real time, and there would be no anonymous donations accepted.
“Voters deserve to know who is ‘sponsoring’ their next mayor before they vote, not afterwards,” she said.
She said she will be releasing her full campaign platform soon, which will focus on housing and development, protecting farmland, road safety, and the need to address fire department staffing, equipment, and training deficits.
Sparrow has previously served two terms on council, was defeated in the 2018 municipal election when she ran for a third term as a councillor.
“My goal always was to eventually run for the mayor’s seat,” she said.
She said the last four years have definitely been contentious on council, and that the role of the mayor is one of collaboration.
Sparrow said she will not be running with a slate of council candidates, but will be an independent.
She works as the government relations lead and conduct advisor for the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB).
Sparrow will be facing off against two sitting councillors, Blair Whitmarsh and Eric Woodward. Incumbent Mayor Jack Froese announced earlier this year that he would not be running again.
The municipal election is scheduled for this Oct. 15, and whoever is elected will serve for four years.
READ ALSO: Woodward announces run for mayor of Langley Township
READ ALSO: Whitmarsh announces run for Langley Township mayor’s seat
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