Surrey First City Councillor Linda Hepner has been voted as the Mayor of Surrey following an extremely close three-way race leading up to the election.
Hepner has been called as the winner given her massive lead in the ballots counted at this time. She has won 43,945 votes at this time, with Safe Surrey Coalition’s Doug McCallum trailing behind at 24,166 votes and One Surrey City Councillor Barinder Rasode at 18,920 votes.
Going into the election, among decided voters, the latest public opinion poll found that the three candidates were nearly evenly split with both Hepner and McCallum attaining 33 per cent support. Rasode trailed closely behind at 30 per cent and had been making headway over the last few weeks.
Among the three candidates, Hepner was seen as the best person to tackle Surrey’s arts and culture, parks and recreation, poverty and the environment. Crime and transportation were identified by Surrey residents as the areas that needed most attention.
Hepner has vowed to continue the legacy of Mayor Dianne Watts, who is leaving office and her Surrey First party with an approval rating of 73 per cent. Watts was first elected into the Mayor’s office in 2005.
Prior to being elected to Surrey City Council in 2005, Hepner was the municipal government’s Management of Economic Development.
Feature Image: Surrey First