IN THE MAPLE RIDGE MAYOR’S RACE: Mike Morden

Michael Morden

RUNNING WITH MAPLE RIDGE FIRST

Mayor, age 62

Central Maple Ridge resident who’s lived here 34 years

I have lived in Maple Ridge with my wife for over 34 years. We have two children and grandchildren.

I was elected mayor in 2018, and before, I served two terms as a city councillor.

I’ve owned several businesses, am past president of the local chamber of commerce, and am a volunteer who dedicates my time to helping others.

I serve on TransLink and Metro Vancouver boards, I’m chair of new mobility and vice-chair of housing, plus seven other committees.

I’m an honest and hardworking problem-solver.

Under my leadership, council built a strategic plan and 12 other plans, despite a pandemic.

Our team is proud of the work we’ve completed and again seeks your mandate to continue to turn our town into a vibrant city.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mapleridgefirst

Twitter, Instagram & Tiktok: @mapleridgefirst

Website: www.mapleridgefirst.com

Phone: 604-999-5006

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: Two terms on Council, one term as Mayor.

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CLICK TO CHECK OUT OUR FULL ELECTION GUIDE ONLINE

Questions:

(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)

1. Does the City have a handle on the problems created by homelessness?

Yes.

2. Do you believe residents of the City feel safe?

Don’t know.

3. Do you support the City borrowing funds to build a new aquatic centre?

Yes.

4. Are you in favour of development along the Alouette River?

Don’t know.

5. Can City hall do more to attract new businesses to open in Maple Ridge?

Yes.

Our priority upon taking office was closing the illegal camp and creating the community social safety initiative, a first-in-B.C. intervention program to give people the help they need and to make our city safe again.

Next, we re-purposed police funding with priorities to suit Maple Ridge.

We then began 12 plans that will build our city into a first-class city with best-in-class customer services for citizens and businesses.

We focused on high-employment, greater-density development.

We approved rapid transit from Evergreen SkyTrain to downtown, a future rapid transit station in Albion, and a 250-per-cent increase in bus service.

Our stable leadership and governance renewed investor confidence and led to the 2,000,000-square-foot redevelopment of Haney Place Mall, and we’re attracting post-secondary institutions.

We added 2,490 acres of mixed-use and employment lands, which will attract new businesses and allow existing businesses to thrive.

Our plans will make it easier for people to live and work here.

Great recreation will come as fast as the commercial tax base grows.

Families will come for the lowest housing costs in the region to work, live, and play.

With Maple Ridge First, our city will be clean, safe, and welcoming to businesses and residents.

6. Should the City borrow funds to build a new arena facility?

Yes.

7. Should Maple Ridge take more direct action to combat the local opioid crisis?

Don’t know.

8. Is the City taking adequate measures to lower carbon emissions?

Yes.

9. Are tax levels too high in the City?

Yes.

10. Should the City commit to making a decision on proposed new developments within 12 months or less?

Yes.

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CLICK ON OUR ELECTIONS 2022 TAB TO FIND A WIDE VARIETY OF RELEVANT STORIES

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

How the questions were presented to each candidate

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows news readers have told us how much they value this important, straight-forward reference guide that helps orient them with the range of choices on the ballots – both at the council and school board levels.

Towards that end, we have attempted to make this package available (along with the following instructions) to each of the candidates in a timely fashion ahead of the Oct. 15 election.

Please read carefully before you start to fill this out.

To help voters in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows make their choices on election day, The News is asking local candidates 10 issue-based questions.

You must provide a ‘yes,’ a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y, N, D) response to EACH of these questions.

Each question MUST be answered with yes (Y), no (N), or Don’t Know (D). This will be published in a grid in the Oct. 6 edition. Any questions not answered will be LEFT BLANK.

Candidates may also expand on ANY OR ALL of these questions (to a maximum of 200 words each). Please note any responses longer than that will be cut off at the 201-word mark.

Due to space limitations, we can only guarantee to run one of these answers in The News print edition ahead of the election. You must CLEARLY indicate which expanded answer you want to see published in print. If you do not specify, we will choose. Any and all expanded answers provided will be published online at www.mapleridgenews.com.

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