In November of 2018, Brad West was elected Mayor of Port Coquitlam, making him the youngest person to hold this seat in the history of the city. Riverside secondary has had a long relationship with the Mayor of Port Coquitlam, with incumbent mayor Greg Moore having paid several visits to Riverside over the course of his mayoral term. The Eddy takes a look at Port Coquitlam’s newest mayor and his mandate.
Mayor West has been interested in the world of politics since he was a student here at Riverside. The interest was sparked when he was in grade nine or ten, when Mike Farnworth, MLA for Port Coquitlam, gave a presentation at Riverside about his experience as an MLA and his time on the Port Coquitlam city council. He began to read more about politics and later ran in Riverside’s student council election, “The first election I ever ran in was running for student council (at Riverside) and I got elected!” said West. For me, running for mayor is about taking what is already a really fantastic community and making it better.
Mayor Brad West
In fact, Mayor West was part of Riverside’s Journalism program during his time at Riverside and had his very own Political column from grade 10 to 12. Through working on the Eddy, he got to explore and write about different issues in the community, which contributed to his interest in politics.
“I had an interest in politics because I saw it as a way to be involved in decisions that impact people’s lives,” said West.
To further this interest in politics, West began volunteering for MLA Farnworth in the 2001 election and four years later was offered a job with the campaign, which he accepted. During the length of his employment with Farnworth, he was elected to Port Coquitlam city council, making him the youngest member in the history of the city.
As result of this, a large portion of West’s mayoral campaign was dedicated to the youth of Port Coquitlam. The enthusiasm for creating a better future for the youth of today stems partly from this, but West also attributes this passion to his young son.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about the type of community my son is going to inherit,” said West. He stresses the importance of looking ahead to the future and thinking about the long term consequences of one’s actions, which will affect the young people in the community.
West was inspired to run for mayor because of his deep roots in Port Coquitlam.“For me, running for mayor is about taking what is already a really fantastic community and making it better,” said West.
The overarching focus of West’s campaign is to create an affordable and livable community, particularly for young families. West says he hopes to bring a new energy and experience to the role of mayor.
Feature photo courtesy of: https://www.tricitynews.com/municipal-election/pocovotes2018-it-s-mayor-west-for-port-coquitlam-1.23471050
