Abbotsford – Aaaaaand they’re off.
The Abbotsford Mayoral Race on October 15, seemed like a slam dunk for Henry Braun.
But after 11 years in the public eye, Braun shocked many by announcing he would not run for re-election in the fall.
Councilor Ross Siemens is the first candidate to declare that he wants the Mayor’s Chair.
Semsn is no stranger to the political landscape. He was the youngest councillor to be elected in Abbotsford’s history and has currently been sitting since 2014.
He made the announcement via Facebook on Monday:
“I am excited to announce that I will be running as a candidate for Mayor of the City of Abbotsford.
I believe in a vision for Abbotsford that will see it continue to grow as the economic and cultural hub of the Fraser Valley.
I am proud of all that my colleagues and I have accomplished over the past eight years. However, there is still more work to be done. The increase in rents and housing prices has left owning or renting a home out of reach for too many in our community. Tackling the full spectrum of issues surrounding homelessness is going to take creative solutions and collaboration with all levels of government. We are still rebuilding from the 2021 floods and need to build our infrastructure to prevent this from happening again.
I look forward to meeting voters and sharing my ideas over the next four months so we can build an Abbotsford that works best for all of us.”
All Municipal Election candidates must start filing Elections BC paperwork starting August 30.
