It’s been a fascinating and rewarding experience.
In an interview with the Optimist last week, Sylvia Bishop talked about what it’s been like to leave her council seat after seven years in a bid to become Delta’s next mayor.
Having previously run as an independent, Bishop now finds herself heading the Team Delta slate, which she’s enjoying because of the composition it brings to the table.
“I’ve been at it for a long time. We did announce in March but a lot of work has occurred before. We’ve had a plan all along and we’re delivering that plan. The closer we get to the election, the more people are starting to pay attention and the more we have to concentrate our efforts. We’ve spent a lot of time this summer door knocking, planning what our literature might look like,” she said.
“For me, the very best part of having been a councillor and being a candidate for mayor is getting out in the community and talking to people. For instance, I was at Stir Coffee (in Ladner) and ran into a woman who was at the all-candidates (meeting) and she had a couple of questions and was really enthusiastic. That one-on-one connection, that’s what keeps me going. They have passion and see my passion for the city and desire to lead as mayor.”
Bishop said she started thinking about the possibility of running for mayor after several people brought up the idea a couple of years ago. She met with others, including “key figures in the community,” who provided her with positive feedback.
“Given the fact that there was going to be a mayor’s race, a significant one for the first time in 19 years, I was thinking about what that would mean and what that would entail, thinking about what is it we could do better.”
As far as the number of changes about to occur on council, she said it should be no surprise so many are running for a seat.
“I think it’s really good for democracy so many people are running, most of them for the first time. I think that clearly shows passion and caring and commitment to Delta. The voters have a tough decision and the first-time candidates have a really tough slog because they might not be well known beyond their own circle or networks.
“I’m confident that people are not wrong and that they’re going to elect a good council and mayor, and should I be lucky enough to be that mayor, I believe I can work with that group, whomever is elected. That doesn’t mean that we’re always going to agree. It means having that kind of working relationship where you can express your opinion, your point of view, and ask tough questions at the council table, and get the answers you need in order to make those decisions. That means they vote on the subject with confidence and I would want to be the mayor that assures every councillor’s opinion is valued, that no one is shut out.”
Asked for her impressions on the first mayoral forum hosted by the Delta Chamber of Commerce at South Delta Secondary, she said she was impressed with the turnout and the questions posed.
“When you only have a minute to answer, you want to get your message out and you don’t want to give up that time to respond to or rebut. There have been all-candidates (meetings) in the past where they allowed for time for rebuttal, but all we ever did was further outline what we wanted to do. The feedback I heard was positive in that they got a good sense of the candidates and what they had to say. I know that people have made up their minds now because of the debate. If they were debating between two people before, they made up their minds.”
Bishop said it’s unfortunate the councillor candidates didn’t have more meetings to let people know more about them, especially with so many newcomers vying for a seat.
“I think for the voters it can be challenging and they have to do a little work by going to websites and reading pamphlets.”
Bishop said she sent out around 8,000 letters with accompanying questionnaires and got about a 20 per cent response rate.
“That 20 per cent, those people actually bought a stamp and put it in an envelope and took the time to mail it back. We have it online as well, but that response was impressive. It provided us with all kinds of useful information.”
It’s been her experience running for public office that the public usually awakens around election period.
“I really hope that there is a better voter turnout than in the past. People lost their lives so we can get to vote, so I tell people in Delta that we have to use that vote in honour of the people that gave their lives.
“Win or lose, this is my home and I care deeply about it.”
