Filing period closes as Chilliwack candidates for mayor, city council and school board launch campaign

The city council candidates include, Brent Bowker, Craig Hill, Nicole Huitema Read, incumbent Chris Kloot, incumbent Jason Lum, Mike McLatchy, incumbent Bud Mercer, Jared Mumford, Amber Price, incumbent Jeff Shields, Debora Lynn Soutar, and incumbent Harv Westeringh.

Brent Bowker is a husband, father of two young boys, and a nature-loving, progressive tech worker looking to positively impact his community. He studied environment and business at the University of Waterloo before moving to British Columbia. He is a presently stay-at-home dad who grew up in Ontario.

Hill is the former publisher of The Valley Voice, an online publication in Chilliwack that operated for over a decade. The Valley Voice is now on Facebook.

Nicole Huitema Read is the general manager of Community Futures South Fraser. At the age of 25, Read started her first business in the hospitality industry doing sales and marketing for hotels in different markets throughout B.C. and Alberta.

Kloot is a two-term councillor, small dairy farmer, realtor, and a married father of three sons, not to mention an outdoor enthusiast and avid photographer.

Jason Lum is a small business owner who was first elected to council in 2011. He currently serves as chair of the Fraser Valley Regional District and serves on a host of committees.

Mike McLatchy is a longtime Chilliwack resident who started Fairfield Island Heating and Plumbing 25 years ago, and has been active with Chilliwack Fraser Rotary Club, including a term as president, and is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and recently received a Polio Plus award from Rotary International. He and a friend recently re-opened the Lindell Beach General Store. He previously led a humanitarian mission to the Philippines during his term as president of Chilliwack Fraser Rotary.

Incumbent Bud Mercer’s extensive policing background includes municipal, provincial, federal and international work experience. His RCMP career spanned 34 years and included becoming the commander for Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley in 2002, then RCMP Assistant Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, which included responsibility for 16,000 personnel and a budget of $550 million. In 2010 Mercer retired from the RCMP and accepted a position as the CEO of a Canadian company in Ottawa with a net worth of $2.5 billion.

Jared Mumford is the current chair of the Chilliwack school board and co-chair of Chilliwack Healthier Communities. He is the founder and owner of a successful digital marketing and business development firm, SEO Visions, Inc.

Amber Price is the owner of The Bookman and has been active in the Chilliwack Mural Festival, revitalizing the downtown, and has sat on several boards.

Incumbent Jeff Shields is a lifelong Chilliwack resident and chartered accountant of 30 years; he has served on the boards of CEPCO, Chilliwack Community Services, Big Brothers, and Rotary, including stints as chair and president of these four, treasurer for Chilliwack Flight Fest, and volunteering as a youth soccer coach and with Chilliwack Secondary School Hello Goodbye Committee.

Soutar is a retired forester who serves as a director for the Fraser Valley Watershed Coalition, is active with Chilliwack Parks Society, and on the City of Chilliwack Parks and Trails Committee. She is similarly involved in the Gwynne Vaughan Park Society, the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve Society, the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society and Rotary Club of Chilliwack.

Westeringh is a longtime Chilliwack resident who operated a small dairy farm in Rosedale up until 2021, owned a small building company with his wife, and been a Chilliwack-area realtor for over 25 years.

The 15 confirmed school board candidates include incumbent Dr. Carin Bondar, Elliott Friesen, incumbent Dr. Darrell Furgason, Kaethe Jones, incumbent Heather Maahs, Greg Nelmes, incumbent Barry Neufeld, Darren Ollinger, Lewis Point, Richard Procee, incumbent Willow Reichelt, Margaret Reid, incumbent David Swankey, Brian VanGarderen, and Teri Westerby.

Image: Supplied by Chilliwack School District / There are 15 candidates vying for seven seats on the Chilliwack School District Board of Education.

by Marcus Gordon

Filing period closes as Chilliwack candidates for mayor, city council and school board launch campaign

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