Why Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West will likely have an easy re-election campaign in October

Mayors of mid-sized cities aren't usually on the shortlist of potential premiers of Canadian provinces. 

But when John Horgan announced he was retiring, Port Coquitlam's Brad West was one of the names floated as a potential leadership candidate, evidence of his success in making a name for himself after just four years as the city's mayor.

West made it known he wasn't interested, and on Wednesday formally announced he would seek re-election in Port Coquitlam this October. 

"We've accomplished a lot. I think we have a lot more to do. I think our city is distinguishing itself in the province for our leadership on a whole number of things. And I want to complete that work," said West in announcing his decision.   

With no competition at the moment and having received 86 per cent of the vote in 2018, West will likely have an easy campaign over the next two months. 

At the same time, the reasons why he's become popular inside and outside Port Coquitlam — and the reasons he has detractors — are worth exploring. 

West ticks off many of the boxes of mayors facing little competition in local elections: he runs a suburban community that doesn't deal with the same social issues as the nearby big city. 

He chairs a council where the focus is on congeniality — with one notable exception — and staff-led reports rather than councillor motions and marathon public hearings for rezonings. He has not been criminally charged. And the city's focus is on basic municipal issues. 

"New parks and new playgrounds, spray parks, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, water and sewer utilities, lighting, crosswalks, pedestrian-activated flashers," says West, listing off capital spending projects one by one. 

"Stuff that may not be super exciting, but is the nuts and bolts of a municipality. They're the things people actually spend their tax dollars at city hall for. And we can't ignore those."

West talks about how property taxes are the third lowest in Metro Vancouver, how a new community centre just opened, and the downtown revitalization underway. A second term would see a continuation of that, he promises, along with lobbying for rapid transit to his community and funds to replace the Coquitlam River bridge. 

But he's also not shy online about occasionally drawing contrasts between Port Coquitlam and other municipalities.

Privately, there are a few municipal politicians who grouse about West's portrayal of governing, arguing it's easy to move efficiently in smaller cities with no political parties where council agrees on most issues. 

But West says the things he highlights, such as quickly approving permits or drinking in parks, are popular measures that any city could do efficiently.