Bright Lights, Big City
I tell people I live in White Rock because – as an old art director of mine liked to say – living in White Rock means you’ll never have to say you’re Surrey. So this is my confession: White Rock is about four blocks down the street.
I’m more comfortable with my address these days because things here have changed. I don’t have to tell you that Surrey – like Newfoundland – has long been the butt of jokes. But that was before Newfoundland struck oil, and Surrey elected Dianne Watts as mayor.
Most reasons to love Surrey – or at least to reconsider your opinion of B.C.’s second-largest city – are driven by Watts: a wealthy, attractive 49-year-old suburban mother of two whose consensus-based, inclusive approach to governance has led to a dramatic reduction of both crime and political infighting. Surrey’s civic innovations have, in some cases, been so effective – like the fire chief’s approach to hounding grow-ops and the mayor’s success in removing chronic criminals from the streets – there’s a good chance these initiatives will soon spread north of the Fraser.
So who’s Surrey now?
The Decline of Partisan Politics
Civic politics historically have served as the farm system for provincial and federal parties. William Vander Zalm was once mayor of Surrey; Rita Johnston was a Surrey councillor, as was retiring NDP MP Penny Priddy.
For seven terms, Watts herself served as a city councillor in the centre-right Surrey Electors Team (SET). When she challenged SET mayor Doug McCallum’s seemingly willy-nilly approach to development – Surrey loves development – McCallum came on like a bully and tried to whip her back onto the benches. She rebelled, ran against him in 2005 as an independent and trounced the local strongman.
Once in the mayor’s chair, Watts didn’t resort to the kind of political revenge we’ve come to expect in B.C. politics. Not that Watts didn’t have provocation: her former SET colleagues were initially obstructive and voted to deny her McCallum’s old seat as chair of the TransLink board; the local press treated her like a bimbo, chortling over her reaction to a “nude beach” at Surrey’s Crescent Beach district and raising a scandal about an obviously leaked story that city crews had shovelled snow off her driveway.
But instead of rage or political punishment, Watts began her one-woman campaign to change the system. “The municipal level of government is never set up for party politics with an official opposition,” Watts tells me from her gracefully furnished office in city hall, dressed casually in a light white jacket, soft pink top and capri pants. “That’s for your province and your feds. To try to recreate that at this level is foolhardy.” Avoiding the traps of partisan name-calling and role-playing hasn’t been without its challenges. “It’s about taking the high road, about biting your tongue. It’s about being in the position of leadership,” says Watts. “So you have to make a choice. Am I going to play petty politics? Am I going to be vindictive? Or am I going to be a leader?”
Surrey councillors earn $50,000 annually – about 12 cents per resident, which is the second-lowest per capita rate in B.C. As Watts points out, “Not one elected councillor is there for the money. They’re there because they want to make a difference.” Watts lets them – and as a result Surrey council is no longer dysfunctional, political rhetoric is minimal and most Surrey citizens believe Watts is doing well; about 60 per cent of Surrey voters say they will re-elect her, according to a recent online poll conducted by Robbins SCE Research Inc.
“She’s popular,” says Gary Hollick, publisher of the Surrey Now newspaper and the immediate past president of the Surrey Board of Trade, “because she listens to people, takes a common-sense approach and executes it.” Surrey independent councillor Judy Villeneuve told the Vancouver Sun in June 2007 that Watts had brought a new atmosphere to city hall. “People are feeling like there’s an open door to participate. This has been one of my more progressive and satisfying terms since 1988. Dianne has worked hard to build bridges and consensus.” Indeed, many of the same councillors who originally opposed her have decided to run with her in this month’s civic election – centre-left and centre-right together – on a slate called Surrey First.
It’s not a party exactly. Surrey First has no whip, no platform and no formal or informal provincial party affiliation. “This is about a coalition of independent people coming together and running together,” explains Watts. “Individual thought, individual ways of doing things – it’s a reflection of the community. That’s what makes good government. It’s not about being lockstep and vacant of any other expression. It’s about putting a business case forward and convincing others of your passion and your good ideas.”
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