Race to Watch: After decades of Lois Jackson, Delta is getting a change in the mayor’s office

It was supposed to be Lois Jackson’s swan song.

After 19 years on the job, the mayor of Delta announced she wasn’t running again. But for some people, the political bug is not easy to shake, so retirement for Jackson has been put on the back burner.

The 80-year-old politician announced just days before the nomination period closed that she was running for city council and supporting Delta’s former city manager George Harvie, who is now running for mayor.

“We have got the greatest place to live, work and play and I really want to keep it that way for the families, businesses, industry that we have got here. I have a lot left to do and I know that George is the same as I am,” Jackson said.

It was a big moment in a race that is wide open. There are three major candidates that are hoping to fill Jackson’s shoes: city Coun. Sylvia Bishop, former Delta police chief Jim Cessford and Harvie.

Harvie and Jackson worked very closely together for 17 years, while Harvie was city manager and Jackson mayor. The former city manager had recently retired from the job and is eager to get back into public life.

“I always wanted to do something where I could work with a council at the political level and move away from the staffing level,” said Harvie. “I know the insides and outside of city hall financing and planning. What I can offer the public during constant change is I offer a strong, steady hand.”

Cessford is in a similar position. Former Delta police chief retired after more than 40 years in law enforcement in 2015.

Sitting on the sidelines has made him realize that he wants to stay involved. When he was police chief, Delta police put in a “no call too small” policy. The police led to higher public satisfaction in the police force and lower crime rates.

“I’m a trusted and proven leader. I was brought here to improve policing and to improve our relationship with the public,” said Cessford. “We are going to run a fair campaign. I am not going to get into mudslinging and this is about leading the community.”

Of the three major candidates, the only one with political experience is Sylvia Bishop. Bishop is a current city councillor and believes she is poised to become the next mayor.

“With all due respect to my opponents, they are bureaucrats, they have been career bureaucrats. I am a seven-year serving councillor in Delta and I believe the skill set is quite different. When you are the head of an organization, you tell people what to do. It’s your way or the highway. When you are an elected official, your skill set includes the necessity of collaboration to get where you want to go and the understanding of the levers of power,” said Bishop.

“I don’t think it serves Delta very well to have a mayor without that skill set.”

WATCH HERE: Delta mayor calls for Port Mann Bridge toll relief

2:35 Delta mayor calls for Port Mann Bridge toll relief

Jackson’s inclusion on the ballot also set up a discussion between change and more of the same. In a race that is all about new faces, convincing voters of that becomes much harder for Harvie now that the mayor of 19 years is on his ticket.

“The public wants to see a fresh team here is Delta. There are a number of vacancies coming up,” said Harvie. “The public now knows that Lois is working with the Achieving for Delta team and brings a lot of credibility. With the other team members, we are really represented well.”

As for major issues, the replacement for the Massey Bridge is the clear-cut top issue. But all three candidates agree that the span needs to be replaced by a bridge and that needs to come from the provincial government soon.

But before that span can be built, Bishop says the new mayor’s priority needs to be improved transit options. Bishop says while Delta waits for a replacement, there should be increased bus service.

On the housing front is everything from people who have grown up in Delta who want to stay living there and can’t afford it, to seniors looking to downsize, and not enough housing coming online.

“There is an array of housing available but we can do better and we need to do more,” said Bishop.

Beyond that, Cessford believes that there hasn’t been enough focus on housing options for families in Delta. He says the previous administration failed to create a long-term growth plan for the community.

“We don’t have a plan for Delta. We don’t have a vision really for where we want to go,” said Cesfford.