Meet the candidates for 2022 Richmond Hill mayoral byelection

Online voting Jan. 18-24, in-person voting Jan. 22-24

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 5, 2022
Yoyo Yan

A total of nine certified candidates are running in the 2022 Richmond Hill mayoral byelection slated on Jan. 24. An all-candidate event was held virtually Dec. 19 by Ontario based, non-profit organization Active Community Engagement (ACE). Eight of the nine candidates took part in the event and here are their opening remarks (click on the name to view each candidate's profile).

Godwin Chan

Having served on council for 15 continuous years, I'm deeply troubled by the media report that council was out of control and Richmond Hill ranked last in the Ontario 2021 Municipal Democracy Index.

I'm stepping forward to offer voters in Richmond Hill an experienced, inclusive and forward-thinking professional to lead our city and to work with everyone in the community to bring a brighter future to Richmond Hill.

Joe DiPaola

The position of mayor is an important municipal role, requiring vision, leadership and the ability to bring diverse interests together.

I'm a lifelong resident of Richmond Hill and have always been passionate about our city.

Susan Korman

I have been quietly involved in politics for over 20 years in Richmond Hill and due to the present sitting council announcing this byelection, I'm now putting myself upfront to make a positive difference.

The main message of my campaign is I am all about honesty, integrity and transparency.

Carmine Perrelli

The majority of tax dollars collected by the City of Richmond Hill are spent by the Region of York. The new mayor of Richmond Hill will have to work as strong leaders who do not hesitate to advocate for their community.

Richmond Hill will need a strong mayor to ensure that we get our fair share of resources from the region, resources that will go elsewhere without an effective Richmond Hill leadership.

Rona Wang

Seven years ago, I moved to Richmond Hill with my family, including my husband and my two children. We enjoy living in this beautiful city and have Richmond Hill as our home.

As a local resident, a small-business owner, I firmly believe that we all deserve a better, livable city.

David West

I lived in Richmond Hill for over 30 years. I've run a successful business here. I volunteered extensively here. I raised my family here. And for the last nine years, I've been the ward councillor for Ward 4. But most importantly, I proudly call Richmond Hill home.

The work of building a great community is never done, but I'm confident that we can work toward this goal so we can all consider Richmond Hill to be the very best place to live and raise our families.

Juni Yeung

I have lived in Richmond Hill since 1995, or almost 30 years. Over the past decade, even though our city has seen a number of highrise buildings going up everywhere, especially on Yonge Street, we haven't seen an improvement in the livelihood of the local community over the years.

In the wake of the recent coronavirus pandemic, I think now is the critical time to rethink our previous approach of putting land development first.

Michael Zambakkides

I have been a resident of Richmond for over 30 years now. My campaign for mayor of Richmond Hill is based on three things. No. 1 is efficiency.

Expansion. By that I mean sustainable growth, bringing in high tech companies and creating high paying good jobs. And No. 3, which is most important, is equity.

Ruida Tian

Ruida Tian did not participate in the Dec. 19 event. Here is part of his campaign announcement.

An engineer, entrepreneur, husband, father, immigrant, proud Richmond Hill citizen. I am excited to announce my independent candidacy for the next mayor of Richmond Hill. I am fully confident that I can build up our community to thrive for all the residents and business owners by representing all of the diverse voices in our city.