'I genuinely was floored': BIA chair Raika Sheppard appointed Richmond Hill Ward 4 councillor

Yorkregion.com
March 24, 2022

At an expectedly long meeting, Richmond Hill council picked the new councillor for Ward 4 after an unexpectedly quick round of voting.

Raika Sheppard was appointed the new Ward 4 councillor at a special meeting held  March 22 in the Richmond Hill council chambers -- the first in-person meeting in two years.

Sheppard, who has been chair of the Village of Richmond Hill Business Improvement Area (BIA) since 2018, stood out from a long list of candidates to fill the city’s Ward 4 council vacancy.

“I genuinely was floored,” Sheppard said after the appointment meeting. “I thought it was going to go to three rounds of voting. And to be honest with you, I thought, maybe I'll get one or, maximum, two votes. So I'm just so honoured and shocked and happy."

The result came in at around 6 p.m. at the all-day meeting in the council chambers where 24 out of the 26 applicants made presentations -- in person or electronically -- to council members and answered questions from them.

Sheppard received five votes from council members, a majority vote that sealed her victory in the first round of voting. Marty Paulin got two votes while Richard Rupp received one.

Following a ten-minute presentation, each candidate responded to questions from councillors that covered a wide range of key issues including transit, affordable housing, development and intensification, business opportunities as well as the Yonge North Subway Extension.

The appointee is filling the vacancy left by Mayor David West following his victory in a January mayoral byelection.

“It’s great,” Mayor David West said. “She’s obviously had a good deal of experience working in the community with the BIA and she's worked very hard at bringing people together and revitalizing that organization.”

Mostly known for her community work as the BIA chair, Sheppard also works as a manager at a law firm and is a licensed realtor.

With both a bachelor’s degree in political science and Juris Doctorate under her belt, Sheppard has also had 20 years of experience in residential and commercial real estate law, land development and planning.

The Ward 4 resident and business owner said she became involved with the business improvement area at a time when the BIA was nearly defunct and decided to give it “one last fighting chance.”

“I'm just humbled, shocked, elated and I cannot wait to serve," Sheppard said. "I honestly have big shoes to fill. The mayor did amazing in that ward and he’s so well loved."

With only seven months left on the current term, Sheppard said she hoped to tackle important issues such as crime and safety, homelessness, mental health as well as the preservation and improvement of Mill Pond.

“I think we're very pleased that there's another woman on council and that there will be some more diversity on the council. I think that's a very good thing,” said Paul Rose, an executive with the Council Accountability Group (CAG), a citizen group in Richmond Hill.

Rose said it was refreshing to see so many candidates from a wide age range and different backgrounds had expressed their interest in municipal politics.

Sheppard came out on top from her fellow candidates from a variety of professional backgrounds including a medical first responder, a cleantech scientist, a practicing lawyer and a retired planner who had worked at the Toronto Transit Commission.

The new councillor was sworn into office shortly after the vote and is expected to serve until the end of the term, Nov. 14, 2022.

She is expected to attend her first council meeting the next day.