Richmond Hill Mayor David West seeks re-election in October

Thestar.com
May 31, 2022

Five months into his role as mayor of the City of Richmond Hill, David West has thrown his hat in the ring again in the hopes of staying mayor for another term come the Oct. 24 municipal election.

West officially registered to run as a candidate in Richmond Hill’s election on May 27, becoming the first person who has put his name forward for the upcoming mayoral race.

"It wasn't a hard decision," West told the Liberal May 30. "I had already made that commitment when I decided to run in the byelection. It is my commitment to continue doing it."

Having served on council for eight years as Ward 4 councillor, West took office as mayor in a byelection in January following the retirement of former mayor Dave Barrow.

Richmond Hill council had been stranded in frequent council votes split 4-4 as the former mayor went on a medical leave for more than six months and stepped down after returning briefly to council last September.

The eight-member council struggled to conduct regular city businesses amid constant bickering and name-calling for months while the city searched for its next mayor in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

West came on top in the mayoral byelection, garnering more than 13,000 votes, defeating fellow councillors Godwin Chan, Carmine Perrelli and Joe DiPaola.

“I think things have improved. Our meetings are still somewhat unsettled I acknowledge, but I think they're better than they were and I think there's more room for improvement,” West said.
The mayor said he is confident in continuing to lead the Richmond Hill council to work together better in the future because "we all work for the same people".

Outside the council chambers, the city currently faces many challenges as it always has as a growing community, West said, noting issues about the High Tech transit-oriented community (TOC), population growth as well as the aftermath of the pandemic.

As the city is on track to finalize several policies including the official plan, parks, recreation and culture master plan and transportation master plan, West said he’s excited to see all these guiding documents coming together and being updated.

"We're starting to see a pent-up demand for so many things that make our community great, including arts and culture. Things like that need to be done. The whole idea of diversity, equity and inclusion and strengthening our ability to live in a really inclusive community, I believe that's incredibly important for Richmond going forward."

While West has made his intentions known, campaign activity will not begin in earnest until after the provincial election June 2, according to a news release from West’s campaign manager.