Dianne Watts
Encyclopedia
Dianne L. Watts is the mayor
of Surrey, British Columbia
, Canada
and was elected in 2005
to this office as the city's first female mayor.
She ran as an independent candidate
, defeating incumbent Doug McCallum
at the polls on November 19, 2005, who had been her political ally as recently as 2003. When she announced her intent to challenge McCallum, she claimed that a "culture of control and conflict has developed at city hall under Doug McCallum" and promised "better co-operation between the city and senior governments to bring more social services into Surrey to deal with homelessness, drug use and crime".
Her election affected regional politics as well, since she replaced McCallum on the board of the Greater Vancouver Regional District.
Before becoming mayor she had served on the Surrey City Council
since her election in 1996.
Mayor Watts created a political slate called "Surrey First" for the 2008 municipal elections. The slate was made up of current councillors and aspiring individuals from the community. Surrey First is not an official party and its members are reportedly free to vote their consciences on land development and other contentious issues before City Hall. On November 15, 2008, Mayor Dianne Watts defeated her lone challenger for the mayor's chair by almost 43,000 votes and all six members of her Surrey First slate—Judy Villenneuve, Tom Gill, Barbara Steele, Linda Hepner, Mary Martin and newcomer Barinder Rasode—won seats on Surrey City Council.
She has been called one of Surrey's most popular, influential and transformative mayors in the Metro Vancouver region. She served a term as Chair of the Mayor's Council on Regional Transportation (the board which oversees TransLink). Watts was among the finalists for the 2010 World Mayor
prize. She has also been touted as a possible future Premier of British Columbia
. Watts was ultimately selected as "the fourth-best mayor in the world, according to the 2010 World Mayor Prize." This project, organized by the urban affairs think-tank The City Mayors Foundation, recognizes mayors who have made long-lasting contributions to their communities.
Mayor Watts was a driving force behind the controversial upcoming 2011 Surrey Regional Economic Summit which will host the former US president George Bush
. Amnesty International, the Canadian Centre for International Justice, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Lawyers Against the War have all called on Canadian authorities to arrest and prosecute Bush for the use of torture by U.S. forces. Amnesty International claims it has provided the RCMP with more than 4,000 pages of documents asserting the former US president was allegedly engaged in war crimes and has called for his arrest. The human-rights group claims it has submitted a memorandum to Canadian officials that outlines the case for why Bush is legally responsible for human-rights violations that took place between 2002 and 2009. The summit is also expected to draw protests.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and was elected in 2005
British Columbia municipal elections, 2005
The Canadian province of British Columbia held its triannual municipal elections on November 19, 2005. Voters in each of BC's 157 municipalities elected mayors and councillors, and rural voters elected directors for their regional district electoral area...
to this office as the city's first female mayor.
She ran as an independent candidate
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, defeating incumbent Doug McCallum
Doug McCallum
Doug McCallum is a former mayor of Surrey, British Columbia. McCallum was first elected to a seat on Surrey City Council in 1993. During this term he served as Chair of the Finance Committee and sat as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Library Board.Doug McCallum was elected...
at the polls on November 19, 2005, who had been her political ally as recently as 2003. When she announced her intent to challenge McCallum, she claimed that a "culture of control and conflict has developed at city hall under Doug McCallum" and promised "better co-operation between the city and senior governments to bring more social services into Surrey to deal with homelessness, drug use and crime".
Her election affected regional politics as well, since she replaced McCallum on the board of the Greater Vancouver Regional District.
Before becoming mayor she had served on the Surrey City Council
Surrey City Council
The Surrey City Council is the governing body of the City of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.The council consists of the mayor and eight elected city councillors representing the city as a whole.-Council members:* Dianne Watts, mayor - Surrey First...
since her election in 1996.
Mayor Watts created a political slate called "Surrey First" for the 2008 municipal elections. The slate was made up of current councillors and aspiring individuals from the community. Surrey First is not an official party and its members are reportedly free to vote their consciences on land development and other contentious issues before City Hall. On November 15, 2008, Mayor Dianne Watts defeated her lone challenger for the mayor's chair by almost 43,000 votes and all six members of her Surrey First slate—Judy Villenneuve, Tom Gill, Barbara Steele, Linda Hepner, Mary Martin and newcomer Barinder Rasode—won seats on Surrey City Council.
She has been called one of Surrey's most popular, influential and transformative mayors in the Metro Vancouver region. She served a term as Chair of the Mayor's Council on Regional Transportation (the board which oversees TransLink). Watts was among the finalists for the 2010 World Mayor
World Mayor
World Mayor is a biennial award organized by The City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of cities, nationally and internationally...
prize. She has also been touted as a possible future Premier of British Columbia
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
. Watts was ultimately selected as "the fourth-best mayor in the world, according to the 2010 World Mayor Prize." This project, organized by the urban affairs think-tank The City Mayors Foundation, recognizes mayors who have made long-lasting contributions to their communities.
Mayor Watts was a driving force behind the controversial upcoming 2011 Surrey Regional Economic Summit which will host the former US president George Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Amnesty International, the Canadian Centre for International Justice, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Lawyers Against the War have all called on Canadian authorities to arrest and prosecute Bush for the use of torture by U.S. forces. Amnesty International claims it has provided the RCMP with more than 4,000 pages of documents asserting the former US president was allegedly engaged in war crimes and has called for his arrest. The human-rights group claims it has submitted a memorandum to Canadian officials that outlines the case for why Bush is legally responsible for human-rights violations that took place between 2002 and 2009. The summit is also expected to draw protests.