Port Moody Mayor Rob Vagramov has announced he will not run again.
Vagramov, elected in 2018, informed the city council of his decision at the end of his council meeting on Tuesday, saying it was due to changing priorities in his life.
With less than three months to the municipal elections in British Columbia (October 15), Vagramov was the only mayor in Metro Vancouver who had not indicated one way or another whether he planned to run for a another mandate.
“I was a little surprised,” Coun said. Amy Lubick.
“I know this is just the time when everyone is looking through their lives and their hearts to determine if being in politics is really what’s best for their future.”
Vagramov did not respond to a CBC News request for comment, but told the board he would detail his decision in a letter in the near future.
No one is currently running for mayor, although Coun. There are rumors that Meghan Lahti is considering a race.
Vagramov joins Jonathan Cote of New Westminster, Jack Froese of Langley Township and Pitt Meadows Bill Dingwall as Metro Vancouver mayors no longer run.
Term “very surly”
Elected mayor in 2018 at the age of 26 after a term on council, Vagramov pursued an agenda of slowing the pace of growth and protecting city parks with the support of a slim majority in council.
But soon after his election he was charged with sexual assault, following an incident while on a date in 2015.
Vagramov’s charge was stayed when he completed an alternative measures program.
But while he had initially taken leave, he returned as mayor for a month while the case was pending before going back on leave after criticism from the majority of the council and the provincial government.
“I think there’s been a lot of ongoing upheaval in the community about some of the things that happened early in his tenure,” Coun said. Zoe Royer.
In the years that followed, Port Moody had one of the province’s most controversial councils, advisers and Vagramov regularly criticizing each other. At one point, the board agreed to hold workshops with an outside group to try to improve communication.
“It’s been very, very difficult, the controversy,” Royer said.
“I think for the mayor, he may have been trying to fan the fire a little bit. To me, it’s very troubling when an elected official takes a deep interest in corner issues.”
Lubik, who was sometimes the deciding vote on motions, said there were many accomplishments under Vagramov’s tenure, including updating the city’s affordable housing strategies, focusing on family housing and l advancement of several climate change policies.
But when asked about the council’s dynamics and Vagramov’s responsibilities, she declined to directly support or criticize the mayor.
“It’s been very hectic, and I think that’s asking a lot of us,” she said.
“But I think there are different ways to have group conversations, and I hope everyone learns and adapts their ways of interacting with each other.”
“Internet evangelist. Extreme communicator. Subtly charming alcohol aficionado. Typical tv geek.”