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By Lloyd Mackey
ONE of the most interesting mayoralty contests in the
November 15 civic elections is in the city of Coquitlam.
Maxine Wilson, mayor since 2005 – with seven
years previous experience on council, plus a substantive stint as chair of
the Coquitlam board of school trustees – has some competition from
Richard Stewart, currently a Coquitlam councillor and a communication
specialist.
Both Wilson and Stewart make their respective Christian
faiths a matter of public record, but each has a slightly different
emphasis in the way Christian values are applied.
Wilson, a member of Calvary Baptist Church, believes
strongly in the servant leader model, exhibited, as she sees it, in Christ
himself – and authenticated in scripture.
Stewart, who is a part of All Saints Como Lake Catholic
parish, agrees with his rival that consensus-seeking is a laudable goal,
but believes Christians should not sacrifice principle in the process.
Wilson learned the servant leader model before entering
politics, in her experience in Christian Women’s Club and Bible Study
Fellowship. She told BCCN the biblical passage which guided her was Philippians 2: 5-8,
which speaks of the Christ model of “dying to self, submitting to
God, forgetting ego and becoming a servant.”
In council, she maintained, there was an old
“adversarial and conflict-based model.” When she became mayor,
she wanted to function as a facilitator, something she practiced as school
board chair. The board years had been tough, she recalled, especially when
they dealt with conflicts which put Christians in conflict with gay
students and teachers.
Subsequently, in city council under her leadership,
there was a “radical shift from old model, from a mayor who
controlled council, to [the mayor being] a facilitator.”
That involved a strategic planning process, committees
of community advisors and a “reach out to the community, including an
annual Ipsos-Reid survey.”
Churches became involved in the process, too, in
providing input on homeless issues, such as cold weather transitional
housing and leased land for housing for women and children.
“It was community driven, with a focus on
neighbourhoods . . . helping them reconnect to working
collaboratively.”
Wilson admitted that not all council members
“like process.”
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For his part, Stewart emphasized the need for the
Christian community to encourage the maintaining of principle in the
resolving of community issues.
“Many public policy questions touch on, or
conflict with, our faith,” he maintained. “The [current] policy
of not allowing empty public school buildings to be leased to Christian
schools, for example.”
Stewart also cited the desire on the part of some
councillors to tax portions of church properties. “Council’s
being more supportive of churches on these things helps parents to make
decisions on faith and education.”
In an editorial in the February issue of BC Christian News, Stewart
publicly invoked his faith in relation to a council debate involving
homelessness. He wrote: “I wonder how we got to the point that a
church must apply for permission to operate a homeless shelter . . .
I’m thankful that, 2,000 years ago, the zoning regulations of the day
didn’t prohibit the creation of an emergency shelter in a
stable.”
Asked to comment on her competitor’s BCCN article, Wilson noted that
Stewart is an excellent communicator, something she respects. In fact, he
wrote and designed her campaign brochure when she first ran for council.
And, should he defeat Wilson, what would Stewart hope
for her, in future Coquitlam political life? He pointed out the existence
of the aforementioned advisory committees, chaired by non-council members.
There could be a role for her, and “I would encourage her to be
involved,” he said.
November 2008
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