Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, right, is pictured in Surrey, B.C., on December 30, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Republished September 18, 2014 - 5:49 AM
Original Publication Date September 17, 2014 - 7:55 PM
SURREY, B.C. - The outgoing mayor of British Columbia's second-largest city says she hopes to run for the federal Conservative party in the next election.
Dianne Watts announced last April that she wouldn't seek re-election for another term as mayor in the Metro Vancouver city of more than 468,000 people.
She now says she'll seek the Conservative nomination in South Surrey for the election that's scheduled for Oct. 19, 2015.
Watts says she considered local issues, like rapid transit, rail safety, and movement of goods, as well as global issues affecting Russia, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
She says she asked herself who she wants to be at the helm dealing with those issues and the only answer was Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Watts served nine years on city council and was elected three times as mayor, and during the last municipal election won by more than 80 per cent. (News 1130, The Canadian Press)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014