Barinder Rasode breaks away from Surrey First party

SURREY (NEWS1130) – Surrey City Councillor Barinder Rasode is breaking ranks with Mayor Dianne Watts and the Surrey First party.

She tells News1130 the relationship with her team has become increasingly hostile.

“As I’ve spoken out on significant issues, I have felt isolated by my team,” she tells us. “For that reason, I believe to properly move forward on the issues of public safety, spending at city hall and community consultation, I need to sit as an independent.”

She says the problem comes from the top down. “Absolutely. For example, no council member — even myself, as the chair of public safety and the police committee — was invited to be a part of the mayor’s task force.”

“I think that once you start doing policy in closed board rooms and not at the council table with the public in full view, that is a challenge,” she adds.

Rasode isn’t ruling it out a shot at the mayor’s chair in this fall’s civic election, but says she’ll only do it if Watts decides not to run again.

“When that option is available — I hope it will be soon so that the community is able to look at people’s record and what mandate they will bring forward — I think that’s a conversation for that time,” she notes.

Mayor Dianne Watts is sad and disappointed Barinder Rasode has left the party.

But she adds she’ll continue to support the councillor in her role as chair of Community Safety.

Watts says she will not engage in electioneering.