AS soon as Surrey Councillor Barinder Rasode announced she will run for mayor, her former Surrey First colleagues were at her jugular right away.

Surrey First’s mayoral hopeful Linda Hepner said in a press release: “After essentially running a campaign office for several months, which she called a ‘community hub’, it’s great to finally have transparency, and I welcome her to the race. However, running a city takes more than one individual. It takes a team with experience. What this election is really about is who can do the best job for Surrey, and as we’ve seen, Barinder is accustomed to leaving teams in order to further her personal ambitions.

“The only thing this election is about is whether people feel better off now than they did nine years ago. Our team will once again put Surrey first, and ego second. Barinder takes us back to the days of a divided city council when it was hard to get anything done because politics got in the way of doing what was best for Surrey.

“Barinder left the Surrey Civic Coalition when she couldn’t win there, then joined Surrey First to get elected. When it was clear our team didn’t think she was capable of being an effective leader for Surrey, she left behind our collaborative, successful team to put herself first.”

The attack went on these words: “After Surrey First leader Mayor Dianne Watts announced she was not running for re-election, Surrey First Councillors Linda Hepner, Judy Villeneuve, Tom Gill, Bruce Hayne, Barbara Steele, Mary Martin – and at the time – Barinder Rasode selected Linda Hepner as their new team leader. Barinder Rasode then left the slate.”

Councillor Tom Gill said: “This is a classic case of Barinder first, not Surrey first. Our achievements to date prove that Surrey First’s team approach works.  We have people who come from the right, left and centre  who know how to work as a team, get things done and consistently put Surrey first, not politics. We’re focused on continuing our track record of balanced growth, public safety and an inclusive city that meets the needs for all residents and families.”