FORMER Surrey mayor Doug McCallum, who is running for mayor once again, has received a boost with news that Surrey Community Alliance’s Doug Elford is all set to join him.
Sources told The VOICE that a recent fundraiser by SCA had proved to be a failure and Elford realized his group didn’t stand a chance.
Imtiaz Popat, former SCA Council candidate, in an announcement on Sunday said that an emergency meeting of the SCA candidates was called on Friday (August 10), to announce that Elford had resigned as both president and candidate for Council and the campaign was being dissolved.
The announcement noted: “However, the press release sent out by the former campaign managers only cites funding as the major reason for dissolving the campaign. ‘Funding was not a issue just a few days before when we nominated Aronjit Lageri for School Board’, says Imtiaz Popat.”
It added: “Elford had told the candidates that he was approached by Doug McCallum to join him and asked if other candidates had been approached. In fact other candidates were approached but refused.”
According to a Research Co. poll published in The VOICE in the first week of July, Elford was regarded as a good choice for mayor by 17% of residents; Tom Gill was seen as a good choice to lead the city by 15% of residents. Former interim BC Liberals leader Rich Coleman who was at the time considering a bid for the mayor’s seat, was seen as a good choice by 20%.
But in the middle of July, a poll conducted by Innovative Research Group in Surrey showed former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum ahead of former BC Liberal minister Rich Coleman and Surrey Councillor Tom Gill, the mayoral candidate of Surrey First civic party, in all four federal riding areas.
McCallum’s favourability ratings were 29% in Fleetwood-Port Kells federal riding area (Coleman’s was 21% and Gill’s was 20%); 22% in Surrey Centre (Coleman’s was 11% and Gill’s was 21%); 24% is South Surrey (Coleman’s was 22% and Gill’s was 12%); and as high as 31% in Surrey-Newton (Coleman’s was 19% and Gill’s was only 16%).
Coleman then announced that he was not going to run for mayor.
