Surrey council candidate Rona Tepper puts community safety among her top priorities

Rona Tepper is running for Surrey city council with Surrey Connect. A longtime Surrey resident, community volunteer, victim services professional and search and rescue leader, she says her priorities include public safety, mental health and community connection.

Her top three priorities are safer communities, responsible growth and local government that listens to residents. Tepper says everyone deserves to feel safe where they live, work and raise a family. She also wants roads, parks, recreation spaces and services to keep pace with growing demands, and says local government works best when people feel heard.

Tepper says public safety is not just a campaign issue; it is work she has been involved in for years. She has seen how crises, trauma and emergencies affect individuals, families and first responders. If elected, she says she will push for a coordinated approach that brings together police, fire, emergency services, mental health resources and community organizations.

She says the focus should include preventing crises as well as responding to them, through youth engagement, mental health supports and neighbourhood programs where residents look out for one another. Tepper says she puts people before politics, is already serving the community and is ready to bring years of ground-level experience to city hall.