Profiles of candidates running for Maple Ridge city council

The City of Maple Ridge municipal election will be held Oct. 17. Every civic candidate was invited to complete a basic profile for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News readers. All participated. Voters will choose six city councillors from a field of 16.

**Kristina Brown** is running as an independent. The 48-year-old realtor and managing broker grew up in Maple Ridge and lives in Silver Valley. She says the city needs practical, fiscally responsible leadership. With residents facing rising costs, she is concerned that the proposed recreation borrowing is too much and wants council to prioritize affordability, value and sustainable investment. Contact: kristinabrownforcouncil@yahoo.com; Facebook: Kristina Brown for Council; @kristinabrownforcouncil.

**Leah Campbell** is an independent candidate, 54, with a career in modelling and the fashion industry, as well as hotel industry sales. She has lived near the town centre since 2019 and also lived there as a child, when her parents opened Bosleys Pet Food Mart in 1980. She says she had not planned to run until someone asked her at 2 p.m. on the last day, “Will you run?” She cares about the town and its people and says she brings diverse international experience and a proven desire to serve. Contact: leahcampbell2026@gmail.com; www.facebook.com/share/1F3UxYcnVw/.

**Korleen Carreras** is an incumbent running with the A Better Maple Ridge team. She worked for the BCGEU for more than 20 years and served as a school board trustee. She has lived in Pitt Meadows since 2008 and Maple Ridge since 2022, and lives in Albion. Carreras says she loves the community and believes in its potential. She wants to keep up momentum on road and infrastructure improvements, plan for the future, modernize city hall to better support residents and diversify the tax base to reduce property taxes. Contact: korleen.carreras@gmail.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ profile.php?id=100064789025695.

**Bob D’Eith** is running with the A Better Maple Ridge team. The 62-year-old lawyer and consultant served as MLA for Maple Ridge East from 2017 to 2024. He lives in the Albion area and has been a Maple Ridge resident for 24 years. He says he cares deeply about the community and its future, and wants to bring his experience, energy and collaborative approach to city hall to help deliver infrastructure, services and opportunities for a growing community. Contact: Bob.deith@gmail.com; www.facebook.com/ bobdeithkc/.

**Judy Dueck** is an incumbent running as an independent. She served as a school board trustee from 1993 to 2002, and as a city councillor from 2002 to 2014 and from 2018 to the present. A retired health and safety professional, she has lived in the city since 1976 and lives in central Maple Ridge. She is seeking re-election to bring 29 years of experience, dedication and knowledge to public service. She wants to focus on a more affordable, safe and welcoming city where residents’ voices are heard and families can thrive for generations. Contact: judy@judydueck.ca; judydueck.ca.

**Ken Holland** is running as an independent. The 62-year-old home designer and two-time Chamber of Commerce president has lived in Maple Ridge for 25 years and lives in the Whonnock area. He says he wants to change the culture at city hall. He deals with city hall on clients’ behalf every day and calls its attitude unimaginable, saying there is no accountability or recourse. He says people no longer deal with the city because of its unprofessionalism. Contact: Ken Holland@pinnaclehomedes; Facebook: iKen Dutch; kdutch@yahoo.com.

**Bhupinder Johar**, 58, is a veterinarian running with the A Better Maple Ridge team. He has lived in Maple Ridge for almost 25 years and lives in Albion. He says he has met thousands of families in his veterinary practice, listened to them and learned about issues facing Maple Ridge residents. He says he is ready to serve them as a councillor. Contact: 604-616-5755 or Haney Animal Hospital.

**Lou Jose** is an independent candidate, 66, a business manager who lives in west Maple Ridge and has been a resident for 60 years. He says the city is concentrating growth on low-cost, high-density housing along Dewdney, the Lougheed and downtown. He is running to safeguard property for commercial space and higher-value housing, build a stronger tax base and boost the local economy. Contact: jose@voteJose.ca; www.facebook.com/ profile.php?id=61594116037448.

**Leanne Koehn** is running with the A Better Maple Ridge team. She has worked in management at Ridge Meadows Recycling Society for almost 17 years and has chaired city committees. She grew up in Webster’s Corners and now lives in Hammond. Koehn says she was inspired to run after seeing A Better Maple Ridge prioritize collaboration and tackle complex issues including climate change, infrastructure and attracting businesses. Having seen Maple Ridge evolve, she wants to help shape its future. Contact: www.leannekoehn.ca; leannekoehnforcouncil@gmail.com; www.facebook.com/leanne.koehn.7/.

**Andrew Laity** is an independent candidate, 43, who works in carpentry. He is a sixth-generation Maple Ridge resident, born and raised there, and lives in the Laityview area. He says Maple Ridge is struggling and that property taxes and street disorder are out of control. His plan is to save the Maple Ridge Golf Course, freeze property taxes, clean up the downtown core and build a fourth sheet of ice. Contact: andrewlaity83@gmail.com; 236-513-7469.

**Chelsa Meadus** is running as an independent. She was a Maple Ridge councillor from 2018 to 2022 and is an entrepreneur, co-founder of a company specializing in digital finance, and communications professional. She has lived in the city for 25 years and lives in Albion. She says she has challenged city hall spending for four years and is running to be a fiscal watchdog at the council table, question every tax dollar and protect core services during an affordability crisis. Contact: meadus@chelsameadus.com; chelsameadus.com.

**Inya Mitrovic**, 42, is running as an independent. She is a professional negotiator and strategic adviser in B.C.’s energy and natural resources sectors, and president and founder of MRC Strategies Inc. She has lived in west Maple Ridge since 2019. She says the city is at an important point in its growth and wants to bring a fresh perspective, thoughtful decision-making and experience solving complex issues to council, while ensuring residents have a meaningful voice in how the community grows. Contact: @InyaForMapleRidge; inyaformapleridge@gmail.com.

**Mike Morden** is running as an independent. He served as mayor from 2018 to 2022 and as a councillor from 2008 to 2011 and 2011 to 2014. The 66-year-old retired local security business owner has lived in the city for 40 years and lives in west Maple Ridge. He says he is running for a safe, healthy city families can afford. His approach includes compassionate public safety, value for taxpayers and practical problem-solving: plan carefully, spend within the city’s means, focus on essentials and deliver results. Contact: mikemorden.com; info@mikemorden.com.

**Steven Muise** is running as an independent. He is a retired firefighter from Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and a site engineer for a civil engineering company. He has lived in Silver Valley for 24 years. He says he is afraid of losing the golf course and wants to see whether the recreation centre can be located and costs lowered without compromising the project timeline. He objects to the projected cost and says the project would have a huge impact on residents. Contact: stevenmuise.net.

**Cindy-Lea Stephenson** is an independent candidate and small-business owner of Once Upon a Tea Leaf. Her age is listed as 67, with a question mark in the source. She runs her business in downtown Maple Ridge and has lived there for 48 years. She says local business owners encouraged her to run because they know she understands what is at stake. She is ready to bring that experience to council and speak for every part of the community. Contact: VoteForStephenson@gmail.com; Facebook: Elect Cindy Stephenson for Maple Ridge City Council.

**Ryan Svendsen**, 44, is an independent candidate, a firefighter and a former city councillor, serving from 2018 to 2022. He has lived in Maple Ridge for 33 years and lives in the town centre. He says he cares deeply about Maple Ridge and its future, and wants to bring experience, preparation and a practical approach back to council, listen to residents, ask the right questions and make thoughtful decisions for the community’s long-term interests. Contact: 778-846-6176; me@ryansvenden.ca.