Local Election 2026: Chilliwack city council list of candidates finalized with 4 for mayor, 19 for city council
Councillor Jason Lum and three other newcomers announce bids for city's top job
September 11, 2026
*Updated Sept. 23, 2026
There will be 19 names on the ballot for the six seats for city council, four for mayor of Chilliwack, the largest ballot since the 20 candidates for council in 2011, the year Sharon Gaetz was acclaimed as mayor.
This time around, incumbent councillor Jason Lum is seeking the big chair that is being vacated by current mayor Ken Popove. His opponents are Farooque Syed, retired high-school teacher Gary Raddysh, and Conservative Electors Association parachute candidate Martina Rosini, a Surrey resident who has zero connection to Chilliwack.
Local elections across B.C. happen every four years, the last one was October 2022. On Oct. 17, 2026, voters will pick a new mayor and a new-look city council in Chilliwack and in municipalities across B.C. Specifically, in the City of Chilliwack there are 16 jobs to vote on: mayor, six city councillors, seven school board trustees, and two Cultus Lake Park Board commissioners.
People living in the Chilliwack River Valley, Popkum, and Cultus Lake will also be involved in the Chilliwack process in part where the local election officer will oversee elections for school board trustees for those living in Electoral Area D (Popkum, Bridal Falls), Area E (Chilliwack River Valley), and Area H (Columbia Valley, Cultus Lake, Lindell Beach).
Who’s running?
There are four people running for mayor and 19 running for the six city council seats with a handful of last-minute names on the list. That's the highest ever number of people seeking a seat on city council. The average over the eight previous elections was 13.6.
Ken Popove was first elected to city council in 2011 and served as a councillor until November 2018. That’s when he became mayor serving two terms at the helm of the city. He’s decided to step down.
Jason Lum was also first elected to city council in 2011 and has served on council ever since. Lum officially declared he is running for mayor in a Facebook post on September 4. His website is jasonlum.com
Gary Raddysh is a retired Chilliwack Secondary School music teacher best known in local political circles for his annual attendance at Chilliwack City Council public meetings about the financial plan where council considers the property tax increase for the years. He always asked for a zero per cent increase. Gary has a small digital footprint with no campaign website.
Martina Rosini is the name put forward by the Conservative Electors Association for Chilliwack mayor. She appears to have no connection to Chilliwack and is a parachuted candidate by the new right-wing provincial electoral association running candidates across B.C. Rosini has had some connection to BC Conservative Party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay. Someone with her name apparently also worked as constituency assistant as recently as February 2026 for a Conservative Ontario MP.
Farooque Syed has lived in Chilliwack for several years now. His name first became public when he published a book about his life, Stolen Dreams: How to Help Children Avoid Gangs, Drugs & Violence. Read about his story here "Ex-gangster writes book as part of mission to keep kids on the right path" His election website is still to come.
New candidates (and one familiar face)
Here is a brief look at people who are running for Chilliwack city council with links to publicly available websites or social media sites. There is also a link to the school board version of this at the bottom:
Sue Atrill-Knott is back. Knott spent 14 years on city council (known as Sue Attrill at the start). She is the executive director of the Chilliwack Hospice Society. Her website is sueattrillknott.ca
Kevin Baarda lives in Chilliwack, works for Denbow Transport in Greendale and is a director on the board for the B.C. chapter of the Mennonite Central Committee, an organization that advocates to politicians from a Biblical perspective and engages in letter-writing campaigns "Praying for government officials," according to their website. His Facebook page is Vote Kevin Baarda
Danielle Beausoleil is a successful residential and commercial realtor with a history of community involvement in fundraising and non-profits. She is a long-time Chilliwack resident and mother of two. Her website is electdaniellebeausoleil.com
Darren Blakeborough has been a faculty member at the University of the Fraser Valley for 22 years, working as an assistant professor in the school of culture, media and society. He has lived in Chilliwack for 42 years, met his wife here, and his parents and siblings and their families live in the city. His website is voteblakeborough.ca
Brent Bowker of Yarrow is taking his second stab at making it on city council. Bowker lives in Yarrow with his family and he describes himself ass a "an outdoorsy energy-sector professional." Bowker ran for council in the 2022 election finishing 11th out of 12 candidates. His website is votebowker.ca
Nilsana Charkhandeh is a registered clinical counsellor, mental health supervisor, local business owner, Iranian immigrant and Chilliwack resident. She says her professional work has focused on children, youth, families, seniors, mental health, prevention and community well-being. More information about her is available at CanadaPsychotherapy.com.
Steve Czeck is owner/CEO of Empyrion Technologies, an IT service provider. He has served 12 years on the board of City Life Church and two years on the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce. His website is steveczeck.ca
Nicole Huitema Read was elected city councillor for her first term in November 2022. When asked in June she was non-committal, but on August 31 she announced her campaign in a news release. Her website is nicolehuitemaread.ca
Steve Just was a Friday addition to the city council list. He is or at least was the owner of computer store Tek Solutions. Very little other information was readily available about him as of Sept. 11.
Zeeshan Khan has been in Canada for 15 years, a maxillofacial surgeon by trade but not licensed in Canada. He has been working as an educational assistant in the Chilliwack School District and created the non-profit Streams Foundation, a non-religious, non-political organization to connect community members with newcomers. Khan was the Liberal Party of Canada candidate in the 2025 federal election finishing second with 35 per cent of the vote. His website is visit zeeshankhan.ca
Leanna Kemp was most recently the chief executive officer of the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce.
Chris Kloot has been a city councillor for three terms first being elected in 2014. His Facebook campaign page is Facebook.com/klootcares
Trevor McDonald is a well-known local musician who has led many events in Chilliwack over the years such as Party in the Park and he is the executive director of the Downtown Chilliwack Business Improvement Association. His website is trevormcdonald.com
Daryl Moniz is a Chilliwack realtor who has lived in Chilliwack for 25 years and is a Fraser Valley native. His website is electdarylmoniz.ca.
Lisa Morry was a labour organizer with the Fraser Valley Labour Council and a former community newspaper reporter. Her website is lisamorry.com
Jared Mumford is a former Chilliwack School Board trustee and was the chair of the board. He is the current president of the Rotary Club of Chilliwack, co-chair of Chilliwack Healthier Community and is also involved with a number of non-profit organizations throughout the community. His website is jaredmumford.ca
Raylene Mumford was born and raised in Chilliwack is a small-business owner and long-time community advocate. Her website is raylenemumford.netlify.app
Ghazaleh Nozamani is a community advocate, construction project manager, trades leader, and immigrant-rights champion. She works in construction and founded Love Without Borders, a non-profit organization. Her website is ghazalehnozamani.com
Luke Zandberg is Chilliwack-raised local business manager who has spent most of his life in the city. He says he has also spent years volunteering with Central Community church. His website is lukezandberg.ca
Incumbents stepping back
Bud Mercer has been a city councillor for two terms since being elected in 2018. Mercer is a retired RCMP officer serving as assistant commissioner and was chief operating officer for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. When asked if he’s running again, he did respond on June 11: “I don’t think I will be but plan to decide one way or the other in the very near future.”
Jeff Shields was on city council for two terms since being first elected in 2018. He’s a chartered accountant and a long-time resident who says he has been dedicated to serving Chilliwack since the 1990s. Two months ago, Shields said he would make his decision over the next couple of months. On August 30, he posted on Facebook that he would not seek re-election.
Cultus Lake Park Board
Also on the ballot for folks who live in Chilliwack or in Cultus Lake, which is outside the city limits, is the Cultus Lake Park Board. The board is comprised of five members, three voted on by Cultus residents and two by Chilliwack residents. Of the current board, Darcy Bauer, Kirk Dzaman, Erika Jartved and David Renwick are running for re-election. Tom Moul and John Beesley are not running. There are only three other candidates on the list. The full six candidates are:
• Darcy Bauer
• Kirk Dzaman
• Erika Jartved
• David Renwick
• Blair Stewart
• Jono Wilcocks
Election day is Oct. 17. Voting runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following locations:
Chilliwack Heritage Park - 44140 Luckakuck Way
Chilliwack Landing Sports Centre - 45530 Spadina Avenue
Cultus Lake Community School - 71 Sunnyside Blvd.
Rosedale Traditional Community School - 50850 Yale Road
Yarrow Community School - 4595 Wilson Road
There are also two advance voting days:
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) at the Chilliwack Landing Sports Centre - 45530 Spadina Avenue
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) at Chilliwack Heritage Park - 44140 Luckakuck Way
Voting is available to all residents of the City of Chilliwack and Electoral Areas D, E and H at all those locations.
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