DRUGS, BUSES WOES TOP MAYOR'S CONCERNS

Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt said he wants the new city council to
immediately deal with two serious issues: gang and drug problems and
the bus service.

He told The Review that the two most serious priorities for new term
will be his call to set up a task force to deal with crime and drug
trade and ensuring Rapid Bus's construction on No. 3 Road which begins
in January will not be too much of a headache for drivers and business
operators.

"What I want to do is have a task force in the community-from the RCMP
to the health department, from the social service agencies and from
the city-to get a handle on what the (drug and gang) situation is," he
said, noting that the recent spate of home invasions and gang-style
killings throughout the region are particularly disturbing.

"The chief of police in Vancouver has told us that most of the people
in the downtown eastside, in terms of their drug and crime problem,
don't come from Vancouver. They come from all over British Columbia
and certainly a portion comes from Richmond."

Drugs is the main driver for crime in Richmond, he said, particularly
for burglaries, home invasions and drug-related murders.

Hasley-Brandt easily won re-election Saturday, outpolling his nearest
competitor, former city employee Bob Light, by a more than four-to-one
ratio. Meanwhile, Halsey-Brandt said he is in favour of holding a
referendum on changing Richmond's election system to wards.

Currently, Richmond has an at-large system and in the past, changing
that to wards would require a referendum. Not any more. The province
gave cities the power to use wards without holding a referendum by
city council approving a wards bylaw.

Prior to the election, Halsey-Brandt said he willing to consider
holding a referendum, though he doubts it is a sincere wish among
residents.

"If we are going to do it, it would be at the next election," he said
Tuesday. "I didn't feel that it should be up to just nine members of
council to make a very wide-sweeping (decision). I don't think there
is any support for it at council, quite frankly, so I don't think it
will come to pass. But it was something...that was discussed in the
campaign and we may have a look at it for a referendum in three years."

The NPA slate has opposed wards.