Sukhi Dhami announces campaign for Mayor of Abbotsford

SUKHI Dhami on Friday announced his candidacy for Mayor of Abbotsford, with a simple message: “We can do more, and we can get more done for more people.”

A small business owner, farmer and land-use consultant, Dhami is running to bring new energy, responsiveness and a better customer/resident experience to City Hall. Raised and educated in Abbotsford, he knows the city is ready to grow by closing its infrastructure and amenities gap. When elected, Dhami says he will place priorities over politics, and people before policy.     

“I’ve spent years working on the ground and behind the scenes, building relationships, solving problems and bringing people together,” Dhami said. “I know how to get the right people to the table, and I’m ready to put that experience to work for Abbotsford, to create win-win results.”

Dhami says those relationships can help attract investment, build partnerships, and fight successfully for Abbotsford’s fair share of funding. He understands that the city’s challenges go beyond a shortage of pools and ice sheets.

“We are carrying a daunting community infrastructure deficit on our backs, that is clear,” Dhami said. “Our city has grown, but the infrastructure and amenities that support our community just have not kept pace. Its time to put our collective priorities ahead of politics.”

His economic approach is simple: grow the tax and investment base, not always the tax rate: “A stronger economy gives us the ability to build what we really need. We can support farmers and businesses, make better use of our employment lands, welcome responsible investment, and put that growth back into a better Abbotsford. It’s a 360-degree perspective we need now.”

Dhami says farmers and urban businesses often face the same challenge — rising costs, red tape and delays. “We can change the environment at City Hall,” he said. “Whether you’re a farmer, business owner, community group or resident, City Hall should look for solutions and opportunities, give clear answers, and help good ideas move forward.”

On affordability, Dhami says there isn’t one answer for everyone, particularly when it comes to housing. “We can do more on housing choices and practical solutions that recognize different needs, for different people at varying stages of life,” he said.

Having personally experienced flooding and the losses that come with it, Dhami says long-term flood mitigation will also be a priority. As a father of two, a UFV alumnus and husband of an Abbotsford school teacher, Dhami says he understands the importance of local education and building a community for the next generation.

He wants to shake off Abby’s ‘no-fun city’ reputation with better recreation, events, arts and entertainment and a new night / weekend economy, while creating safer, cleaner neighbourhoods. “We need to give young people better reasons to live, work and play here.”

Dhami says his background in farming, business, land use, and community advocacy-through- politics, has taught him how to work with different perspectives and find workable solutions: “I can offer the direction Abbotsford needs to build community. I have the experience, I have the relationships, and I have the plan for us to catch up as a city and thrive. Can we do more and get more done to benefit the residents and businesses of Abbotsford? You bet we can.”