New Direction Promised As Council Sworn Into Office

By Mike Archer. After all of the pomp and circumstance which makes up the official inauguration and swearing in of the new mayor and council Monday evening, Mayor Henry Braun got down to business by delivering his inaugural address to council and the people of Abbotsford.

The mayor began by saying he was deeply humbled, proud and grateful for the trust placed in him by the citizens of Abbotsford. He went on to say the City faces many challenges over the next four years.

Braun pledged strong leadership, clear governance and transparent government. Council, he said, will have fewer in camera meetings and he pledged that decisions made behind closed doors would be reported to the public.

He promised to put in place processes and procedures to ensure accountability and bring back public trust in the institutions of public governance in Abbotsford.

Braun told a full Matsqui Centennial Auditorium crowd that the days of special interests holding sway at City Hall in Abbotsford are over.

“There will be no special treatment. To favour one person or organization over another is simply not the way to govern,” he said.

He also took aim at reckless spending by insisting that proper fiscal and financial plans will be put in place which clearly show staff, politicians and the public what the City is planning and the direction in which it intends to go.

“We do not build monuments to ourselves without taking account of how our decisions will affect citizens,” he said.

Braun called for a new approach to planning which provides a level playing field for developers and the investment community and said the City, under his leadership, will see a balanced approach to economic growth which includes respect, sustainability and accountability.

“As we grow we must show understanding and support for our most vulnerable,” he said, indicating the possibility of a new approach to homelessness in his administration.