When Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender was elected as the B.C. Liberal MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood, he was quick to call out Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan as a hindrance to the province moving forward on its transit issues.
On election night, Fassbender was quoted in a local Langley paper saying Corrigan was stalling progress because he believed the NDP would form government in last week's election.
"Derek has always been down on the provincial government on every front, whether it was TransLink or policing, and he was accusing me many times of being a lap dog of the provincial government," Fassbender told the NOW. "And (he) has said the government's going to change so why bother working with this government."
Fassbender said Corrigan hasn't helped the mayors' council move forward.
When asked specifically on what issues Corrigan stood in the way of, Fassbender noted Corrigan voted against a memorandum of understanding in 2010 with the province to figure out funding solutions for transit projects, which was signed despite the Burnaby mayor's stance.
"I find Derek every time I'm in a meeting with him, (he's saying) how bad the provincial government is," he said. "That doesn't build (any) kind of a relationship. Whether you like the government or not ... you need to work with them."
Corrigan wholeheartedly disagreed with the comments Fassbender has made in the media about him.
"I know that Peter vastly overestimates my ability to influence decisions made by the mayors' council," Corrigan said.
He said he voted against the memorandum of understanding with the province at the time because he had concerns about the promises being made before an election by former premier Gordon Campbell, which he said were not concrete enough.
"I have worked with the Liberal government for all of the years that I've been mayor," Corrigan told the NOW in a phone interview. "It's been difficult, no question about that. Whenever I'm given an opportunity to do something positive with the government - I do. It's always Burnaby's interest that I put first. Whatever my personal feelings are, the interests of Burnaby far outweigh (them)."
However, on election night, Corrigan was quoted as saying he was concerned about the Liberals and how "this has been the worst government - a government that has shown a tremendous tendency toward corruption."
"This government has been inclined towards doing things to the benefit of their friends," he said, while with his wife, MLA Kathy Corrigan, at an NDP campaign office on election night.
But Corrigan also pointed to Fassbender's political affiliation with the Liberals, as he ran and won as a Liberal candidate, which proved a strain on the mayors' council.
"Look at what has happened. Peter was chair and vice-chair and didn't do anything that advanced our case," he said. "Nor did it resolve anything. Nor did it bring anything the mayors could work with - besides a piece of paper."
Corrigan noted that Fassbender was taken out of his positions as chair and vice-chair of the council, which he says was because he pushed too hard for the Liberals interests.
"I think his attitude is very ungracious given now he's given the opportunity to work with the government and do things differently," he added.
Corrigan said despite Fassbender's comments, he will work with the provincial government - no matter who is in power.
"I will continue to work with anyone in Victoria," he said. "I'll do the best I can to make sure we get a better community.
"(But I'm) not going to sit by silently when I see things happen that are disadvantageous to the cities."
On the same note, Fassbender said he will focus on finding solutions to issues brought forward by the communities.
"I never hold grudges," Fassbender said. "It's not my style. And I would hope that everybody else I have to work with is the same way. I know that Mayor Corrigan was not happy with the results the other night, but guess what, the people decided and now we need to get on with the job and I hope he'll be part of the chain that wants to work together to find solutions.
"I just hope everybody, and Derek - he's an outspoken and a very passionate person in a lot of ways - will do what we all should do - and that is work together."
Fassbender told the NOW he will step down as the mayor of Langley to take on his new role in Victoria.
