Two municipal parties are attempting to form a more diverse council in next November's election.
"We'd like to have a variety of BCA (Burnaby Citizens Association), TEAM and Green members on council," said Carrie McLaren, who is running with the Burnaby Green Party.
Currently, all of city council and Burnaby school board trustees are BCA members.
The Green slate includes McLaren, who was most recently the Green candidate for Burnaby-New Westminster in the 2011 federal election; Adrienne Merlo, who ran for the Green Party for Burnaby-Douglas in the federal election; Scott Janzen, who ran for the Green Party for Burnaby-New Westminster in the federal 2006 election; and Rick McGowan, a New West teacher and an organizer of the Burnaby Green Party.
Janzen may be running for school board, according to McLaren, but none of the current candidates are vying for the mayor's spot.
"We're not going to go after Mr. (Derek) Corrigan," she said in a phone interview Monday.
The Burnaby Green Party signed a memorandum of understanding with the Green Party of B.C., allowing the municipal party to work with the provincial party on developing a platform, on Sunday.
"I am excited that the Burnaby Municipal Green Party will offer Burnaby residents a real choice in the fall civic election," said Jane Sterk, leader of the provincial Green Party, in a press release. "Burnaby Greens will be responsible stewards for responsible local government in Burnaby."
The party is covering a number of issues in its campaign, according to McLaren, including the lack of a permanent facility for the homeless in Burnaby, traffic issues in Burnaby Heights, and the Burnaby Lake revitalization project.
The candidates also plan to propose rolling back council's recent raise should they get into power, taking council salaries back by about 10 per cent to 2006 levels, McLaren said.
"It's technically a part-time job," she pointed out, adding only the mayor's position is full-time.
The experience on different levels of government will aid the candidates who've run before, McLaren said, adding that McGowan is also very active in the community and has been researching many issues.
"It helps that I've run on three levels," she said of her own background, as she has run in two federal and one provincial election.
The TEAM Burnaby slate has a similar advantage.
TEAM selected its council and school board candidates on Sunday, with many having run in previous elections.
Former Burnaby councillors Garth Evans and Lee Rankin are running with the party, as is Paul Forseth, a former Burnaby-New Westminster Member of Parliament, according to a press release from the party.
Ray Power, who ran for the Vancouver mayor's spot in 2005, and the Burnaby mayor's spot in 1999, is also on the slate.
The school board candidates include former candidate Lotus Chung; Sharlene Sylva, a legal assistant and resident of Burnaby; and Jeff Kuah, who has four daughters in Burnaby schools.
TEAM is also interested in diversity on council, according to Evans, who ran as the Liberal Party candidate for Burnaby-New Westminster in the most recent federal election.
"The people of Burnaby have made it very clear they don't like one-party democracy," he said.
The current council has no oversight, Evans added. "The watchdogs are sleeping."
His priorities are reducing property taxes in the city, and running the city in a more business-like fashion, he said.
TEAM is not announcing a mayoral candidate at this time, according to party president Graham Murchie, but some of the candidates have expressed interest in running for the top spot. The party is reviewing more candidates, and will be adding to the slate at a meeting at the end of August, Murchie said, adding the party plans to have its full slate set by the end of the month.
The next municipal election is set for Nov. 19.
