SURREY – Surrey First continued to take shots at their opponent Barinder Rasode of One Surrey team, saying she has selective amnesia as Her math on plan costs doesn’t add up.
“The money just wouldn’t be there, under a plan announced by Rasode and One Surrey, to redirect one per cent of discretionary spending into public safety,” they said in a press release.
They said the idea is one of several in Rasode’s platform, but 49 per cent of the city’s $390 million dollar annual operating budget is already fully committed to police, fire and bylaw management and enforcement. That leaves $199 million, much of which contains fixed amounts for such things as wages set by collective bargaining agreements.
It’s simply untrue that there’s any money ready and available to access, and even if one per cent could be trimmed, that’s still only $1.9 million – which won’t fund the $8 million Rasode plans to spend on 200 loosely trained security guards paid at what amounts to minimum wage.
Rasode’s platform also questions the value of the new Surrey City Hall, something that strikes Surrey First Mayoral candidate Linda Hepner as “selective amnesia”.
“Her comments strike me as more than strange, since council voted unanimously to approve the new building,” said Surrey First mayoral candidate Linda Hepner. “Meanwhile, she’s making campaign promises that have no sound fiscal basis for how they will be financed. Surrey First has outlined detailed financing as it pertains to every part of our platform, and we will be transparent about everything we announce throughout the balance of the campaign.”
Hepner also notes that Rasode’s proposal for a trade centre at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds will burden the city with a deficit on the order of $40 million over 10 years.
“We stand by our record, which, frankly, is also Barinder’s record since she was elected twice as part of the Surrey First team,” said Hepner.
