Vancouver Park Board commissioner John Coupar has announced that he will run for mayor of Vancouver in the 2018 municipal election.
Coupar, who is a Non-Partisan Association member, made the announcement from the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park, which he said is "a very special place" for him.
Coupar said his father was the first director of the Bloedel Conservatory and in 2009 there was a plan to close it down but he helped form Friends of the Bloedel Association to fundraise and save the landmark.
"I want to bring that same passion and purpose to City Hall to ensure the future of a healthy, vibrant and financially successful city with a responsible, thoughtful and inclusive approach to the issues our city is facing today,” he said.
Some of the key things he is concerned about include the "chronic underfunding" of community centres and he highlighted the Park Board's role as a "generator of tourism." He said people "want a livable, clean and green city" and he's "looking forward to all the ideas that come forward and to developing some great solutions for Vancouver."
Coupar was elected as a Vancouver Park Board commissioner in 2011 and is now a two-term commissioner and former Park Board chair. He will compete with with NPA councillor Hector Bremner, financial analyst Glen Chernen and Wai Young, former Conservative MP for Vancouver South.
The next steps for Coupar involve building a team and platform and working to secure NPA sign-ups before the end of April ahead of a nomination vote on May 29.
Current mayor Gregor Robertson announced in January that he would not be seeking re-election in the 2018 municipal election.
Vancouver voters will head to the polls on October 20.
