The day after she was chosen to act as Port Moody’s mayor, one of the first things Coun. Meghan Lahti did to get a handle on the job with which she had suddenly been tasked was reach out to about a dozen mayors in the region.
As Coun. Diana Dilworth put it at the first committee of the whole meeting after Vagramov was charged, the city and the council were “shocked into a new reality.” Although there have been some tense moments, including at the April 2 committee of the whole meeting, Lahti believes the experience of having to deal with an absent mayor has brought council closer together.Lahti said councillors’ differing opinions on city priorities, such as whether to slow down development, will remain something that is debated at the council table.
“While I am obviously eager to see city hall return to normal leadership as quickly as possible, and while the mayor’s assignment will entail quick on-the-job training for all three of us, I’m optimistic that, in the interim, our sequence of alternating mayors can keep things moving in the right direction,” Madsen said.
It will be a steep learning curve for all three acting mayors, but they believe they’re up for the challenge. Plus, they have the support of other mayors in the region.