Jinny Sims hopes to be the Surrey mayoral candidate for voters wanting to turn the page

The worst-kept secret in Surrey politics is out. 

After months of speculation, longtime Surrey MLA and MP Jinny Sims has put her name in the race, hoping to unseat incumbent Doug McCallum in this October's municipal election. 

"City Hall is broken," said Sims. 

In an interview with CBC News about why she was running, Sims brought up the divisive culture at city hall multiple times, which has deepened in the months following McCallum's criminal charge for mischief.  

What she didn't outline was what would change on a policy level if she became Surrey's mayor. 

"We have to stop talking polarization. What we have to get back to is bridge-building," she said, when asked specifics of her plans for Surrey's policing, the most controversial aspect of McCallum's leadership.

On whether to keep the new Surrey Police force or switch back to the RCMP, Sims deflected, promising to study the issue. And when asked about development and affordability issues, Sims spoke about transparency and fairness.  

At least on day one, it's a strategy light on policy. 

But given the events in Surrey the last four years, it might be a successful one.  

Moving on from infighting

For the past three years in Surrey, the same cycle has repeated itself: people who oppose McCallum and the city's new police force — led by councillor Brenda Locke, who is also running for mayor — demand Surrey to stop or pause the transition away from RCMP, or for McCallum to resign. 

And then, McCallum declines 

The details of the controversy of the week in Surrey can change, but because McCallum retains support of four councillors, he's kept his grip on power.

But it's come at the expense of the city continually making headlines for less than ideal reasons. 

"Our city council is dysfunctional. They are polarized. They are unable to talk and discuss things," said Sims.

"Right now, the current council has us stuck in a rut with two silos fighting each other. And it's time for us to move forward." 

It's language that recalls the 2018 election in Nanaimo, which featured similar levels of dysfunction and also had an NDP MLA (Leonard Krog) successfully become mayor on a message of competency and moving on from infighting.

That requires a candidate that voters trust as being competent enough to deliver that change.

"She's very, very dedicated to public service. And she's very, very engaged in municipal and provincial politics. So I think it strengthens the race," said Ross Michael Pink, a Kwantlen University political science professor, who says it sets up a competitive three-way race. 

"You have [Locke] with lots of experience on council. You have Doug McCallum … and then you have [Sims], who has been a Member of Parliament," said Pink.

"Those three candidates have a lot of experience and that's what you want in public life."

3-way race, or 4?

But a fourth candidate could be coming soon. 

Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal has also been eyeing a run for mayor. Like Sims, if he ran it would be to the political left of McCallum and Locke, while implicitly promising to turn the page on the last four years of acrimony. 

A formidable campaigner in his own right, Dhaliwal's entry could paradoxically improve McCallum's chances of holding on. 

"The liberal vote would likely be split between Sims and Dhaliwal if he were to enter," said Pink. "Would that then favour Mr. McCallum?" 

Another factor could be whether McCallum can move the focus away from the conflicts of the last four years with big campaign promises, similar to his strategy in 2018. Already, he's promised to push for a SkyTrain extension to Newton, while neither Sims or Locke have made a similar big pledge yet. 

"The truth is that the average voter doesn't focus very much on details. What they really focus on is more the big ticket issues," said Pink. 

The candidates will decide what those big ticket issues are in the coming months. At the moment, it's still a campaign focusing more on rhetoric than specifics. 

"Surrey is broken and Surrey needs a strong voice and needs someone to take us forward," said Sims.

Her campaign will have to rely on voters agreeing with her on the first point, and believing she's the strongest candidate on the second.