Lum dominating Chilliwack mayoral race results with over 80% of the vote

CHILLIWACK – Four-term councillor and longtime Chilliwack resident Jason Lum is well on his way to becoming Chilliwack’s next mayor.

According to unofficial results provided by the City of Chilliwack as of 9 p.m., Jason Lum has 81.7 per cent of the vote, or 12,371 votes.

Running second was Martina Rosini, a Surrey resident who ran as part of the Conservative Electors Association/Conservative Party of Chilliwack, with 1,856 votes, or 12.3 per cent.

Martina Rosini. (Image Credit: Martina Rosini.)

Gary Raddysh, a frequent critic of annual property tax increases, was third, followed by Farooque Syed in fourth place.

The mayoral race was overshadowed by unusual attacks lobbied against Lum by Rosini, who claimed that her opponent backed multiple property tax increases since Lum was first elected in 2011. Rosini campaigned on a platform of cutting property taxes.

Lum responded to the attacks by acknowledging that property taxes have increased over the years, but explained why he stands by his votes.

“I’m also not going to pretend taxes haven’t increased – they have, and I voted for those budgets. Those decisions included significant increases in policing, fire protection, and infrastructure,” Lum told Fraser Valley Today. “Anyone promising both lower taxes and more services should be prepared to show residents the numbers and explain how they’ll deliver it.”