Coun. Kelly Chahal has become the latest incumbent to announce she will seek re-election.
Chahal, a member of the AbbotsfordFirst slate, announced her candidacy Thursday.
“When I first started in municipal politics, having a team was incredibly important to me,” Chahal said in a news release. “I have that team with my AbbotsfordFirst colleagues and together we can continue the type of positive change it will take for Abbotsford to be the best we can be.”
Chahal is currently serving her first term, having been elected in 2014. She has been a community advocate for the past 20 years, especially in the areas of education and business. She has served in the past on the University of the Fraser Valley Senate, and is currently on the advisory board for the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and the community Literacy Action Committee. She is the chair of the city’s business committee and has a long history of volunteering as a board member with the Fraser Valley Indo Canadian Business Association.
AbbotsfordFirst currently has four members on council: Couns. Sandy Blue, Brenda Falk, Ross Siemens and Chahal. Falk has also declared she will be running again this fall, and the slate previously also announced the candidacy of Dave Sidhu. Siemens and Blue have not publicly disclosed their intentions.
AbbotsfordFirst president Markus Delves has said the slate does not intend to run a candidate in opposition to Mayor Henry Braun, who is also seeking re-election but is not affiliated with the group.
“I am excited that Kelly is seeking a second term in office,” Delves said in the news release. “Kelly has played a significant role in the successes at city hall over the past four years and I’m glad she’s committed to continuing this valuable work.”