Patti MacAhonic announced Friday she is ready to take another run for city council.
She almost won a council seat the first time she ran in 2014, taking seventh place of 17 council candidates, with 3,783 votes. MacAhonic ran provincially in 2017 for the NDP, losing to the current Chilliwack-Hope MLA Laurie Throness of the B.C. Liberals.
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MacAhonic, who is executive director of Ann Davis Transition Society and former Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce executive director, said her 2018 campaign tagline is focused on results:
“A Voice for You - Proven Leadership - Taking Action Getting Results.”
As the driving force behind opening ADTS’s specialized transition house for women, it was a tangible example of “getting results” while working collaboratively with the ADTS board and partners.
She characterized the effort as “fighting an uphill battle” to get 10 women housed.
“Chilliwack has the highest ratio of homeless women in the province at 40 per cent (of those who responded in the last Homeless Count),” MacAhonic said. “I credit the hard-working team and supportive board at Ann Davis for making such a difference with this important project.”
MacAhonic was awarded the 2014 “Distinguished Alumni Award” by University of the Fraser Valley for outstanding distinction in career, educational achievement, and community service.
While at the helm of the Chilliwack Chamber, she spearheaded policy on derelict buildings and in conjunction with the Fraser Valley Chambers, she worked on behalf of Chilliwack businesses to implement Mobile Business Licensing, which cut red tape, reduced business costs, and increased revenue opportunities for municipalities and businesses. MacAhonic also worked with the manufacturing sector, conducting a gap analysis of transportation in the manufacturing corridors in Chilliwack and surrounding communities.
MacAhonic sits at numerous tables from Chilliwack Healthier Community, and the Youth Health Centre to the Social Work and Human Services Advisory Committee for UFV. She also serves as an advisor to the Canadian Injured Workers Alliance and Blanket BC for a number of years.
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As an elected member of council, she vows to listen carefully.
“I can truly say that I will listen and will be a voice for the people of Chilliwack,” she said. “I bring wide sector experience and have repeatedly demonstrated that I deliver positive results.
“I would be honoured to bring that experience and strong record of getting things done to city hall to work for the people of Chilliwack. On October 20, I respectfully request that you consider me as your candidate for city council when you mark your ballot.”
MacAhonic is married to Randy, and has lived in Chilliwack for more than 25 years. She has four children and six grandchildren.
@CHWKjourno
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
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