North Vancouver entrepreneur McGraw challenges Mayor Buchanan in municipal election

Mike McGraw, a retired small business owner and former North Vancouver School Board trustee, is seeking to unseat incumbent Mayor Linda Buchanan in the upcoming municipal election scheduled for October 17.

McGraw said he is running because city leadership needs to do a better job listening to residents' concerns. "I think trust has been broken between city hall and residents. I think it's a real problem… a change is something that is necessary in order to restore that trust," he said.

He cited the St. Andrews Avenue traffic calming project and Eastside Connector bike lanes on Grand Boulevard as key examples of decisions that proceeded despite significant public advocacy against them. "In the end, all of the public advocacy didn't change the outcome," McGraw said.

In his campaign platform, McGraw is promising a full accounting of the city's exposure to cost overruns at the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, a rigorous review of discretionary spending at city hall, and a "balanced approach" to transportation infrastructure that works for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.

Prior to his mayoral run, McGraw was elected to the school board from 2011 to 2014. He has also served as a district PAC chair, city library board member, and advisory committee member for the Cheakamus Centre outdoor school. As an entrepreneur, he founded Old Skool Studios, which produced mobile games for online casinos.

McGraw said the next council will need to oversee major projects including implementation of the Lonsdale Great Street and redevelopment of Capilano Mall, and that residents must be listened to on how those decisions affect mobility. He also called for the city to be a stronger advocate against provincial overreach and to push harder for the city's interests at the Metro Vancouver board.