He was ambivalent to run for re-election.
After 33 years on Port Coquitlam city council, Michael Wright decided - just before the nomination period closed last month - he would give it one more shot.
It wasn't about the money he would earn. He liked public service, the people at city hall and the constituents he has served since being sworn in as an alderman - the old name for a city councillor - on Dec. 4, 1978.
A nudge from his wife, Thelka, and from supporters sealed the deal. Wright would launch a low-key campaign, knocking on only a few doors and publicizing little. Whatever happens is what's meant to be, he thought.
Last Saturday evening, shortly after the polls closed at 8 p.m., Wright got his answer from voters. He lost his seat to newcomer Laura Dupont, placing eighth in the race for six spots.
"My heart wasn't in it as in previous years," he said from his home Wednesday, "but if I had been elected, I would have done exactly what I would have done before: worked my hardest and best for the community."
He has a legacy to be proud of. As one of the longest-serving politicians in the Tri-Cities, Wright has served on all city council committees; represented PoCo at Metro Vancouver; advocated for the arts and culture (his son is a well-known stage actor); and championed the construction of the Leigh Square Community Arts Village, Terry Fox Theatre and Coast Meridian Overpass - all while keeping a close eye on tax dollars.
"Michael has left a strong legacy in Port Coquitlam," said Coun. Brad West, who topped the polls. "His contributions to the community are everywhere. And he did it all with class. He's a true gentleman who was welcoming to every new member of council and assisted each of us greatly."
"Michael made significant contributions that resulted in shaping this community into what it is now," Coun. Darrell Penner said, "the arts village and the Port Coquitlam Foundation to name a few. I will personally miss him around the council table."
Added Mayor Greg Moore: "Erin and I have known Michael and Thelka most of our lives. Michael is more than a colleague - he is is my friend, which is unique in political life. Their commitment to our city is unparalleled. In fact, Michael has guided our city for a third of our existence. Their dedication to ensure the arts, library and our community pride was a priority."
Wright's crowning achievement is having a permanent home built for the city library and having it named after hometown hero Terry Fox, he said. The capital project was the last time the municipality had to go to referendum to ask permission from its citizens to borrow funds (in 2006, the BC Library Trustees' Association awarded Wright with the Super Trustee accolade for his contributions).
It was while Wright was the council liaison on the library board that he faced one of his toughest decisions as an elected official: whether to allow Playboy on the shelves. The retired BC Tel engineer jokes about it now, reflecting, "When one gets old, one tends to think of times long ago as opposed to the ones now."
Still, Wright hasn't shied away from more serious controversy. In April 2007, after the Easter long weekend, Wright got a call at 1 a.m. from city manager Tony Chong saying then-mayor Scott Young had been arrested for assaulting his former girlfriend and her boyfriend. As acting mayor, Wright was effectively in charge of municipal business for the month and responding to multiple media requests from across Canada, just as council did only a few years back on the Pickton case.
One of his first duties as acting mayor, following Young's apology at a press conference at his lawyer's office in Vancouver, was to read a statement on behalf of council - in front of city hall - urging Young to resign.
Young didn't and he continued to lead a council meeting every three weeks in order to legally keep his job (ironically, the next year, it was Young who proclaimed Jan. 12, 2008 as "Michael Wright Day" in PoCo in honour of Wright's quarter century on council).
But Wright says the most difficult time on council was when mayor Len Traboulay and councillors Jon Baillie and Mike Gates died within six months of one another.
"There was probably more stress over that time than over mayor Young," he said. "When you have three members of council not there and the four remaining, it's a challenge."
Traboulay is a sore point for Wright as he challenged his position twice, losing each time by a couple hundred votes, in 1987 and 1993. Not serving in the mayor's chair is one of Wright's biggest civic disappointments, he said.
But now that time has past, Wright is looking forward to the next chapter of his life, which he said will include more travel, golf, photography and volunteering with the Coquitlam District Music Festival and the Canada Revenue Agency in preparing tax returns.
Asked if he'll run again, Wright offers this mixed message: "No, this is it. However, never say never because if there's a byelection within the next couple of years, I would consider running."
@jwarrenTC
