City Council Candidate – Beau Simpson

Beau Simpson is a proud resident of Cloverdale’s Hillcrest area, husband to wife Kari, and father to two young children.  The love of his family and community is the motivation behind his decision to run as a City Council candidate for the Safe Surrey Coalition, but his decorated 15-year career as a journalist is what guides his perspective.

Beau is the Editor of the Surrey Now newspaper, and for the past seven years he has been at the heart of local coverage for the city’s most difficult issues.  Under his leadership, the paper has won a number of provincial and national awards, in addition to earning awards recognizing his own efforts.  His community service project dubbed “Junior Journalists” earned Beau national recognition for not only grooming the next generation of media leaders, but also teaching a sense of citizenship and responsibility amongst young people.

Beau believes in a balanced perspective to public policy that attempts to understand and incorporate the many sides to every story.  More specifically, his coverage of Surrey politics has witnessed the deterioration of this approach at City Hall, causing many communities like Cloverdale to feel isolated and ignored.

Beau is determined to bring equality and consideration back to Surrey’s civic representation.

Beau on Listening

“Being an editor requires an ability to listen to people’s concerns, ideas and input with an open mind.  I believe that this is one of the most important skills that a politician can bring to the job of serving the interests and priorities of the community.”

Beau on Transparency

“I have been trained with the understanding that information is at the heart of an effective democracy.  This is why tough situations like Surrey’s recent troubles with crime and public safety require open and immediate disclosure to avoid putting the public at risk.”

Beau on Youth in the Community

“If you give youth the opportunity to shine, they will accept the challenge.  It requires volunteers to run youth programs, politicians to provide ample resources, and citizens to recognize and applaud their efforts.”