District of North Vancouver mayor joins list of leaders not seeking re-election

Another Metro Vancouver politician has announced he is not seeking re-election in 2018.

Mayor Richard Walton announced Monday his name will not be on the ballot when British Columbia holds local government elections this fall.

"With the Maplewood Area Plan almost complete, we finally have in place the last building block anticipated in our 2011 Official Community Plan. This is a logical time to step aside," Walton said in a statement.

According to his bio, Walton, first elected mayor in 2005, also served as a school trustee and councillor during 23 years as a city official.

As a private citizen, he worked as an accountant, tour guide and school teacher and administrator.

Traffic focus

In his time as mayor, Walton has said that the biggest issue for people in the North Shore is traffic.

That's perhaps unsurprising as the community relies on often-congested bridges for its connections to much of the rest of the region.

Walton has spoken out against tolling the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge which has the north end of its span in the district and has also advocated for better traffic services on it.

He was recently elected vice-chair of TransLink's mayors' council, which deals largely with issues of long-term strategy.

Walton joins several other Metro Vancouver mayors not seeking re-election:

• Gregor Robertson in Vancouver;
• Darrell Mussatto in the City of North Vancouver;
• Greg Moore in Port Coquitlam;
• Nicole Read in Maple Ridge ;
• and Wayne Baldwin in White Rock.

Walton says he plans to spend more time with his family after stepping down.