A second person announced their candidacy for the upcoming Chilliwack school board byelection before Christmas.
Adam Suleman sent out a press release on Dec. 21 announcing his intentions. He is described as a Chilliwack-born business analyst, mental health advocate, and a senior undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University.
The byelection will be held on Feb. 13 and the winner will fill the seat left vacant by Dan Coulter following the provincial election. Coulter is now the Chilliwack MLA.
READ MORE: Chilliwack school trustee officially steps down to assume MLA role
Suleman said in his release he is “passionate about technology, science, community service, and mental health advocacy, wants to bring his youth and recent first-hand experiences as a student to the board.”
Suleman graduated from the Chilliwack School District and is in his final term at SFU, working on a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) degree in Finance, Operations Management, and Management Information Systems. He has also completed courses with SFU’s Faculty of Education in areas such as “personal agency, reflective practice and social issues.”
He serves as the treasurer of the SFU Conservatives – the official campus club of the Conservative Party of Canada – and previously worked as a teaching assistant at the Beedie School of Business. From April 2017 to January 2018, Adam was the president of the Capilano Finance Association where he developed an approved long-term strategic plan and budget.
He calls himself a progressive candidate, who “hopes to bring a refreshing perspective to the Chilliwack School Board by addressing the present-day issues facing students and creating new opportunities for students in the community.”
Clarifying his views as a big-C Conservative while declaring himself a progressive, Suleman told The Progress “I am socially progressive and fiscally conservative.”
Given the longstanding controversy at the Chilliwack School Board about LGBTQ issues with a minority of trustees, Suleman said since his announcement was made online, people have indicated they are concerned about his stance on SOGI-123.
“I fully support SOGI curriculum in the K-12 school system,” he said. “Further, as a member of a visible minority group, I am absolutely committed to addressing intolerance and discrimination in our schools which I have addressed in my platform.”
Suleman and his family are long-time Chilliwack residents. He attended Promontory Heights Elementary, G.W. Graham middle secondary, and Sardis secondary.
Suleman is the second person to announce their intentions in the byelection. The first was Carin Bondar, a biologist and science communicator.
READ MORE: Carin Bondar announces candidacy for Chilliwack School Board
@CHWKcommunityjpeters@theprogress.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation here.
