District of West Vancouver Councillor Michael Smith has announced his intention to run for the district's mayoralty this November.
Smith is finishing his second term as a councillor and was a West Vancouver school district trustee from 1982 to 1990, including two years as chairman.
Smith pointed to municipal spending and densification as his main campaign issues.
"I think we are in for some very tough economic times, not just in West Vancouver or the North Shore but worldwide," he said. "We really have to get on top of our departments' spending. We need a complete review of how we are spending our money and what the alternatives are."
Smith also said he thought West Vancouver couldn't absorb much more development.
"We have made a commitment to the public that we would consider increased density on those three sites in Ambleside -- the 1300-block, the village square and the Safeway site -- and we would consider going higher if there was a good design reason to do so. But going from three storeys to some of the heights that have been proposed -- 15 storeys on Safeway -- is a pretty big difference," Smith said.
Mayor Pam Goldsmith-Jones, who is on holiday, could not be reached, but district spokeswoman Jessica Delaney said the mayor would not yet say if she plans to run for re-election. Goldsmith-Jones also declined to comment on speculation she is interested in running for the provincial legislature.
