--- title: "Coquitlam swears in its first new mayor in 18 years on November 9" description: "Craig Hodge and eight councillors take office Monday at the 2026 Inaugural Council Meeting, starting the 2026-2030 term." canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/coquitlam-2026/news/coquitlam-new-mayor-council-inauguration-november-2026" last_updated: "2026-11-05T15:42:45.439Z" --- Craig Hodge becomes Coquitlam's mayor on Monday, November 9, 2026, when he and eight newly elected councillors are sworn in at the 2026 Inaugural Council Meeting. The City of Coquitlam announced the ceremony on November 4. It is Coquitlam's first mayoral change since Richard Stewart was first elected in 2008. The inauguration starts the 2026-2030 Council term. Residents can watch it live online at [coquitlam.ca/agendas](https://coquitlam.ca/1450/Council-Agendas-and-Minutes) on November 9. A recording will be available by noon on Tuesday, November 10. ## Who was elected The City's Chief Election Officer declared the official results on October 21, 2026. The official count shows 26,180 ballots were cast across all races. [Craig Hodge](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/craig-hodge) received 15,654 votes in the mayor's race, running against two other candidates. Daily Hive reported on October 18, 2026 that Hodge was first elected to Coquitlam City Council in 2011 and had sat on Council for 15 years before running for mayor. Eight councillors were elected from a field of 20 candidates. The official vote counts, from the City's declaration: - [Matt Djonlic](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/matt-djonlic): 15,905 votes - [Robert Mazzarolo](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/robert-mazzarolo): 15,104 votes - [Steve Kim](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/steve-kim): 15,062 votes - [Teri Towner](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/teri-towner): 13,758 votes - [Matthew Sebastiani](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/matthew-sebastiani): 13,480 votes - [Harvey Su](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/harvey-su): 9,968 votes - [Rosalinda Thorleifson](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/rosalinda-thorleifson): 9,836 votes - [Benjamin Perry](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/benjamin-perry): 9,604 votes ## Why the transition matters Richard Stewart was first elected mayor of Coquitlam in 2008. He chose not to run in 2026, and endorsed Hodge before the election. Stewart told Daily Hive: "He has done an amazing job for our community for decades, and I'm happy to hand over the reins to my friend Craig Hodge." Stewart's decision to step aside meant Coquitlam would have a new mayor for the first time in 18 years. Hodge ran on a platform of protecting the city's quality of life, keeping taxes low, bringing more housing choices and making the city safer. ## What Hodge and his council promised Hodge's platform, published at craighodge.ca, commits to several specific actions. On housing, it says he will bring more family-sized two- and three-bedroom homes, support rental and below-market housing, and renew established neighbourhoods. His platform also says he will work to keep property taxes as low as possible and ensure new development pays for the infrastructure it requires. On safety, the platform commits to hiring more police officers, expanding Community Safety Officers, improving traffic enforcement, increasing neighbourhood foot patrols, and setting up a wildfire detection system. It also commits to improving 911 call response, including answering mental health calls directly. On transportation, Hodge told the Tri-Cities Dispatch he will lobby TransLink and senior governments to improve transit service and expand connections to underserved areas. His platform also commits to advocating for a fix to the Brunette Interchange and a railway underpass on Westwood Street. He said he would work with senior governments to secure Coquitlam's fair share of infrastructure funding. The platform includes a commitment to deliver the Burke Mountain Community Centre and to plan for recreation amenities at Fraser Mills. Hodge also committed to improving and expanding the Coquitlam Crunch trail, adding a connection to Crystal Falls, and renewing older parks, playgrounds and sports facilities. On business, the platform says Hodge will keep the city competitive for investment, attract new employers, and reduce unnecessary red tape for small businesses. He also committed to looking for chances to build strong partnerships with neighbouring cities, the school board and senior governments. Hodge also committed to exploring expanded mental health and addiction services and the possibility of expanded care at the Riverview lands, which sit within Coquitlam. He told the Tri-Cities Dispatch he supports reopening Riverview, and told Freshet News that the Province could use the lands for wrap-around services. You can read each promise and check its status as Council votes throughout the term at the [Coquitlam promise tracker](/bc/coquitlam-2026/tracker). ## What school trustees were elected Four Coquitlam school trustees were elected to the Board of Education of School District 43. They serve alongside trustees elected by Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra. The four Coquitlam trustees from the official results: - [Craig Woods](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/craig-woods): 15,763 votes - [Rosey Manhas](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/rosey-manhas): 12,684 votes - [Candace Knoll](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/candace-knoll): 10,599 votes - [Chuck Denison](/bc/coquitlam-2026/candidates/chuck-denison): 9,446 votes ## How to follow Council's work After the November 9 ceremony, Council holds regular meetings throughout the 2026-2030 term. Agendas are posted by 3 pm on the Friday before each meeting. Residents can watch meetings live at [coquitlam.ca/agendas](https://coquitlam.ca/1450/Council-Agendas-and-Minutes), and can sign up for Council email updates at coquitlam.ca/connect. The City also posts meeting minutes once they are adopted. Meetings before September 28, 2026, are in the City's archive. The next general voting day, set by the Local Government Act, is October 19, 2030. To read what each elected person promised and how they vote once Council begins its work, visit the [Coquitlam results](/bc/coquitlam-2026/results) and [tracker](/bc/coquitlam-2026/tracker) pages on this site. ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/bc/coquitlam-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.