Ken Hamaguchi was re-elected to the Richmond Board of Education on October 17, 2026. The City's official count gives him 19,477 votes, the most of 28 candidates for the seven seats, 1,391 ahead of Heather Larson. The City's declaration of election by voting of September 21, 2026 prints Richmond Education Party as his elector organization. Richmond News reported on October 19, 2026 that he said the top priority is getting the new trustees up to speed, that he does not expect major policy changes, that party labels fade once the election is over, and that who will chair the new board is an open question now that his organization holds fewer seats.
Richmond News reported in November 2014 that he was one of four new trustees elected that year, that he ran as an independent, and that his stated goals were more funding, health and wellness and more services for children with autism. In September 2018 the paper reported that he and incumbent Sandra Nixon headed a new slate, the Richmond Education Party, which supported the board's sexual orientation and gender identity policy, and in October 2018 that he led the trustee count with 17,196 votes. In October 2022 he topped the count again with 15,909 votes, Richmond News reported. In May 2021 he ran in the by-election for a council seat and had 1,515 votes, fourth of ten, the paper reported.
Richmond News reported in November 2020 that he had served as board chair for the past two years and did not seek the role again that year, and the Board's own release of November 22, 2019, republished by Education News Canada, announced his re-election as chairperson. In November 2023 he was elected vice-chair, Richmond News reported, and the Board's post of November 21, 2024, read through the Internet Archive, says he was elected chairperson for 2024-25, succeeding Heather Larson. Richmond News described him after the 2026 vote as the board's most recent chair, a role he said he had held for the last couple of years.
By his own account, in the statement he gave the City and on his organization's page, he has lived in Richmond for more than 60 years, graduated from the Richmond School District, holds a diploma in therapeutic recreation and a degree in psychology, has worked with children with autism for 40 years, and has run a consulting practice for 25 years. Richmond News described him in 2014 as an executive director of the Seafair Minor Hockey Association and a behaviour consultant for autistic children. voche.me has not checked these with the university, the association or any other body.
