Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts' majority slate on council has added another member to its fold – Coun. Marvin Hunt.
Hunt confirmed Monday morning that he will be joining Watts' Surrey First coalition.
"You(are) the first one that I've talked to about it," Hunt told The Leader. "The answer is yes."
He says he made the decision about two weeks ago and characterizes the move as formalizing the good working relationship that already exists with his friends.
He said it's much like the former ruling party, the Surrey Electors Team (SET), except for the presence of left-leaning councillors such as Judy Villeneuve and Barinder Rasode, who have been able to voice their opinions freely.
SET was a strongly free-enterprise party.
It now leaves Surrey council with all but one seat of opposition.
Coun. Bob Bose, a member of the Surrey Civic Coalition (SCC), said the news does not come as a surprise, and it does not change anything as far what is already happening in city hall, he said.
"It secures his position as part of the inner circle," Bose said.
"Marvin votes consistently with them, he holds the same positions on development issues, rarely opposes any development, certainly seems to be in the camp that supports 'development at any cost.'
"He's been a defacto member of the Surrey First team since the beginning."
Bose noted with November's municipal election looming, the SCC is also preparing; readying to move forward with candidate nominations for council and school board. He, too, plans to seek the SCC's support – "if there's any doubt about that in the minds of anybody."
"To me, it's important that we have some other voices on council, besides the mayor's team," Bose said.
Watts said Hunt will "make an excellent addition to the (Surrey First) team."
The father of six first ran for a school board seat in 1983, then joined council in 1987 with the Surrey NPA. By 1990, he joined the newly formed SET party, where he remained until the party folded in 2008. During that year's vote, he was elected as an independent.
When Watts won the mayor's chair in 2005, Hunt told The Leader after a raucous inauguration meeting her hold on council wouldn't last.
This week, he said he is impressed with her ability to build a team on council.