A former Vancouver city councillor is looking to make the move from municipal to provincial politics.
Former Non-Partisan Association councillor Melissa De Genova was unveiled Tuesday as the BC Conservatives candidate for Vancouver-Yaletown in the upcoming B.C. election.
Being described as a “life-long Vancouverite with a passion for community,” De Genova got her start in politics as a Vancouver Park Board commissioner. She moved across to City Hall and was a two-term Vancouver city councillor until October 2022, when she came in 19th place in that year’s municipal election.
De Genova was the only NPA candidate running in that election after three of her colleagues and council members defected and joined ABC Vancouver, led by now-Mayor Ken Sim.
“She has served in leadership roles including Finance Committee Chair, Metro Vancouver Director and as a member of the TransLink Mayor’s Council,” the Conservatives explained.
“Melissa brings decades of experience in both private and non-profit residential development. Her professional expertise is widely recognized, with Business in Vancouver naming her to their Forty Under 40 for her leadership in creating affordable housing in B.C. Melissa graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.”
De Genova will now run in the newly created Vancouver-Yaletown riding, which was formed in the split of Vancouver-False Creek in 2021.
De Genova did not go without controversy in her tenure at the City of Vancouver. She came under fire from her colleagues in January 2021 after she took to social media, comparing the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol to a protest in which roughly two dozen activists occupied Vancouver’s council chamber. In September 2022, she faced criticism after her use of a Chinese name on the election ballot and advertising materials.
When on council, De Genova voted against the now-defunct Yaletown Overdose Prevention Site and hosted a forum on public safety.
“Married to Blair, a Vancouver Police Officer, and a devoted mother to their 6-year-old daughter, Melissa will fight to restore public safety in Yaletown,” the party said.