SURREY Councillor Barinder Rasode confirmed to The VOICE on Tuesday that Mark Marissen, Premier Christy Clark’s ex-husband, is running her campaign.

She said that former BC NDP President Moe Sihota is “actively working” on her campaign. “He’s making phone calls. He’s working hard,” she added.

Rasode is getting support from members of all three major federal parties as well as from both the BC Liberals and the BC NDP.

If elected mayor, Rasode will probably be the first South Asian woman mayor in North America.

When asked if this meant that she was declaring that she was running as mayor, Rasode said, “No.” She added: “What I am doing over the summer is meeting people and understand what the residents want and need. And then we’ll make a decision after I do some work in the summer.”

Some wonder if it’s Clark’s revenge against Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts who it was rumoured was heading a group that was ready to take over the B.C. Liberal Party when it looked as if Clark would lose the 2013 election. But Clark won and the rest is history.

Interestingly, none other than Tara Foslien, Watts’ communications’ manager of three years, has been hired for Rasode’s campaign.

BY RATTAN MALL