“I’ll Put My Leadership Thumbprint on the City”

Mayor-Elect Melissa Granum on Priorities, Transparency and Representing Every Resident

By Sarbjot Singh Locham, Resident & Editor, DCC Now • October 19, 2026

Delta’s newly elected mayor sat down with DCC Now on Monday, October 19 — two days after the October 17 election. Melissa Granum, who ran with the Delta First BC slate, will be sworn in on November 2.

In a wide-ranging conversation, she outlined her early priorities, her approach to public engagement, and her commitment to represent every resident — including those who did not vote for her.

What inspired you to run?

It began when Jim Cessford and former Mayor Lois Jackson asked whether she wanted to be part of change on Delta Council. After speaking with her family, friends and employer, the answer was clear.

“I love my city,” she said. “I want to see what’s best for Delta. I will bring my heart to the council table. I’ll bring my years of experience to the council table. And I’m doing this because I love my city. I wasn’t doing it because I wanted a job.”

Granum and her husband have 22-year-old twins and an older son. She credited her family for supporting her through a campaign that “consumes your life.” She is currently Director of Board Governance at BC Lottery Corporation and will transition to full-time mayor after the November 2 swearing-in.

What residents told her

Over roughly eight months, Granum spoke with thousands of residents from North Delta to Ladner and Tsawwassen. The message was consistent: people wanted to feel heard.

“There’s a consistency of human beings who want to feel valued, and I think that really struck a chord.” Residents also emphasized that development must come with the infrastructure to support it.

First 100 days: four priorities

Asked for her top three priorities, Granum named four:

“It’s unfair to residents and it’s unfair to developers the way it is right now. We need to make sure it’s working for everybody and that we have the infrastructure to support development.” The slate has also published a written First 90 Day Plan (summarized below).

Improving communication

Granum pointed first to restoring public question period so residents can be heard in the open, and to stronger customer service so every councillor is reachable.

On concerns that have gone unanswered, she expects many to resolve as Council opens up through question period, a code of conduct, and the OCP review.

On closed (in-camera) meetings: “In the spirit of transparency, as much as can be done in public should be done in public. That needs to be just a foundation of it.” Personnel matters properly belong in-camera, but every item should be justified on its merits.

Governance review

Granum did not commit to a specific review of the May 6, 2024 governance resolutions but said she would look at them. On delegated authority and public participation, she first wants to meet with the City Manager. “If there’s a bylaw that’s in place, we need to look at that and make sure we’re complying with the bylaw. And if the bylaw doesn’t work for us, then we need to look at reviewing it.”

Code of conduct

A code of conduct is a first-90-days commitment. “It must be enforceable and independent, because it is really important for public trust.” Details of the complaint process will follow discussions with the City Manager and his team.

Measuring progress

She plans to sit down with the City Manager to set clear expectations for the first 90 to 100 days, then build step by step. Progress will be reported publicly, and residents will be able to ask questions.

Message to all residents

“I am not underestimating the work that will go into this job. I will be putting my entire self into this job and representing our residents.”

“The people who didn’t vote for me, they are the same people I will be working for as the people who did vote for me. Every resident, every business owner … deserves representation, and I have every intention of representing every single person in our city.”

Delta First’s First 90 Days Plan

The slate published its plan at deltafirst.ca/first90days. Key commitments include:

DCC Now is an independent community reporting initiative. This interview was recorded with the mayor-elect’s agreement for use in preparing this article; the audio is not being published.