James Atebe is a past mayor of Mission, British Columbia, Canada,[1] a municipality east of Vancouver in the British Columbia region known as the Fraser Valley. Atebe is a native of Ekerenyo, a village in the North Mugirango Constituency of Kenya, and grew up with four brothers and four sisters.[2] He immigrated to Canada from Kenya as a teenager. He received a master's degree in city planning from the University of Washington, Seattle.[2]

James Atebe
Mayor of Mission, British Columbia
In office
December 1, 2005 – December 1, 2011
Preceded byAbe Neufeld
Succeeded byTed Adlem
Member of the Mission Council
In office
December 1, 1999 – December 1, 2005

Atebe began his political career in 1999 when he first ran for office.[2] He was first elected mayor in 2005, after serving as a member of the city council for six years. Atebe was re-elected in 2008 over Matt Johnson, his opponent, who received less than 20 percent of the vote[1] after almost being acclaimed as mayor of Mission.[3] However, in the 2011 municipal election, Atebe was defeated by opponent Ted Adlem, who captured 50 percent of the vote.[4]

Atebe was a roommate of Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper in Calgary.[5] In 2009, Canadian Immigrant named Atebe as "one of Canada's Top 25 immigrants" at the Citizenship and Immigration office in Vancouver as part of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Wesangula, Daniel (November 22, 2008). "In the footsteps of Obama". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
  2. ^ a b c "Passion for community still strong". Mission City Record. December 14, 2011. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  3. ^ Atebe wants to keep good thing going as city mayor. Abbotsford Times, October 28, 2008.
  4. ^ Matthew Robinson & Stephanie Law, Incumbent mayors ousted in Mission, Abbotsford. Vancouver Sun, November 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "Feds give cash for Fraser flood protection". Vancouver Sun. May 3, 2007. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
  6. ^ Quite a humbling experience. Metro, May 26, 2009.