Surrey mayoral candidate Jinny Sims is running in a crowded field of seven other candidates for the city's top job, with the same level of determination that's taken her from teacher to union president to elected office.

The municipality with a motto that's changed from the "city of parks," featuring a beaver logo, to "the future lives here" with silhouettes of high-rises is attracting political veterans like Sims, who has taken leave from her role as MLA for the campaign.

Sims, 70, and a grandmo…