1. What triggered you to make this step and run for municipal office?
A shift in direction seemed necessary to bring council more into alignment with community expectations and values around communication, consultation, and transparent process.
I then thought about what I could bring to council if elected. I have strong skills (people, projects, budgets) and a track record of municipal appointments and volunteer work in the community. I’m also a woman, 56 years old, with a recently retired husband and a full-time job off-island to which I commute. I haven’t seen anything close to that mix of characteristics in others running for or elected to municipal office on the island. I thought my perspective would have value in a more diverse council and the time was right.
2. What common ground do you share with the other candidates running in this election?
We probably all care passionately about Bowen Island, we worry about its sustainability (economic and environmental), and we consider the restoration of civility in public discourse as a priority for effective municipal governance.
3. What are your top three priorities for Bowen?
My top three priorities are civility, mobility, and flexibility.
Bowen Islanders need opportunities to speak and be heard, and to be involved in the municipal decisions that affect their lives. I would help provide and protect those opportunities.
4. Tell me about the community work you have done that you are most proud of?
The Annie Laurie Wood Annex is a high point. I’m delighted to have served as library board vice-chair during the planning of this project. Applefests are always fun, especially for the kids. I’m pleased with the lively contribution these events have made to Island life, especially for the little kids. The National Park Community Advisory Committee experience in 2011 was unprecedented as a democratic exercise and as an intense introduction to 32 Bowen Islanders of all stripes and spots. I learned a great deal from taking the lead in the community online survey.
I’m also proud of my recent advocacy and communication work as a member of the planning group for Stop The Docks and as a founding member of Bowen Islanders for Ferry Fairness. This involvement was outside my comfort zone and usual methods, but it filled a gap in protecting the public interest in the foreshore and protesting the ferry service cuts and rate hikes.
