A Day in the Life

I am often asked what a Councillor does.

I consider being a Councillor for Strathcona County residents a full time job – and then some.

The greater percentage of my time is spent on ombudsmen like duties. When residents have concerns that are not being addressed to their satisfaction, do not understand the complexities of the system or disagree with process or policy –that is the time to contact the elected official of your area. I spend many hours on the phone, e-mail and at site visits to try and help residents resolve issues.

Often I attend official functions on evenings and weekends to represent my ward and sometimes as acting or deputy mayor representing the county. All Councillors have a rotating schedule when they assist the Mayor in these duties. It has been a pleasure and often a learning experience to attend events put on by our non profit organizations. You will also find me at Chamber and local business events. I enjoy attending school functions in Ward 2 and am always available to meet with parent council groups to review issues.

As a formal part of my responsibilities, I attend meetings as a member of fifteen committees involved at both the regional and municipal levels. These include the Capital Region Affordable Housing, Inter City Social Policy, Pioneer Seniors Housing , Seniors Advisory, Youth Advisory and Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.

One area that I have added as part of my job is the creation and support of resident committees. During my term, I have invited residents to join interim committees that are created for specific short term purposes that benefit their community. Ward 2’s Building Strong Communities Funding Committee created their own guidelines and review system to give guidance to the expenditures of my priority funds. The Cloverbar Park Revitalization Team is another. From that committee spun off the Playground, Community Garden and Splash Pad subcommittees. It is my privilege to be able to assist neighbours as they participate in the decisions and processes that make their neighbourhoods a better place.

The final formal segment of my job revolves around hundreds of hours of strategic planning, council workshops, budget sessions and Council Meetings.

So, while this position is a busy one that involves a great deal of organization to ensure that I attend as many functions as I possibly can, while still responding to residential and municipal issues in a timely manner..... I’m never too busy to talk to you about your concerns and aspirations for our community. Call anytime.