Good Evening,
Thank you for giving me the privilege of serving as your full time Councillor these past 3 years.
I have listened to Strathcona County residents – seeking to understand your issues – & acting on your behalf.
In the next 5 minutes I will outline some of the things I have heard, understood & acted upon.
I will also talk about ‘where to from here!’
I listened to your requests for improved recreation
I identified neighbourhood leaders & asked them to join project committees – to become a part of the solution.
Together we were successful:
- You chose manufacturers & selected new playground equipment
- You advised staff on the design of the 1st Splash Pad
Another Team of residents joined us to plan & participate in the first 3 urban Community Gardens
You talked & I listened:
I heard your concerns about Safety on the streets & in the neighbourhood
To address that:
- I supported the formation of the Speed Watch Volunteer Program to educate drivers
- I lobbied for & got 5 electronic driver feedback signs to increase driver awareness
- I supported fire station expansions & a new fire hall
- I voted to hire more EMS and RCMP
- I will continue to support Parents Empowering Parents, Block Parent, Crime Watch, Citizens On Patrol – all volunteer organizations. The commitment of volunteer hours in these organizations is staggering – and makes Strathcona County the inclusive & caring community that it is.
- I will continue to promote programs that build neighbourhood connectedness through knowing your neighbour.
When you called me to help increase accessibility for seniors & residents who faced challenges
......I listened
- I lobbied successfully for the creation of the Advisory Committee for Improving Accessibility in Strathcona County.
- There is much more to do to increase playground & park accessibility.
- I will continue to encourage improvements to our parks tghat result in those parks becoming true community gathering places.
I heard your demands for increased efficiency & financial accountability on all levels.
On the Ward level, once again I went looking for community leaders from my ward & others. There you were.
Together we developed the ‘Building Strong Communities Funding Program’ to allocate Councillor Priority Funds. This model stands alone in our municipality as an outstanding example of how residents advise their Councillor on how to spend taxpayer dollars on specific community projects.
Your $......Your Choice!!!
On the Municipal level, I advocated for increased efficiencies. It took 3 years – but single department reviews have expanded into multi department functional reviews.
We need to go further – I will continue lobbying my fellow Councillors for both an internal review & an external efficiency audit at the corporate level.
The outcome of these reviews will put our municipality at the Head of the Class!
I look forward to being a part of helping Strathcona County climb the Ladder of Excellence to become the model of efficiency with a strong customer service focus & culture that we can all be proud of!!
I have served on the Capitol Region Housing Committee, the Intercity Social Forum Policy Group, our own Youth Advisory, the Seniors’ & a dozen other committees & Boards.
They talked….I listened.
As Your Councillor I will continue to Encourage & Support:
- Emphasis on youth engagement.
- Increased housing options & assistance for seniors to live in our community.
- Further development of a comprehensive local & commuter transit system.
- Collaboration with business to create a vital & diverse business community.
I have listened to our community members & our regional municipal partners….& understood the issues
- We must maintain our leadership position & advocate for our own municipal needs in this process.
Short Term Goals
Cuff Report:
Governance policies are necessary to give backbone to the Code of Ethics. These must be created and sanctioned by Council by end of February 2011.
Provincial Issues:
- Build a positive synergistic relationship with the provincial government.
- Lobby for full development of the 23-acre hospital site, beginning with the completion of phase 2 by 2015.
- Demand that power lines be put underground.
- Champion the building of a new courthouse by 2015.
In Summary:
I have told you tonight that I am proud to serve as your Councillor:
– To listen – To understand – To act on your Behalf
I will leave you with this thought as we head into the Election:
Your local government is critical to the vitality & sustainability of our entire population.
Your local level of government is the engine of the community –
If that is true, and I believe it is - then it is you, the people - that are the fuel that drives this engine.
Never hesitate to approach your elected representative to raise issues
Keep driving the discussion on how we can make our community a better place for our children & our parents.
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