Why I'm Running Again

Four years ago, I asked Sparwood to give me an opportunity to serve on Council.

I came to the table with experience in leadership, emergency response, Health & Safety, organized labour, management, education, and community service. What I did not have was experience governing a municipality.

I HAVE THAT NOW.

Four years on Council have taught me how municipal decisions actually move from an idea to something that can be delivered.

I have learned much more about municipal finance, legislation, infrastructure and asset management, land-use planning, development, regional relationships, public engagement, and the limits of what a municipality - or an individual councillor - actually has the authority to do.

I have also learned how much history sits behind the decisions Council makes.

I benefited during my first term from an experienced Mayor and experienced councillors who were willing to share the history behind decisions made long before I arrived.

They helped me understand why certain things had been done, what had already been tried, and where previous Councils had been trying to go.

That institutional knowledge matters.

The next Council will have new faces around the table. If I am fortunate enough to return, I think part of my responsibility will be to pass along what was shared with me while remaining open to the questions and ideas new members will bring.

Experience should not mean protecting the way something has always been done.

It should mean understanding why it was done, knowing what has already been tried, recognizing what has worked, and being better equipped to challenge it when circumstances have changed.

There is important work ahead

The next Council will inherit some significant decisions.

We need to continue investing in the infrastructure that keeps Sparwood functioning while preparing for future growth.

We need more housing and more options for people at different stages of life. We need to continue building our commercial and light-industrial tax base and creating the conditions for private investment.

We need to decide what comes next for recreation and how much taxpayers can reasonably afford. We need to continue strengthening emergency preparedness and community resilience.

We need to keep working on urban wildlife management and the issues residents have raised around bears and solid waste.

We also need to be effective advocates when the solution sits outside municipal jurisdiction - whether that means Highway 3 and Highway 43, health care, Douglas Fir servicing, provincial requirements, or competing for outside funding.

And we need to keep asking a basic question before making promises:

WHAT CAN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY DO?

Sometimes Council has the authority to act directly.
Sometimes we need District Staff to complete technical or operational work.
Sometimes we need another level of government, a regional partner, private investment, or outside funding.
And sometimes the answer is simply outside municipal jurisdiction.

Knowing the difference matters.

Experience without entitlement

I am proud of the work I have done during my first term, but serving one term does not entitle me to another.

THE SEAT BELONGS TO THE COMMUNITY.

This time, residents don't have to decide based only on what I say I will do. You have four years of my record to consider alongside the platform I am putting forward.

You can look at how I prepared for decisions, the questions I asked, how I voted, whether I was willing to explain those votes, whether I listened when residents challenged Council, and whether I was prepared to change direction when the information supported it.

That is how I think an incumbent should be judged.

I still believe in this community

After four years inside municipal government, I am not less optimistic about Sparwood.

I am more realistic about how difficult some of the work can be.

Projects take longer than most people expect.

Funding doesn't always arrive when we want it. Provincial requirements can create work and costs for municipalities without necessarily providing the resources to deal with them. Development depends on private investment as well as municipal decisions. Infrastructure is expensive. And seven elected people will not always agree on the right answer.

None of that changes what I believe Sparwood can accomplish.

We have a strong industrial foundation, opportunities for growth, people who care deeply about the community, and important investments already underway or being planned.

There is work worth continuing.

Photo: The Story of Sparwood

My ask

I am not asking residents to agree with every decision I have made over the last four years.

I am asking you to look at the record, look at the platform I am putting forward, and decide whether the experience I have gained is worth putting back to work for Sparwood.

If I am returned to Council, I will continue to show up prepared, ask difficult questions, listen before making decisions, explain my votes, respect the role and expertise of District Staff, and be honest about what Council can and cannot deliver.

I will bring four years of municipal experience back to the table without assuming that experience makes my answer the right one.

And I will continue to treat the opportunity to represent Sparwood as exactly that - an opportunity that belongs to the community to give.

FOUR YEARS AGO, I ASKED FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN THE JOB AND CONTRIBUTE.

THIS TIME, I'M ASKING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THAT EXPERIENCE TO WORK.