To kick off our municipal election coverage, The Interior News asked all the candidates to prepare a 250-word submission that answered the following questions:
1. What is the most pressing issue facing your municipality?
2. As mayor/councillor, what do you intend to do to address that issue?
3. What is it about your background, experience, knowledge and/or personality you believe makes you qualified/suitable to be successful in the position you are seeking?
Election season is here! An exciting time for Smithers. A time to have your voice heard!
Although I wasn’t born in Smithers, nor did I grow up here, this is the community I’ve called home since 2009 and what a home it is! Lush forests, rushing rivers and mighty mountain ranges. A stark contrast to the wheat and canola fields I grew up surrounded by in Manitoba.
Over the years we’ve grown a family here. Like many, I want to see a Smithers that prospers. A Smithers that is safe. A Smithers that is affordable. A Smithers that will be the home of my children, their children and so on.
Now let’s be real with each other for a minute here. Things have been a little crazy around these parts lately. Most recently the uptick in crime has been a major topic around town. Affordable housing, jobs, homelessness, drugs and theft have all been at the forefront of residents’ minds.
I’m not here to say that I have the golden answer to these or any of the topics that are going to be discussed in the coming weeks. However, I do know that it is going to take a collaborated effort to create change.
With that said, I’m running for the opportunity to be part of the solution. An opportunity to give back to a community that has given my family and I so much over the years. An opportunity to collectively make Smithers the best community we can.