Running for council is not for the faint at heart but strangely I am enjoying some key parts of it. I am loving meeting new amazing people in our community all the time. I am humbled by people’s passion for this community and desire to pitch in and help. THANK YOU LAKE COUNTRY!
This past weekend I and my team went out door knocking in Okanagan Centre to remind people about the local election on October 15th, 2022 and to get out and vote. Of course we also passed on information about me and asked if there were any questions. While not everyone was excited to have someone at their door (only one door slam is a win), most people were open to receiving information. There were also many kind words about supporting democracy, appreciation for stepping up and running, and even a few “you have my vote” comments. We did meet a few skeptics and handled some tough questions and in my mind that is a good thing! It means people are out there thinking about the issues and engaging in what matters to them and getting ready to vote.
The bottom line is many people love where they live! How could they not, I consider myself one of the luckiest people to get to live and raise my girls here. There were a few concerns that people spoke to us about and most of them are what I hear all over Lake Country, not specific to the Okanagan Centre Ward.
- The public wishes to see more communication from the District of Lake Country.
- I agree! When it comes to managing changes the first step and throughout is communication, communication, communication. Also receiving feedback!
- If elected I commit to appropriately using multiple platforms to share information about important issues that arise in Council. What works for you?
- It takes too long to get a permit from the District.
- Yes! This is the biggest take home message through all of my discussions with developers, builders, realtors, agriculturalists, and individual home owners.
- I know there is an answer to this problem and I commit to asking the right questions to get to the solution. Staff and Councillors must be held accountable. The reputation that Lake Country has right now for even a simple reno is not acceptable.
- We need to get back the industrial park from Kelowna.
- That would be ideal wouldn’t it?! I would say this is one of the strangest things I have heard about in local government. While I have now heard the true story of why it is the way it is, I am no less disappointed by this decision of the Province.
- Onward, now what do we do with the industrial lands we do have is important.
- Parking in the Okanagan Centre Village is a problem.
- Many people have to drive to Okanagan Centre Village to enjoy the beaches and the small businesses there. As a result of land availability there isn’t a lot of opportunity.
- One identified issue that may be specific to Okanagan Centre is short term rental offsite parking. While, land owners are supposed to provide this, sometimes they need a nudge to remind their renters. It is worth engaging with them.
- Parking is an issue for many of the areas in Lake Country. Ideally tomorrow we would have adequate transit so we wouldn’t need multiple vehicles per household. This is a key election issue in Kelowna and Vernon and I think we should work with them to find a solution.
There were a few more things mentioned but that is enough for now. I am happy to hear more from you on what you would like the next Council to focus on and how elected officials can best represent you!
