I am currently the director of operations at Battle River Pharmaceuticals. Prior to that, I was a field services inspector for the Alberta Recycling Management Authority.
I have lived in the town of Ponoka since 2001. I am a third generation Ponoka citizen, have raised three sons here and am happy to say my grandson calls Ponoka home as well.
What I feel I contribute to town council is my critical thinking which enables me to view situations from multiple angles analytically to help collaborate with my fellow councillors towards a best-outcome scenario. I have the ability to troubleshoot and solve problems such as allocating an annual budget to inspect and repair our aged and outdated waste management infrastructure.
I have over 20 years’ experience working with engineers and bureaucrats which enables me to grasp logistics, reports and how they apply in a municipal setting.
What motivated me to run for town council for the first time was that I saw our council seemingly struggling with gaps in how to approach some of the long-overdue issues that have developed over the years. The first year was a challenge as we worked to rebuild the feeling of unity amongst our citizens, council and the departments that serve us. By demonstrating the core values of accountability, integrity, and transparency we continue to build on those relationships with a view to improving the quality of life for all who call Ponoka home. My motivation for pursuing a seat again, is that now that I have laid the groundwork in my first term in getting to know the needs, issues, and intricacies of town operations I am able to apply that experience and knowledge towards the fruition of some key projects that will benefit my fellow citizens and business owners alike.
Of the top priorities that council needs to address for our community, I would focus on proper investment in infrastructure to both bring our town up-to-date and reduce financial losses in the way of costly stop-gap repair measures. For instance, it is six times as costly to reconstruct a road versus correctly maintaining a well constructed paving program.
Strategic planning and prioritizing are critical. We have 129 kms of roadway, which runs above our water, sewer, gas, and electrical systems. We need to think long-term in the way we approach these replacements and repairs for efficiency and longevity.
Another priority should be attracting new business and residents to our community. This serves to bolster our local economy and increase the base level of stakeholders, which will benefit us all by increasing services, employment, and the impact of dollars spent locally.
The challenges we are facing on a global level are overwhelming and frankly, scary. I feel we have an extraordinary responsibility to all our community members to preserve and protect our cohesive unity. We are stronger together.