(The following is from the announcement of my candidacy in the July 15 Driftwood)

​

I am one of four Salt Spring Islanders entrusted by voters in 2023 to serve as commissioners on the inaugural Local Community Commission (LCC). Salt Spring now has an effective 5-member local government body, hearing citizen concerns, advocating for community interests, and making local decisions in open public meetings. For a new organization taking on a broad range of challenging issues, the first LCC has been remarkably successful. However, much work remains to be done and so I am publicly announcing my intention of seeking a second term as one of your local community commissioners in the October election.

​

While the creation of the LCC was a major step forward in bringing more accessible, transparent, and democratic local governance to Salt Spring it remains an unfinished project. The initial establishment bylaw, in its delegation of authorities to the LCC, seized upon the more obvious responsibilities, the “low hanging fruit”, but left more complex questions of responsibility, lines of authority, and governance unaddressed. The LCC Commissioners have recognized this deficiency almost from the beginning and worked to bring all local CRD decision-making under the LCC. This has been a personal priority of mine and, because we were not fully successful in the current term, I hope to be able to continue this critical work as part of the next LCC.

​

I am also running to provide some measure of continuity between terms. Given the complexity and scope of what the next LCC will have to address, having one or two experienced commissioners, with some preservation of institutional memory, is invaluable. We know that the new term will include at least two new LCC commissioners and a new electoral area director.  I am hoping that my experience as LCC Chair in the first term will enable me to contribute to a more effective transition to that new LCC.

​

I am also running to continue to bridge the gaps that separate the multiple institutions making up our fragmented island government. The LCC has made significant headway in working with other elected bodies, particularly the Local Trust Committee, but more work remains to be done. I want to be able to ensure that the progress continues as we work to build more cooperative and collaborative relationships among our elected local officials (including improvement districts), as well as with senior levels of government and with the First Nations upon whose unceded territory we reside.

​

Finally, I think transparency is a fundamental democratic value. It is important for elected officials, when they have decided to seek re-election, to inform the voters of that intention. In the months remaining before the election, I will be making decisions and casting votes, including the review and approval of the 2027 provisional budget. I hope to write opinion and background articles on issues of significance to the Salt Spring community. Voters need to understand that my actions and views are those of someone who hopes to be part of local government in the coming term.

​

As Canadians, we aren’t fond of long election campaigns, and I have no intention of jump-starting the fall campaign season with this announcement. I will make my case for your vote in more detail at a more appropriate time.