Who I am

Many people have asked me about why I decided to run for office. When I thought about the question I realized that some of my motivation comes from how I was raised, lessons learned from the “school of hard knocks” and the work that I have been leading in the Old East Village.

I was born into a family where volunteering and serving the community is the norm. My mother ran the Woodstock United Way office from our kitchen table for many years. What started out as a part time job for her became the ongoing education of our whole family about the struggles that some of our neighbours experience in their daily lives.
My father sat on the Oxford County Separate School Board for more than a decade. His service on the board taught us about the tough decisions that those in office have to make, the need to understand and respect different points of view and the importance of working with the community to create solutions that work for everyone. This early learning about the importance of education stood me in good stead when I formed and chaired the “Lorne Avenue School Collaborative” that is currently working successfully to create a solution that will keep our local school open.

In short, we kids learned to contribute to the well-being of our neighbours. We also learned that if you are not happy about a particular situation then it was our responsibility to do something to change it.

For several years I worked in the credit union movement in Ontario, primarily in the Toronto area. It was fulfilling work until 1980 when interest rates went through the roof. Many of us might remember this time, when mortgage rates approached 20%, and walking away from homes and mortgages became a common occurrence.  I participated in many, many foreclosures during this eighteen-month period and it was this experience, more than any other, that had a formative influence in how I view the world.  I realized then that whenever a system stopped working properly, it was you and I who were expected to pay the price. I realized then that I would prefer to use my knowledge of real estate financing to help people to find and retain homes. These realizations eventually lead to me getting my Real Estate License.

Since 1987 I have worked part-time as a Hospital Housekeeper at the Child & Parent Resource Institute (CPRI). I am a provincial civil servant, a member of OPSEU, and, as a Realtor, I also operate my own full-time business. This has put me in the rather unique position to be able to understand employment and business issues from the perspective of both the worker and the employer.  As a waged employee, I understand how difficult it is for workers to innovate and do better work in a rigidly hierarchical structure where managers hold closely their management prerogatives.  As a Realtor, operating my own business, I understand how important it is to innovate constantly and how hard business people have to work every day to earn a paycheck.

I would definitely say that I am a people person with a commitment to creating the community that we all want to live in. Since 2001, I have been at the forefront of the positive change that has been happening in the Old East Village. It would be disrespectful of me if I failed to acknowledge the people of Old East who have been laboring alongside me to reinvigorate the area. Nobody does this kind of work alone.
I don’t claim to know it all and I am certainly not perfect.  However when I reflect upon the lessons that I have learned and the results of the work I have been doing in the Old East Village, I believe that I can demonstrate that I have a unique set of skills and knowledge and a deep commitment to our community.  I am well-known as a person who gets things done.

I have also served the “apprenticeship” that I believe is necessary for elected officials who wish to effectively serve their constituents.  I have attended almost all of the Council meetings held over the past two-and-a-half terms, I have read most of the agendas and reports prepared by city staff on a wide variety of topics of interest to the residents of Ward 4, I have made several dozen presentations to council committees, agencies, boards and commissions during the course of my work in my neighbourhood, and I have participated fully in civic affairs for many years.  Listed below is a partial record of this participation.  I am more than capable of hitting the ground with my feet running after the October election.
It is my intention to bring my knowledge and commitment and experience to the assistance of constituents and neighbourhoods throughout Ward 4.  I am also able to see beyond the ward to those larger issues affecting the city and I want to participate fully in the attempt to build a city that is affordable, safe, healthy and prosperous.  I want to help build a city of which we can all be proud. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to make both Ward 4 and London everything we want it to be.

Record of Community Involvement
Currently:

Founder and 3-term Chair, Old East Village Community Association

Vice-Chair, Urban League of London

Vice-Chair, London Advisory Committee on Heritage

Member, 2010 London Community Housing Strategy Reference Group

Member, User Vision Group and Roundtable - London Transportation Master Plan

Member, Downtown London Master Plan Working Group.

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