After buying a house in Bradford, I had one goal: immerse myself in my community. I viewed my move here as finally setting down roots, and it’s been important for me to know and be involved in my town as much as possible.
Starting off each week with reading the local paper to learn about our local businesses and community, I strived to branch my business out to helping grow our local economy. I continued this objective by joining a local women’s business organization - of which I later became President of - and focused on knowledge and skill sharing so all our members could strengthen their businesses and grow as business owners. I can personally attest my 3+ years in SWAN, especially in a leadership position, helped me grow immensely as a person, and allowed me to reach that goal of working with local business owners.
I also started attending council meetings and public events like Grand Openings, Carrot Fest, pop-up markets, and anything else I could find in order to experience what this town had to offer. I even volunteered to help moderate an online community group with the goal of helping showcase the best of Bradford, so that newcomers like I once was could get the best impression about our community and learn more about what it has to offer.
In 2019, I joined the Bradford Board of Trade’s Board of Directors to further my work with the business community. Hearing about the challenges our local economy faces and working with a group dedicated to helping the town address these concerns has been a rewarding experience. Being involved with the BBT has made me feel more in-tune with concerns of our businesses, especially as it relates to our downtown core.
My time working within the community helped me realize that running in this by-election is my chance to bring positive change that’s needed to our town. Living near the downtown core I’ve seen an incredible shift in business as well as concerns about integrating new housing into older and established neighbourhoods, and I want to work to find happy solutions that accommodate as many people as possible. My philosophy in life has always been we don’t have problems – we have situations that require solutions, and I always try to focus on what those possible solutions can be. Yes, you need to acknowledge the reasons why you require those solutions, but rather than focusing on the past we can focus on a future that creates the necessary changes to correct past mistakes.
I was raised to believe that each of us has the ability to, and should, contribute to our society and work towards making it better. By running for council, I hope to do just that.