More on My Platform

The editor of our newspaper into work sent along these questions after reading the article in last week's Shoreline newspaper. It will be published in the next edition. Below are her questions and my responses.

1. Aside from development issues and concerns, what else do you hope to accomplish by being on council, should you be elected?

I would like to see more recreational facilities..., specifically our own pool. Right now Paradise residents have to go to CBS, Mt. Pearl or St. John’s in order to get swimming lessons for their kids. And we are left with less than desirable times to choose from. The pool should not be a regional facility; it should belong to the town, and residents of Paradise should have preference when using it. The town could also use additional basketball and tennis courts.

Two of our three elementary schools are at over capacity, and a fourth is in the works. Paradise Elementary and Holy Family are both overcrowded and have had portables added. And both are relatively new. The number of children in kindergarten in each of those schools is over 150, and that number will continue to grow. 

Many of our middle school-aged children go to Mt. Pearl Intermediate, which this year has 11 grade seven classes. The majority of these students are from Paradise. I’d like council to lobby all levels of government to build our own junior and senior high. Some people say it will never happen, but no one imagined four elementary schools in Paradise either.

I also hear that bussing these students has become a hazard. Some busses have 72 students which is much too dangerous. If this continues, it’s just a matter of time before someone is injured.

On top of all candidates’ lists should be improving and meeting infrastructure needs such as water and sewer, constructing sidewalks, and increasing green space. A fire hall is still at least two years away and is badly needed. The town will have to find a fiscal balance of what we need and how we can live within our means. Councillors will have to do a better job of showing how and where tax dollars are spent.

I would really like to see our Municipal Enforcement Officers (MEO) be able to issue tickets. Mt. Pearl and Gander can do it, so we should be able to do so as well. It would have an immediate impact on speeding in town. Such a change would require changes at the provincial level, but the new council should get that ball rolling.

2. This is quite a large role. Have you ever done anything else before that compares or would prepare you for it?

No…nothing that compares to holding public office. However, I suspect that being Coordinator of Programs in SMS is comparable. No day is the same; someone will be upset regardless of the decision I make, and you don’t do it for the money. 

3. How do you hope to make a difference?

Ideally, if elected, I would like to be on the town’s Planning and/or Traffic Committees. It’s where I feel the biggest impact can be made – specifically when it comes to development. I would like to have a voice at either table. 

Simply returning a phone call or email makes a huge difference. Many people I have spoken to while canvassing door to door are exasperated with many on town council. Their calls or emails go unanswered. People have serious concerns that simply cannot be ignored. Councillors have to remember that they work for residents and have to answer to them.

4. Are you involved in your community now/in the past? What roles have you played?

Not a whole lot now. Before we had kids – and I had more time – I volunteered with the Red Cross. I have written numerous letters to the editor and was a constant pain in the side of the mayor, particularly with respect to the fire hall. The original Strategic Plan for the town never mentioned the construction of our own fire hall. Many of us wrote letters to the editor and lobbied councillors. The Strategic Plan was revised in February 2011 to include a fire hall, and the announcement to build a fire hall was announced in February of this year. It was a good day.

As well, I have been maintaining a personal blog which chronicles many of my concerns with what’s
happening in town. 

5. What makes you so passionate about the development of Paradise and wanting to assume this responsibility? 

It started about 10 years ago. We used to live in Elizabeth Park and it began to grow. There’s nothing wrong with growth, but the rate was so fast that traffic and, particular speeding, became an issue. It still is. It became unsafe for kids to play hockey or ride a bike. So we moved to a quiet cul-de-sac.
There is a tendency to rezone in town, particularly to High Density Residential that really started the ball rolling. Land that is rural –beautiful, lush green belts - is rezoned into High Density Residential eyesores. There are 50 by 100 foot lots without trees, and many of these new areas lack basic infrastructure such as sidewalks.

But the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak, was the construction of the Lawton’s Drug store on Topsail Road. It was about 8 years ago. Without notice to residents, backhoes began digging away property behind some people’s back yards. Again, land had been rezoned. Needless to say, those affected were upset as were many others in town, including me. The Telegram ran a front-page story, and there was significant backlash. It was wrong then, but that process continues to occur. 

6. Anything else you’d like to add?

Not much to what I have already stated, really. I’m passionate and I’d like to help make a difference. My goal is straightforward - to help make the town a better place to live and raise a family.