The Call to Local Government.

I ran for council in 2012 because I wanted to be a part of the change our Town needed.  I believe in the power of positive leadership and good old-fashioned “hard work.”

I am naturally a “glass half full” kind of person. I have always believed in the tremendous potential of our Town, and wanted to use my education and my business experience to contribute to its growth and success. I ran and was elected as Deputy Mayor in 2012.

From 2012 to 2016, I dedicated myself to absorbing, studying, and learning all that I could about Municipal Government.

I reached out to former council members and local neighbors to build valuable relationships. I actively volunteered, recognizing that volunteers are vital to our community, and I learned from them. I contributed to committees for key projects like the Community Park and engaged on social media, sharing council updates and promoting interest in our Town's growth.

Even as a dedicated Councillor, I have always embraced an active “hands-on” approach. Leadership is action. Leadership is working with people, rolling up your sleeves to do what is needed, and inviting others to lead with you.

Building Community.

During my time on the Town beautification committee, I actively weeded and planted with volunteers dedicated to keeping our Town welcoming each Spring and maintaining flower beds throughout the summer. When the Council closed the Pirate Ship park for safety, I joined other volunteers to form a restoration committee.

The Pirate Ship Park Restoration Committee repaired, painted, cleaned, mowed, and extended the life of that waterfront playground for another 7 years. Sadly it is now gone, however, it was our community’s effort that gave our kids those extra years of play, and we accomplished it together as a community!

Volunteering at the Festival of the Strait taught me a lot about our community. As a volunteer for several years and co-chair for 5 years, I realized the importance of celebrating our history, culture, and heritage. We aimed to create an inclusive, barrier-free summer festival for everyone, regardless of age, ability, or income.

Favorite volunteer roles include: Festival of the Strait, A Cape Breton Christmas for Seniors, Seasonal Services, Relay for Life, St. Joseph's Parish Executive, Religious Education Teacher, Early Childhood Intervention Dinner Theater, Parenting Court facilitator, Mi’kma’q Summer Games, Techsploration, and CORAH. These roles provided invaluable experience in collaboration and community building.

Volunteers are the heart of our community! We show our love and dedication to Port Hawkesbury by donating our time and ensuring it remains a great place for everyone to live, work, and thrive.

My passion for growing the Town deepened, prompting me to seek the Mayor position in 2016.

I embraced my role as Mayor, eager to collaborate with Council, Town staff, and community groups for growth. I remain an active volunteer, engaging in community markets, Housing Think Tanks, and initiatives with families and with other municipalities on regional initiatives.

I worked with volunteers, businesses, and community partners to grow the Cape Breton Christmas for Seniors for 5 years consecutive years. The 2019 event saw more than 400 seniors attend and almost 200 volunteers of all ages work together to serve food, gifts, and conversation to seniors during the holidays which can be an extremely vulnerable time for them!

Sadly, Covid has made this huge and well-loved event unsafe, however, we have been able to work on safer “home delivery” events for seniors, and hope to soon be able to celebrate our seniors together again as a community! 

It is important that we always find ways to help our most vulnerable community members! The Cape Breton Christmas for Seniors certainly is a great example, but another is Seasonal Services, which helps families more than 30 years ago. It is organized and implemented by volunteers and helps 100s of families every December thanks to business sponsorships and donations from generous citizens who want to give back to their community.

In addition to working with seniors, I also enjoy working with youth! I am proud to continue as a Techsploration volunteer for many years, which is a wonderful program that introduces young girls and differently gendered students to the science, math, and technology trades in partnership with NSCC. I’ve also worked with youth in many other capacities, from Pride events, to Festival of the Strait activities, to volunteering as a speaker for Girl Guides and Scouts, to working with youth in mentorship programs.

In addition to Community Development, Economic Development is also critical to the Town’s growth. We also understood about the importance of creating more business opportunities in the Town. We created an innovative business project called “Start-up Port Hawkesbury” - which was unanimously endorsed by our Town Council - which became a major catalyst for new business development and start-ups in our Town. 

Town Staff Go the Extra Mile.

Over the past 12 years, it has been a pleasure working with, and collaborating on events like Christmas parades, park activities, Canada Day celebrations, clean-ups, waterfront restoration, truth and reconciliation ceremonies, and Granville Green concerts.

I admire our Town Staff for their daily contributions to both Council and our Port Hawkesbury citizens. Each staff member is amazing and talented and they always go the extra mile!

We also remember the incredible long-serving Town staff we've tragically lost over the years, and they are never too far from our minds.

Past Councils.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Town Councils (2016-2018) (2018-2020) (2020-2024). The direction and progress of the Town is a team effort, that is made possible by council members, staff, and community partners.

Council is the decision making engine of the Town. All five members (Mayor and Council) each have one “vote” in every single motion of council - from policy changes, to bylaw changes, to budget deliberations, to capital projects and more. We are a democracy, which means that no matter if you are a Councillor or the Mayor, each of us have one vote on the important decisions that impact our Town. The Mayor, as the spokesperson for Council, represents the decisions made by council in addition to chairing meetings and attending ceremonies.

The Mayor has no special independent powers to make decisions on behalf of council - decisions must be put to a vote by Council.

Serving as Mayor from 2016-2024 has been busy and has been filled with positive changes. We have met challenges head-on, by negotiating and collaborating as a team for Port Hawkesbury's benefit.

Best of luck to all Municipal candidates in the 2024 election; I look forward to the Campaign Trail!