I am pleased to stand for an Oak Bay Council seat in the November 19, 2011 Municipal election. Between now and then, I hope to meet and talk with you to learn more about what is important to you and to the future of Oak Bay.
To reach out to residents, I will meet people at their doorsteps and in village centres. I will visit where people gather, such as the Monterey Centre, Henderson, Windsor Park, Uplands Park, Willows and the Oak Bay Rec Centre.
In the meantime, these are just some of the issues that you have already shared with me:
- Improving signficantly communication from Council to residents and the community
- Open and transparent decision-making
- Timely, complete and accurate information-sharing by Council/Municipality with residents
- Improving the municipal website for easy navigation and up-to-date content (especially contact information for Council members that includes phone and e-mail)
- Involving residents in an assessment of how over-development/re-development impacts neighbourhoods
- Hiring a Planner
- Assessing for improvements existing transit service and cycling networks
- Protecting local heritage sites, places and buildings through better public consultation/collaboration
- Protecting Oak Bay green and blue spaces, including parks and trails
- Demonstrating support for local small business
- Reviewing the Official Community Plan (OCP) through a meaningful public process
- Focusing on traffic management to address parking, volume and speeding
Finally, I’m struck by how many of your comments point to the need for better communication and public engagement in Oak Bay Council’s decision-making.