My Experience
Twenty-two things
I have actually done.
Twenty-six years in public education, nineteen of them as an administrator. Here is that experience laid out as a map, grouped into six areas.
Experience
that I bring
26 years in public education
19 years as an administrator
Leading a large organization
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led communities of 100+ staff and 1200+ students
A school that size is a small town, with a budget, a payroll, and a public that watches.
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hiring
Council in Stouffville has an oversight and governance role in hiring. Having sound selection processes ensures the right people are in the right roles.
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setting direction
Collaborate with fellow councillors, town staff and residents to determine what will happen, when it will happen, and then be available and visible during the process.
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commitment to maintain high standards
Reading the whole staff report before the vote, not just the summary at the front.
Managing conflict
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managing conflict
Neighbours will disagree about development. My job is to keep that discussion productive and focussed on the matter at hand.
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mediation
Often the fix is getting two parties in a room early, before it hardens into a formal appeal.
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managing grievances
Formal complaints come with rules and deadlines. I have worked inside them for years without letting them turn personal.
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delivering discipline
Saying the hard thing directly, fairly and on the record, is a skill. Council needs it.
Listening and communicating
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active listener
Many residents do not ask a lot from the Town. But all residents are asking to be heard properly the first time.
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clear communicator through various modes
A newsletter, a doorstep, a council chamber and a phone call each need a different version of the same honest answer.
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facilitation
Running a public meeting so the quiet person gets heard and the loudest one does not run out the clock.
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cognitive coaching
Asking the question that helps staff or a resident find their own answer, rather than handing down mine.
Judgement under pressure
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reasoned approach to complex matters
Planning files, water capacity, budget lines. I am comfortable sitting with something difficult until I actually understand it.
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creative problem solver
When the budget will not stretch, the answer is usually a different approach, not simply a smaller version of the same one.
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leading emergency procedures
Lockdowns, evacuations, ice storms. I know the difference between a plan on paper and one that works at seven in the morning.
Building community
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creating community events
Events are how a fast growing town stops being a collection of separate subdivisions.
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creating a sense of community within a large group
Belonging does not happen by itself in a town growing this fast. It gets built on purpose.
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celebrating diversity
Ward 4 is changing. Everyone who lives here should be able to see themselves in how this town is run.
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honouring opposing views
All perspectives inform my decisions. This is done with fairness, clarity and dignity. Council needs this approach.
Conduct and the rules
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following organizational policies and procedures
Municipal decisions get overturned on process. I know how to follow the rules that make a decision hold up.
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conducting oneself in a professional manner within a public setting
Council meetings are recorded and public. I have spent a career being accountable in front of a room.
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discretion
People tell a principal things in confidence. They will tell a councillor things too, and it stays with me.
Why it matters
A council seat is not a new job to me.
Controlling budgets, facilitating public meetings, managing people’s emotions, building community, handling emergencies, while always being accountable to the community, is what I did for nineteen years.