A cursory look at minutes and media reports indicates that all local governments/Boards of Education have, generally speaking, enjoyed a good working relationship between elected officials thus far. Of course, there will be disagreements on specific policy topics (budget priorities, etc) but this is to be expected as every each elected official is independent and will bring their own viewpoint forward and sometimes, their views carry the day and sometimes they don't... but different viewpoints at the local governance table is always a great thing... As Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson once said himself -- We need to hear those contrarian viewpoints
I have enjoy my 1st year of my 2nd term as Cariboo Regional District Electoral Area 'D' Director and love it each time I engage -- either online or in person -- with my electorate, I find it very refreshing and many of them I treat as if they were my personal friends and "2nd family" and look forward to interacting with my "2nd Family" in the remaining 3 years of this term. While I regret not being able to serve on the UBCM Executive, I am enjoying my time since January of this year on the North Central Local Government Association's Board of Directors' as a Director at Large and now as Chair of the NCLGA Resolutions Committee which means I will chair the Resolutions Session at the 2020 NCLGA Convention/AGM in Prince George. Also - it was great news to have BC Assessment grant a 100% property tax exemption for the Tyee Lake Fire Building. I'm hopeful that I will be able to do the same for the McLeese Lake Fire Hall in the Fall of 2020... I'd like to thank my Board Chair (and CRD Area H Director) Margo Wagner and many others in the Regional District world (both local and provincial) for their support and suggestions this past year... it's wonderful that us Electoral Area Directors' have a wonderful support system to rely on when running into frustrated situations that we can talk it out and discuss solutions...
If I had one regret to express -- there is still this "disconnect" between Williams Lake City Council and the Central Cariboo/Chilcotin CRD Rural Directors and it doesn't need to be this way -- I plan to discuss this with my Central Cariboo CRD colleagues by proposing changes to the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Williams Lake and Cariboo Regional District for more proactive communications between the two local government bodies on our various initiatives -- many of them, I would argue, are complementary to both bodies.... I hope that we can find a way to make this happen.. in the meantime, I don't like to withdraw CRD project funding away from the City of WL but I must when they fail to communicate with us on projects and funding sought after the fact -- as a means to send the message "CRD will not fund projects that there was not prior engagement with CRD Area Directors"
Meanwhile -- I will continue to advocate for my Electoral Area (and help my CRD colleagues do the same for their Electoral Areas) at the Cariboo Regional District Board table & regional/provincial/federal local government tables!
SF
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