The Final Countdown: Time for Change on Salt Spring Island
This was also posted on the Salt Spring Exchange here on October 16th
It's the final countdown, tomorrow is the last day to vote in our local elections, and I am astounded by the support I have received from the community. I am incredibly thankful for Laura Patrick's kind endorsement, my partner's patient support, and the wisdom of community members who have chosen to share it.
This is an important election for the Trust on Salt Spring. Do we want more of the same governance as we've had? Incremental change if it happens at all, focusing on the natural environment to the detriment of the people in our community, workers and families struggling and leaving? Or do we want something new? Real change, balance between the environment and human needs, a community where our workers are valued and families want to stay is what I offer.
And I would suggest that it is vitally important to elect me as one of your two Trustees. I have been working at advocating with the Trust, chairing a commission, and learning how to get things done while still working a full time job in the community. So not only do I have a plan, I have the work ethic to fight for our rights.
I'm tired of the status quo. It is not gentle, it is not benign. It's not a sign of a healthy community. I am tired of the defenders of the status quo, who deny the struggles in our community to avoid feeling discomfort around their own privilege. It is time for change. We need land use planning changes to ensure protection of working class residents of Salt Spring Island and the Trust area. We need cultural changes to be a community that equally values our natural world and our working class residents rather than prioritizing just one. We need a governance change, fewer career politicians and special interest groups out of touch with the issues facing their communities and more working class folks who've actually experienced the challenges our community faces and know what's at stake.
I know better than any other Trustee candidate the struggles facing Salt Springers. The problems facing our community aren't numbers to me, they are people. Friends, coworkers, acquaintances, loved ones. They, we, deserve a better Trust creating a better Salt Spring.
My platform is straightforward:
An Islands Trust that works for us, not against us
Not just housing but homes for our workers
Environmental protection of our islands
Ensuring our farmers can grow and thrive
All that while governing with integrity. That’s what I offer Salt Spring Island if you choose to elect me your next Trustee.
So get out and vote for me and one other person for Salt Spring Island Trustee. October 17th from 8am-8pm at the Legion, the Library, or Fulford Hall.