I am excited to be back on the campaign trail as I seek your endorsement for a third term on City Council!  It has truly been my privilege to serve the community of Red Deer for the past six years.  I feel a real pride in the accomplishments that Council and City Staff have realized over my last two terms on Council.  Most important to me is that Council work as a team not only with each other but with the staff at City Hall as a whole as we engage our citizens in meaningful dialogue to accomplish our vision for the City of Red Deer. I believe in team and believe that I bring a strong team development background and skill set to the Council table.

I apologize for taking such a long time in getting my candidate profile on Election Forum.   I unfortunately broke my right upper arm about five weeks ago and because I am not proficient  with my left hand, I have had to struggle not only with many of the activities of daily living but also with my computer inputting skills.  I am still not totally healed  but I am much improved and am now ready to fully engage in the election process!   By now those of you reading this are thinking "is she going for the sympathy vote or what?"  Maybe just a bit but.....

A BIT ABOUT LYNNE..

I have lived in Red Deer for the past fourteen years. Originally from small town Saskatchewan I spent most of my professional life in Toronto(please don't hold that against me!) but was excited about returning to the West. My beginning post secondary education prepared me as a Registered Nurse and after a short time working as a general duty nurse I returned to university to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  Education of young professionals became a passion for me and I began a rewarding career in health care education first as a teacher and then as a college educational administrator. I went on to complete a Masters in Education in order to expand my professional expertise.   I have always wanted to influence future generations as they explore career goals and become productive and caring citizens.  I was fortunate to have been able to realize my dreams by making a difference in the lives of many students through a career in post secondary education.

Most recently, I served as Vice President Education at Red Deer College for eight years(1996 to 2004) with a  short term(18 months) as Interim President at Red Deer College. This experience was a real asset to me in my role as City Councillor and I have been readily able to apply this experience during my time on City Council.  Specifically: people skills--listening, engaging,building team, and involving staff in personal and professional growth opportunities; preparing and managing large budgets(over 100 million)-- always being fiscally responsible in good times and bad;  governance experience--working with boards in setting direction and policy;  community building--involving the community as active participants in setting and implementing educational goals; and policy development -- a skill that has been very useful over the past six years.

 In addition to a rich and rewarding professional life, I consider myself a career volunteer!  I have always attempted to give back to my community by sharing any relevant expertise that might be helpful in the not-for profit sector.  I have served and  continue to serve on a number of volunteer boards in Red Deer including United Way, SPCA and Parkland Youth Homes.  I been particularly active in fundraising for both the SPCA and United Way in the role of campaign chair.  I believe that each of us must be prepared to give of our time and resources if we are able and that we must educate our children to do the same.  This will ensure strong community building in the future!

I am fortunate to have a supportive family in Red Deer --my brother Bob and sister-in-law Diane, two nephews--Jeff and Brad and three great nieces and nephews--Paige, Andrew and Michael.  They are a source of real personal support as well as acting as my campaign team!  I could not do it without them.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OVER MY PAST TWO TERMS ON COUNCIL

I could create a long list of accomplishments by the City over the past six years but I will discuss only a few. It is important for me to identify from the outset, that I learned very early in my time on council that an individual cannot accomplish anything alone!  I learned that it is so important to listen respectfully to council members as well as staff and community citizens prior to taking a decisive position!  Each of us must be prepared to change our position after hearing all sides of the issue. We must make the best decisions for the greater good of our community not only by listening to others but also by being able to present the other side to an issue and convince others of the merits.  Further, I believe that once Council has voted on a decision, each councillor must respect the wisdom of Council and move forward

Front and Centre for me in terms of accomplishments, is the development of an Inter-municipal Development Agreement with the County of Red Deer !  This agreement was reached after a very challenging interaction between the City and the County which focused on renewing and revitalizing a relationship which was in much need of repair!  But we put the work into this development and it has served us both well.  Both of us have been able to identify future growth areas and this plan has been instrumental in facilitating recent annexation agreements which have  allowed the City to accommodate our growth over the past few years and will continue to do so into the future. It is so important that we continue to work together cooperatively and collaboratively in the future if we are to build our future as well as the future of Central Alberta Region.

Other significant accomplishments over the past six years include the completion of our award winning Civic Yards, the completion of the Recreation Centre and the G.H.Dawe Centre expansion and revitalization projects as well as the Development of the Greater Downtown Action Plan which will guide development of our city into the future.  In addition, in my role as Vice Chair of the Central Alberta Waste Management Consortium, I have played a leadership role in moving forward the PLASCO alternative biodiversion of waste project  which will provide our region with a greener solution for handling our waste in the future.  This has been a very long and challenging process but we are hopeful that this project will move forward in the very near future.

FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR OUR CITY FOR THE NEXT TERM AND BEYOND

• First and foremost,  MANAGING THE IMPACT OF THE RECESSION and responding flexibly to changing economic times without compromising the long term vision for the City of Red Deer.
• CREATING AND MAINTAINING A SAFE COMMUNITY by identifying and implementing strategies that focus both on best practices in policing as well as community crime prevention solutions.
• KEEPING A STRONG FOCUS ON PLANNING - ensuring that all that we do is based on a solid foundation of plans and research - planning that takes into consideration the now but has a clear vision of the future.
• PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT - our air and water supply, our green spaces as well as our natural habitats.  Ensuring environmental sustainability is essential to our future and we must monitor and measure our performance against benchmarks identified in our ENVIRONMENTAL MASTER PLAN
• CREATING SUSTAINABLE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES for all citizens of Red Deer and ensuring a social infrastructure which supports the growth and development of all citizens.
• CREATING A CITY THAT IS ACCESSIBLE AND LIVEABLE - a city that includes transportation infrastructure and systems that balance the needs of pedestrians bikers, drivers and recreational enthusiasts - a commitment to our citizens that our roads , sidewalks and trail systems will allow for easy movement within our city.
• Finding PREDICTABLE AND SUSTAINABLE FUNDING SOURCES by working in partnership with our Federal and Provincial Governments as well as public sector partners where appropriate.
• Exercising FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY in order to meet the changing needs of our city - we must engage in careful and thoughtful financial decision making processes that will ensure that citizens get good value for their tax dollars.

I look forward to talking with you over the next few weeks as we travel the campaign trail of forums, markets, coffees, phone calls and one on one interactions. 

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