Running for Mayor.

I’m running for mayor because this is home. I want Lake Country to remain a place where families can put down roots, services actually work, and Council spends public money with care.

Asked Biography/Why are you running?

I bring experience from outside politics and a belief that residents should have a real voice in the decisions that affect them. I’m running for Mayor because I want to offer leadership that listens.

I’m running because I believe the next four years are about continuing the work already underway — and making thoughtful decisions about the Lake Country we leave to future generations.

Asked Lake Country has experienced significant population growth in recent years, although the district’s own projections show that the rate of growth is expected to slow in coming years. Do you believe Lake Country is growing at an appropriate rate? If elected mayor, would you support slowing or limiting development if population growth begins to outpace infrastructure and municipal services?

Lake Country should not try to stop growth, nor should it allow growth to run ahead of the community’s ability to support it. The goal is managed, well-serviced growth that benefits both current residents and the businesses that employ them.

Asked Lake Country has experienced significant population growth in recent years, although the district’s own projections show that the rate of growth is expected to slow in coming years. Do you believe Lake Country is growing at an appropriate rate? If elected mayor, would you support slowing or limiting development if population growth begins to outpace infrastructure and municipal services?

I think we need to let some of the housing that has already been approved come online and see what that growth actually looks like before continuing to approve development at the same pace.

Asked Lake Country businesses often struggle to recruit and retain employees because of housing costs and availability. What actions would you support to increase attainable workforce housing?

At this point, purpose built rental addresses that, rental costs are a function of what the market will bear and as more places get built there is then more competition and prices go down.

Get ahead of bottlenecks in sewer, roads, and water, instead of reacting after problems hit.

Asked Lake Country has experienced significant population growth in recent years, although the district’s own projections show that the rate of growth is expected to slow in coming years. Do you believe Lake Country is growing at an appropriate rate? If elected mayor, would you support slowing or limiting development if population growth begins to outpace infrastructure and municipal services?

Growth comes with long-term costs. Roads, water, sewer, drainage, fire protection and other municipal services all have to keep up. We need to understand those costs and ensure residents are not left paying for growth that moved too quickly.

For too long, some of our infrastructure and services have struggled to keep pace with growth. Good planning means looking ahead instead of constantly playing catch-up.

Asked How would you control municipal spending and keep commercial property taxes, business-licensing costs and other municipal fees affordable?

Controlling municipal spending starts with discipline and transparency. The best way to keep commercial property taxes and fees affordable is to expand the number of businesses contributing. And index business licensing and permitting to inflation and compare to other municipalities each year.

Asked How would you control municipal spending and keep commercial property taxes, business-licensing costs and other municipal fees affordable?

I would start by controlling the cost of government before asking residents or businesses for more.

We must diversify our tax base so that community costs don’t fall so heavily on the homeowner.

Asked Traffic speed and pedestrian/driver safety are ongoing concerns in Lake Country, particularly along Highway 97 and at major intersections such as Beaver Lake Road, Berry Road and Oceola Road. Highway 97 is under provincial jurisdiction, so potential solutions would require cooperation with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit. What specific actions would you take as mayor to address excessive speeds and improve safety on Highway 97 and other roads in Lake Country? What changes could the district make, and what would you ask the provincial government to do?

I would treat Highway 97 safety as a priority file with the Ministry, not a once-a-year discussion.

Asked Traffic speed and pedestrian/driver safety are ongoing concerns in Lake Country, particularly along Highway 97 and at major intersections such as Beaver Lake Road, Berry Road and Oceola Road. Highway 97 is under provincial jurisdiction, so potential solutions would require cooperation with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit. What specific actions would you take as mayor to address excessive speeds and improve safety on Highway 97 and other roads in Lake Country? What changes could the district make, and what would you ask the provincial government to do?

For Highway 97 and other provincially controlled roads, I would keep working with the Province and ensure Lake Country’s problem areas stay on their radar.

Asked How would you address traffic congestion, parking limitations and transportation challenges affecting employees, customers and commercial deliveries?

Supporting Kelowna's effort to build out Commonwealth Rd and Lake Country's side will help move truck traffic away from Beaver Lake and our core. We need to build north south connections where it makes sense to move traffic more efficiently.

Asked What specific changes would you support to make building permits, development applications, inspections and business approvals faster and more predictable?

Fast track digital permitting with either the implementation of eApply to the existing Tempest Prospero software or consider switching to Cloudpermit. A future UBCM grant (2027/2028 intake) may apply to the implementation of a digital permitting system.

Asked What specific changes would you support to make building permits, development applications, inspections and business approvals faster and more predictable?

I would also support appropriate delegation to staff for routine, compliant applications where legislation allows it, so straightforward files are not unnecessarily delayed by additional approval steps.

Asked What specific changes would you support to make building permits, development applications, inspections and business approvals faster and more predictable?

The new OCP will certainly help but now we must go through the zoning bylaws to make sure everything lines up to make the process easier and more transparent. AI may be able to help automate some processes as well as moving applications, where possible online.

Asked What steps would you support to improve public safety, cleanliness and security in Lake Country’s commercial areas?

Police and bylaw presence is essential, and real-time communication with them is the practical part. I would keep Council’s priorities of 24-hour coverage with our own detachment commander.

Plan responsibly for fire protection, emergency response, wildfire mitigation, policing and regional partnerships as the community grows.

Asked What steps would you support to improve public safety, cleanliness and security in Lake Country’s commercial areas?

Public safety is very important and now that we manage the RCMP we can direct them to better serve the community. Feedback is a crucial part of this formula, we need to know where and what issues come up sothey can be addressed quickly.

Asked How should the District work with the Lake Country Chamber of Commerce and local businesses when developing policies, budgets and long-term economic plans?

Good decisions come from listening first, weighing the evidence, and then moving forward with the support of the majority. That is how Council should work.

Improve access to budgets, project updates and Council decisions, with clear public reporting on spending and strategic commitments.

Asked How would you ensure businesses receive adequate notice and meaningful consultation before roadwork, construction or other municipal projects disrupt access, parking or customer traffic?

Integrating communications with building, roads and infrastructure to be better on top of these notices is crucial and the improvements to the communications department have already started.