Good Morning I want to thank all of you who supported me for Mayor. Tim and Stacy both ran excellent campaigns and the vote count shows just how tight the race was. On one hand I think about how much more confident I would be of my vision if I had gained a clear majority but on the other I remind myself that if Tim or Stacy had won they would be facing the same challenge this morning. Our community is divided and it will take a strong but even-handed Council to reconcile the competing visions of our best future. I will strive to achieve the best from each of them. Much was made during the campaign about how Tim and I had very active, well organized groups supporting us. I know in my case that was certainly true and I am extremely grateful for their passion and hard work. Conversely Stacy pretty much just said, “Here I am, this is what I have to offer and thanks for considering me.” The very high level of support he received reminds us that there are a lot of islanders hungry for a new style of politics and a more dynamic approach to our challenges. The lesson is not lost on me. One theme repeated throughout the race was the very high caliber of people running for Council and the work and passion they put into their campaigns. I couldn’t agree more. For those of you who were not successful, you fought a good fight I sincerely you hope you continued to remain involved in community service. Going forward I am excited by the very high quality of Councillors elected. Some of us may differ in our visions for Bowen but I’m confident we can all agree that the best way forward is for our Council to be open and inclusive. My commitment to you is that as individual matters arise we will communicate our overall vision and the first steps we are taking and identify the divergence points where further decisions will have to be made. I have been told that the greatest challenge any Mayor faces on Bowen is matching expectations with resources. Our best chance to bridge that gap is with our community advisory committees. We will be reaching out for your input and assistance. If you have a passion for an issue we are facing, I hope you will answer the call. We will need their help as we move forward with our long delayed projects. But our most important task will be to build community, and with your help Bowen will be stronger and more unified four years from now than it is today. I am deeply honoured take on the role of your Mayor and assure you that I will do my best for Bowen.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 18:10:18 +0000