The Tribune asked candidates running in the municipal, regional, and School District 27 election a few questions about themselves and their platforms.
We asked the following:
• What position are you running for?
• Why are you running for it?
• What do you see as the top three issues to address in your community?
• How do you propose to tackle them?
Candidates in the area, including those who have been acclaimed, were invited to participate for free
and were given a maximum word limit of 275 words to answer the questions above.
The following are the answers we received from participating candidates:
Jackie Austin
My name is Jackie Austin. I am running for school board trustee of Zone 4, which includes the communities of 150 Mile House, Horsefly, Big Lake and Likely.
While I am a lifelong resident of Williams Lake, I have spent the past 18 years at 150 Mile.
I have had the pleasure of serving 150 Mile as a school volunteer in addition to serving on their PAC for several years. Currently, I am serving Williams Lake Secondary School as PAC director.
I look forward to having the opportunity to serve as your trustee. I expect it will be a challenging term in lieu of the current issues. I will be working with the board of education, representing your needs with the strength that you will come to expect.
Serving as your trustee, I have many goals that I intend to accomplish. I have plans to address the current decline in enrolment, which has placed a restraint on the district’s financial budget. As a financially savvy individual, I will develop strategies to work with issues that have been plaguing our budget. As a trustee, I hope to see this district begin to incorporate much needed early learning resources. It is my intention to develop a good line of communication between the school board, parents and the community at large.
You can count on me being available to address your needs, provide you representation, and to be accountable.
I am pleased that so many are running for public office. It is an encouraging sign that our community will inherit good leadership. If you want effective change, I encourage you to get out and vote!