SUNDRE — A candidate who for the first time is seeking public office at the council table, aims to do her best to foster an atmosphere of unity among differences of opinion.
“I want to make sure that we’re unifying the community — treating each other like family, respecting each other,” said Jaime Marr.
The former executive director at the Sundre & District Museum, who recently started a new position working with James and Kim Feuser at RMS Plus, an internet and home security company, feels she brings with her valuable points of views that will benefit the incoming council’s decision-making process.
“I will likely be a different sort of councillor. I bring a bunch of different perspectives to the position,” she said.
Along the way, she hopes to bring a lighthearted approach.
“We need to have some fun. We’re all human, we’re not perfect,” she said.
But levity aside, Marr does not take lightly the possibility of assuming a municipal councillor’s many responsibilities.
“This would be a very important role, and I take it seriously. I’m excited to run,” she said.
Through past work experience with the municipal office and the fire hall, Marr said she has developed a level of familiarity with the Municipal Government Act.
Furthermore, having a number of years ago been involved in helping draft the local municipal sustainability plan will provide her additional useful insight, she said.
“I was an active member on the sustainability committee,” she said. “That is just a personal interest of mine, is environmental sustainability. But there’s so many more aspects — financial sustainability of course as well.”
Additionally, the breadth of experience available in the knowledge of Sundre’s senior demographic, which she described as “a gift to our community,” is a resource that should not go untapped, she said.
“Trying to balance the knowledge base and those pioneer community builders with new, young, sometimes a little bit less (experienced) individuals” is important, she said.
Other community groups she has been involved with, providing a valuable background in governance, include the Sundre West Country Centre, the Sundre & District Historical Society and more recently the Sundre & District Cemetery volunteer board.
“There’s so much value in this community, and I would hope that everybody’s agenda would be ensuring its livability and longevity 50 to 150 years from now,” she said.
With regards to both residential as well as commercial development, Marr wants to join the effort to work on plans to encourage more projects to get shovels in the ground so the business tax base can grow and by extension ease the burden on residential taxes.
Ever the optimist, Marr hopes voters take their opportunity to have their voices heard.
“We have quite a bunch of people running, and it’s going take a lot of votes. I would love to win by landslide — no one ever really wants to just snootch in,” she said.
“How awesome would it be if we were to get all the stats, and we see the best turnout ever?”
