Submitted
I was born and raised in Campbell River, and I’ve never left.
This community has been home my entire life, and over the years I’ve had the opportunity to work in a number of different industries, including automotive, forestry, banking and finance, and hotel operations. I currently work as a regional business risk assessment analyst, where I help assess risk and make decisions that affect local businesses.
My education includes graduating with Dean’s Honours from North Island College in Business Administration – Accounting. During the COVID shutdown period, I also completed online courses through Harvard and MIT. I’ve always believed that learning doesn’t stop when you leave school, and I continue to look for opportunities to expand my knowledge and experience.
Community involvement has also been an important part of my life.
I currently serve as Chairman of the Board for the volunteer Campbell River Board of Variance. In the past, I have volunteered with Campbell River’s Habitat for Humanity ReStore, coached children’s soccer and women’s hockey, and served as a coach and manager for the North Island Blue Jays men’s baseball team. I have also volunteered as a baseball assistant with the North Island Cubs senior boys baseball team in its initially few seasons.
I also volunteered for years with Art Battle, helping with the live competitive painting events held in Campbell River, Courtenay and Cumberland. My involvement included serving as a vote adjudicator, as well as assisting with the setup and teardown of the events.
Outside of work and community involvement, I live a straight-edge, healthy lifestyle. My personal hobbies include music, particularly live music and concerts. I enjoy playing guitar, bass guitar and harmonica. I’ve also always enjoyed watching and playing sports, although these days I’m doing considerably more watching than playing as Father Time has started catching up with me.
What I Learned From Running Four Years Ago
Running for office four years ago taught me a number of valuable lessons.
One of my goals was to raise more money for a local charity than I spent on my campaign. I accomplished that goal by spending less than $150 on my campaign while raising more than $1,000 for the Campbell River Storm Scholarship Fund. I accepted no donations last election, and am not accepting any this election either.
I also learned that success is rarely achieved through a “lone wolf” approach. It takes a strong team of people working together, and one of the best parts of my first campaign was the opportunity to make some incredible new friends.
Perhaps the biggest lesson was realizing just how much time and effort a campaign requires. Committing to the process on the very last day, as I did last time, was certainly not a recipe for success. This time, I’m approaching the process with considerably more preparation and a much better understanding of what is required.
The Issues I’m Hearing About
Over the past few years, I’ve spoken with a lot of people throughout Campbell River and the surrounding region. While there are certainly many issues that deserve attention, three concerns consistently come up in conversations.
The first is the combination of property taxes, inflation and the overall cost of living. These issues are closely connected, and residents are feeling the pressure of increasing costs in many aspects of their daily lives.
The second is community safety. People want to feel safe in their neighbourhoods and throughout our community, and I believe this needs to remain an important priority.
The third is economic opportunity — particularly the availability of good employment opportunities for both current residents and our youth. A strong local economy provides people with the ability to build a future here, rather than feeling that they have to leave Campbell River to find opportunity elsewhere.
Of course, these are not the only issues facing our community, and I believe that my broad work experience, community involvement and lifelong connection to Campbell River give me a unique perspective on the challenges we face.
My career has given me extensive experience in risk assessment and risk mitigation, while my lifelong connection to Campbell River has given me a deep understanding of our community.
I believe bringing those two perspectives together can help us make sound, practical decisions and continue building on the success Campbell River has achieved.
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