This is Mary’s first term on the Greenstone Council & her goals to responsibly represent residents for the next 4 years are reflected in the platform on which she ran for the position.
a) Develop a Long Term Strategic Plan. Basically this plan would describe where we want our community to be in future years and what we have to do to get there. It would be used by Municipal staff and Council when planning, budgeting and evaluating choices.
b) Budget Responsibly. This includes developing policies that identify a) the types of costs that we are willing to incur debt for & b) how we can maintain reserve funds so we don’t need to borrow as often, or as much.
c) Maintain Municipal Services in Longlac – keeping services, jobs & families in our Ward.
d) Make Transparent Decisions by reducing in-camera Council sessions & by making more documents such as reports and letters to Council available to the general public.
e) Accountability to the Electors. This means listening & responding to the concerns of residents throughout the 4 year term. It means pre-budget meetings with residents every year & holding ‘town hall meetings’ regularly to update residents and to discuss issues. Residents have an important role also – they have to participate in these opportunities!
f) Promote Economic Development that makes Economic Sense because it is part of a strategic plan. It will mean building more partnerships with other organizations & First Nations communities in employment, education, health and economic development.
Mary moved to Longlac in 1984 with 3 youngsters in tow (Matthew, Andrea & Nicholas), to join her husband Garry who had arrived the year before to work for CN rail. During the next 25+ years she has been an active volunteer in many community organizations including: Scouts, Parent/Teacher associations, Library Board, Horticultural Society, CWL, Greenstone Economic Development and the Longlac Curling Club. She has been employed in a variety of industry/retail positions: shipper/receiver & statistician at a mill, bookkeeper & pricing clerk for several retailers, a period of self employment when both sewing classes/seamstress skills & introductory computer training were offered, and since 2001 a seasonal position with the MNR managing the warehouse for a busy fire management headquarters. In her role as correspondent for the local newspaper, she also tried to keep residents informed of discussions at the Council table through reports and commentaries, and it was this experience that encouraged her to run for Longlac Ward Councillor in the 2010 elections.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Home Phone: (807) 876-2794
Work Phone: (807) 854-1126 (March through mid October)