Monday and Tuesday

On Monday, Thanksgiving, I stayed home all day, made a turkey, pies, and all the fixings and had family and friends over for a feast. It was also my friend's birthday, and I made her a special cake which made her happy. I forgot how much fun it is to just sit and chat and play board games with family and friends.

Tuesday, I was out and about again. I visited people in Cochrane Heights, Glenbow and Riverview. Everywhere I went, people were happy to see me and I have never felt so appreciated as I feel after those visits. In some cases, people said they knew I would show up and had been waiting for the bell to ring. The smiles have been wonderful, and I feel like I am rediscovering so many friends.

The main issues in Cochrane Heights were the brand and the feeling that no-one on Council is listening to the people. One woman feels that the senior's centre being moved so far from the town centre is foolhardy and she wants it to be located in the old Rexall building. She says that the town has not really considered all the options and feels as if this is being pushed through like the brand-the public feedback is being ignored by the group designing the senior's centre at the rec centre. I need to learn more about this issue, to be sure.

On the other hand, I spent about a half hour talking with a senior in Bow Ridge who is pleased to move to the rec centre but feels the proposed space is multi purpose and too small. She wants the space dedicated to the seniors for their projects and programs and they don't want it to be used by every other group who needs space. That will interfere with their ongoing projects that they like to elave out and pick up to work on when they come and go. This facility will not resemble the current 50 and Over Club, which has many seniors feeling upset.

I also had a telephone call tonight from a senior who has taken part in the deliberations over the senior's centre and she is not pleased that I have not taken a stand on this issue in my newspaper ads or brochure. I said that I need to see the information and listen to everyone before I can decide anything. I have heard from several people that the centre is a done deal and that all decisions have been finalized. It is hard to get a good picture on this topic, given the different stories from people, all of whom I admire for their love of community and volunteerism.

In Glenbow, taxes was the main issue. People are worried that the council will want everything and raise taxes out of control and that people will not have a say. One woman said that we all need to learn that we can't have everything. She thinks that we need a plebiscite to determine whether to build a pool or not. We talked about facility cosntruction, partnerships and tax rates.

I talked with several people in Glenbow who say that they are pleased to have me on the ballot and that they are considering one vote for me because who else could they support? I am curious about this.

This sentiment was echoed in several senior's residential complexes. People there said no-one else has bothered to come by and explain anything about the election and so they were happy I stopped in. All in all, the last two days have made me more confident and hopeful that I may be elected. I must keep at the doors and allow people to tell me their issues-and if elected I must get to work to get some resolution to these matters. Council must rebuild trust and faith in the electoral system as a first step.

Tomorrow I will be at the doors from 11:00-7:30 with three different members of my campaign team. I am truly blessed to have such a committed group and I hope having us stop by is helping everyone learn more about the process.