Where are you from and what is your background?
I was born in Berwick and raised in Rockland, on the beautiful south mountain of the Annapolis Valley where my family has farmed for generations. I am the fifth generation to be raised on Lutz Family Farm, where my family grows apples, peaches and pears. I am a proud graduate of Central Kings Rural High School in Cambridge. I have degrees from St. Thomas University in Fredericton and Acadia University in Wolfville, with a focus on municipal government and land-use planning.
I have served on Kings County Council for eight years, being first elected at the age of 26. I was elected Deputy Mayor by my peers at my first meeting of Council and have held the role ever since. In 2020 I was elected President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities after serving on the board for several years as a rural representative. I represented all 49 municipal units in Nova Scotia to the provincial and federal governments during a very challenging time period.
My husband Cassian and I have three beautiful children and we live on the border of Rockland and Morristown. We are both active volunteers and involved members of our community. I work as the Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association.
Why have you chosen to run for office?
I chose to run for office in 2016 because we needed change, and I wanted to help improve the dysfunction and conflict that plagued the municipality's Council at the time. I felt that the headlines describing our County were all negative, and that I could be a positive force around the Council table to help repair our community's image and get to the root of what was causing the problems.
After eight years in office I have accomplished a lot of what I sought to do in those early days, and feel that our organization is stronger and led with a steady hand with excellent staff and leadership. I am proud of how we have grown into a professional, progressive municipality that strives to serve a welcoming and warm community.
In 2024, I offer myself again to serve in a new way- to help welcome a new Mayor, to continue our good governance and strong leadership at the Council table, and to finish some of the most exciting projects we still have in the works. We have made huge strides in green energy, but there is more to do. We offer amazing recreation services in Kings County, but we lack the physical infrastructure to match our great service. Kings County needs a modern, full-sized indoor pool and regional recreation facility and I want to see one built in a central location in Kings. We are facing unprecedented levels of growth, and I believe we need strong and experienced municipal leaders at the table to make sure this growth happens responsibly, and not at a cost to our agricultural land and industry, and to ensure that we have the services to accompany new development.
Finally, I believe voices like mine- young, working mothers navigating the school system, frequenting community parks, volunteering with local sports leagues and arts organizations, supporting and running small businesses, and raising families in rural Nova Scotia deserve representation on municipal Councils in this province. I have worked incredibly hard on behalf of our County. I believe my voice is proven, that I have been effective, and that I bring something unique and important to the Council table.
What strengths would you bring to Council if elected?
I think my greatest strength as a Councillor and Deputy Mayor has been to work hard to build consensus around the Council table and ensure we are making informed decisions as a team. I believe I bring a community perspective-- when we look at approving new policies and by-laws, I am able to consider the needs and wants of the people on the ground and imagine how it is going to impact my neighbours. I try to be responsive to constituent issues, creative in finding solutions, and listen when people need to talk.
I live, work, and play in District 7 and believe I know the issues facing people in our district. Rural living comes with rural challenges and I have developed an efficient system for advocating for problems in our communities-- from roads to resources to garbage collection.
What do you feel are key issues in this election and how would you address them?
The top issues in this election are housing, affordability, and infrastructure.
We need to continue to incentivize and support the development of affordable housing and continue to take advantage of provincial and federal investments to ensure all people in our community have a home and that community safety is upheld for everyone in our community equally. This includes revisions to planning policies to encourage density where it makes sense, and look at expanding or adding to our growth centres (except near farmland) where it makes sense to grow into the future.
We need to factor in affordability to much of our decision making. People in our communities are struggling. We need to continue to invest in property tax rebates for low income residents. We can fight energy poverty by encouraging investments in our residences to make them more affordable, efficient, and green. We need to find new ways to support farmers, who are the backbone of our rural economy and ensure our food security.
Usually when we need infrastructure, we need it yesterday, and it can feel like as we grow our infrastructure gap gets bigger and bigger. We need to balance the costs of maintaining our current infrastructure with the need to invest in new services to meet growing demand. Finding new/alternative sources of municipal revenue that doesn't add to the property tax rate would help. Having solid asset management plans so we have a whole-systems understanding of our asset maintenance and replacement schedule can help us predict how much investment is needed each budget year now and into the future and help us plan for those expenditures.
What is one message you would like to send to voters?
One message I would like to send to voters is that it has been an honour and a pleasure to be your Councillor for eight years, and I have made every effort to work hard for you and improve the lives of people in our communities. If I am lucky enough to continue that work, I pledge to continue to listen and do my best to earn the trust you have placed in me at every opportunity. I am always happy to chat, no matter the issue.