Monday, July 16, 2011
Check out Friday’s, page A9 in the Delta Optimist. http://www.delta-optimist.com/news/ticketing+system+works/5107183/story.html – It’s about a new ticketing system for Delta.
I had to smile, when I read the last paragraph of the article. Heather talked about how the new bylaw will help with traffic safety violations in the school zones. She is like an elephant: she never forgets and she doesn’t give up on what is right and true to her core values.
Heather and I became friends eleven years, when our kids were attending Boundary Beach Elementary School. Back then, she was concerned about a list of issues – including traffic safety in school zones.
Note: unlike heather, I am not an elephant, so I pulled most of this info from her website at http://www.heatherking.org/
· 2000 - Boundary Beach Elementary School, PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) chair,
o Worked with teachers, parents, students, and Delta police to insure the safety of students in school zone
- District Parent Education Coordinator
o Worked with Bernadette Kudzin to bring in Dr. Gordon Nuefeld and others experts to help educate Delta parents in the partnership of education.
2002 - Delta School Board Trustee, - Created vision for road safety in Delta School Zones
· 2005 - Delta School Board Chair:
o Formed the “School board/Council Liaison” committee to improve working relationships with the Corporation of Delta, to better serve the needs of all Delta citizens, and to look at opportunities for joint ventures, share facilities and create financial cost savings.
o Helped design (with other committee members) a framework for open and transparent public consultation, which resulted in public forums like Vision 2012 Symposium “The Schools we want”.
o Introduced “Roots of Empathy” program to the district it dramatically impacted core values of children and improved nurturing and caring attitudes
o Created (with other committee members) the first Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement with the goal of improving aboriginal student’s achievements in school as well as raise greater awareness about the importance of First Nations cultures in schools.
o Implemented a unique and highly effective early reading intervention program (ERIP) for struggling readers with the help of our “Special Needs” team. The program was so successful, it was doubled in 2006 --Children who thought they couldn’t learn have mastered these skills and love to read.
· 2008 - Delta Councillor:
- Advocated for a BC mandatory detox and rehabilitation center for youth, as none currently exist.
- Brought forward a motion to support Provincial Legislation on the ban of the Sale of Cosmetic Chemical Pesticides in BC. This compliments a bylaw already approved by Council earlier in 2009 which proposed a ban on the USE of Cosmetic Chemical pesticides in Delta. However, anyone could simply buy the pesticides and enforcement would have been difficult without the motion to ban the Sale of pesticides.
- Worked with the Ladner Revitalization committee to create a new vision for Ladner Harbour.
- Supported the creation of a community liaison committee for the South Fraser Perimeter Road.
- Worked with Translink to ensure Ladner Trunk Road is free of container truck traffic from 8pm to 6am daily.
- Created strategic guidelines for road safety in Delta School Zones
- Worked with Ministry of Transport via Traffic and Safety Advisory committee to correct highway signage at the HOV lane where fatalities have occurred
- Developed initiatives to support safe cycling, transit and other alternative forms of transportation in Delta.
· 2011 - Delta’s Candidate for Mayor:
o Engaging community members in an interactive discussion regarding creating a transparent and open city hall
o Using community focused leadership skills to be accessible to Deltonians (Her leadership style is called Servant Leadership. I think that means her ego doesn’t get in the way of listening and empowering other to use their talents to serve Delta)
o Strong desire to create an inclusive council, where everyone’s voice is welcomed and respected; therefore, she is running as an independent.
I love it, eleven years later, Heather ***jumps at an opportunity to finish what she started. Now, her circle of influence and concern is much more encompassing, but it all started with safety, high standards for our kid's education, youth, bullying, roots of empathy, and community engagement.
She is true to herself and her values.
*** Elephants don’t have to jump. They only have two predators - man and fourteen-ton tigers.
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