My name is Carol (Penny) Marlow and I am announcing my candidacy for councillor at the City of Courtenay.
We are living in challenging times. There are many issues facing our country and our community. For our city, we have important decisions to make over the next four years. The decisions our city council makes will impact our community now and in the future. I would like to represent you as we develop these plans for the future of our community.
I have been a resident of Courtenay for over 50 years. I have a vision of this beautiful city as a safe, secure and compassionate place where we can all afford to live.
I am a woman and have been a business owner for 30 years. Currently I am the owner/operator of the Courtenay Community Thrift Store. During this time, I have gained a wide range of experiences and understanding. Using this knowledge, I hope to give back to our community and help our citizens improve their lives.
Our standard of living is being eroded. As a city council we have to address those issues over which we have control. Moving forward, we need to deal with the escalating cost of taxes for city services and skyrocketing housing costs that have become an insurmountable problem for many in the community.
The cost of government is not only a concern for homeowners but for the many small businesses that are the backbone of our economy. They are the ones that create jobs and wealth in our community. We need value for our money. I believe we can have a cost-effective government and still maintain needed city services, while reducing annual increases.
The cost of housing is a serious problem in our city. We do not have a magic wand to solve this, but there are steps we can take to ease some of the pain. Keeping city taxes as low as possible; streamlining and opening-up of regulations permitting carriage/lane-way houses, secondary suites and tiny houses is a good start. These simple changes will help people get into their own home and at the same time provide affordable housing.
I look forward to working for you. I hope that I can count on your support. Please vote for me on Oct. 20 for councillor at City of Courtenay.