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Hospice chair running for seat on Comox council

Maureen Swift filed her nomination papers Friday, seeking a seat on Comox council in the Nov. 19 election.

Maureen Swift filed her nomination papers Friday, seeking a seat on Comox council in the Nov. 19 election. Although a newcomer to local politics, Maureen has lived in the Comox Valley for more than 30 years, and in Comox for nearly 20 of them.Maureen took early retirement from her position at Brooklyn Elementary where she spent almost all of her 28-year career, teaching Comox children.In response to the obvious question as to why she wants to be a councillor, Swift said, “As the mother of two adult children striving to carve out their own lives, I have become increasingly conscious of the ever-increasing costs of local government. We have to be sure that property taxes are fair, and affordable if we are to be able to have a viable business community and to have our children and grandchildren own houses in the town they grew up in. We need to ensure that our priorities reflect our needs rather than our wants, and that our local government be a provider of services and a facilitator for planned development.” Acknowledging that she has no experience in local government, she said, “I know this community, and I believe that many people in this community know me. I have been the chair of the Comox Valley Hospice Society for five years, and, in that role, I believe that I have firmly established my reputation for thoughtful consideration of competing views and interests, and for making principled decisions.  I believe that those are important qualities to bring to municipal government.“I will have a steep learning curve, but I am looking forward to the challenge,” she said. “My campaign is based on my commitment to be thoughtful in my deliberations, balanced with respect to diverse points of view, and fair to the community as a whole.”— Maureen Swift