A woman who has run for federal office in B.C. and Manitoba in the past is now trying for a seat on Nanaimo city council.
Shirley Lambrecht, who spent nearly three decades working in the telecommunications industry and has also worked as a health and wellness consultant, is one of 29 council candidates. She’s run for MP for the Green Party of Canada in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford and also in Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa in Manitoba.
“I’ve always been politically minded, very involved in the communities I’ve lived in as a volunteer,” she said.
Lambrecht has moved to Nanaimo four separate times and keeps being drawn back to the community.
“We are just dripping with potential here. There’s so much on offer,” she said.
In her work in the tech sector she specialized in risk mitigation and emergency management, working with emergency services providers, and feels some of her skills and experiences are well-suited to work on some of the “knotty problems” Nanaimo citizens face.
“I listen to a lot of different people, I’ve worked with a lot of people and heard a lot of different perspectives…” she said. “There’s a lot of different ways of looking at a problem and dealing with problems and I think we really need to be open to what’s going on worldwide.”
She said she thinks Nanaimo citizens are ready to vote for change in leadership. She said people aren’t feeling safe in their homes or on the streets and said addressing homelessness, poverty, mental health and addictions issues and violence will take a trauma-informed framework to resource and mobilize community services, and short-term tactical planning to work toward long-term strategies.
Support for small business, fiscal responsibility, and consultation and guidance in embracing a role in reconciliation are some other priorities.
Amid a climate crisis, violence, and “so much in the world that’s heavy,” Lambrecht said people are looking for leadership and “looking for some hope,” especially if they feel let down, marginalized, excluded and unheard.
“You don’t have to do everything,” she said. “You just have to do something.”
Anyone running for mayor or councillor in the City of Nanaimo or the District of Lantzville, regional director in the Regional District of Nanaimo’s Area A, B, C or E, or school trustee in School District 68 is asked to contact the Nanaimo News Bulletin to set up an interview or invite us to a campaign launch event. Phone Greg Sakaki at 250-734-4621 or e-mail editor@nanaimobulletin.com.
ELECTION 2022: Candidates in Nanaimo, Lantzville, RDN and SD68
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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