Pamela Kunz says she will bring a strong understanding of governance, business and community to city council.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat city council candidate Pamela Kunz says she has subconsciously been preparing for her campaign for years.
Kunz moved into the city in 1995 and opened her first business, and from there has taken on several managerial roles, including currently, where she works with a safety training and services organization. She balances this long history working on the operational side, with several years of experience serving on various boards.
“I sat on the YMCA board and Medicine Hat Folk Club board, and I currently sit on the Root Cellar board, HALO board and the community advisory panel for Methanex. Those have taught me the importance of governance and how to help decide and debate decisions, but stay out of the operation,” said Kunz. “So I believe I have a great grasp now of both operations and governance.”
Kunz hopes to be part of a council, bringing a strong vision for the city and a willingness to take risks, as she believes the city needs a few swift wins and momentum to start moving toward the place it wants to be.
“I break it down into community structure, trust and the understanding of the relationship between council and administration, and council and community,” said Kunz. “I have interest in the economy of the city as well. While it’s impossible to say for certain that I can contribute to lowering taxes, I would like to contribute to ‘slowering’ taxes.”
She aims to take a look at city spending if elected, and help ensure it is responsible and “on point” as to avoid having to continuously ask more from residents, but also still providing valuable services and infrastructure for the future.
“I feel we really need to build on our city’s infrastructure by deciding what we want Medicine Hat to look like 10 years from now,” said Kunz. “Do we want to have a bigger footprint? Do we want to attract more people? Do we want to be an all encompassing tourist location and just have large amounts of people coming every weekend?”
“We need to draw in business and keep people employed here so they want to stay and grow their families, those are probably my biggest things that I would like to see us work on,” said Kunz.
She says, if elected, she will work hard to bring in swift positive impacts on the community that residents can feel, and will be willing to work hard to accomplish goals that benefit everyone.
“I’m long standing in the community. I understand business, I understand the governance, I understand the people. I love talking to people,” said Kunz. “Council needs to be making those decisions and building that trust, so that if they need to make decisions later on, they don’t need the entire community’s approval because they trust that we’re making the right decisions for them. That’s what I would like to see. A council that hears their community and has a strong strategic plan with distinct, balanced targets.
“It’s finding our targets and then keeping a balance amongst those targets, and I feel that’s where we’re going to get the best success.”
Kunz is seeking to meet with members of the community in small groups, to facilitate focused, comfortable discussion on what matters to the people of Medicine Hat. She aims to take information from all of these meetings to keep with her for her entire time in municipal politics.
“I just look very forward to serving people and this community on council,” said Kunz.
