Former Parksville councillor Caroline Waters is ready to return to elected office after years of experience in all three levels of government.
A Parksville councillor from 2001 to 2005, she is currently MLA Ron Cantelon’s constituency assistant and she worked for the federal government for 12 years.
“I made great friends on every side of every issue,” she said. “I can be the conduit for information.”
She first came to Parksville in 1972 and has been here permanently since the 1980s.
Waters said her love of the community boarders on obsession. “Parksville is the jewel in the Island’s crown.”
Waters, who has four daughters in university, said she is very lucky to live downtown and she’s amazed at the dramatic changes in the city over the decades.
“The Alberni Highway didn’t even have trees along it 10 years ago,” she said.
As president of the Parksville and District Historical Society she is concerned about a referendum during the upcoming election on switching land titles under the Craig Heritage Park and chamber visitor’s center.
It’s an important issue she’s worried voters will misunderstand because it sounds like the city is closing a park, when they are just switching legal titles and will actually gain some legal parkland.
She said that since there aren’t factories in the area, “human resources are the new resource,” and as a councillor she would be a cheerleader for the city and help keep open communication between council and the residents.
“It doesn’t matter how the election turns out, it’s all about having the conversation,” she said encouraging everyone to get involved.