Tap the Potential of Women

Long before the Status of Women Minister Stephanie McLean's press conference on June 19, I was inspired and encouraged by some great women (and some great men) I've met in Edmonton to run for office.

You see, when it comes to community and non-profit volunteers, the majority of the people who do the grunt work are women. Yet, somehow we never take the next step. We always find excuses, whether it's our children who need to grow up a little more, or a career we have fallen behind because we had to "take care" of others, or the simple possibility of being "rejected" by the voters.

A study by the United Nations suggest that women should hold at least 30% of elected seats for a government to reflect women’s concerns. And it is a well known fact in leadership literature that leadership groups comprised of diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and opinions usually make better decisions. We can NOT tap the full potential of our city if only a certain demographic is represented in the City Hall.

I have decided to run for a seat at the City Council this year, not only because I'm confident in my ability to ask tough questions, and make the right decisions when it comes to shaping the future of our city, but also because I want my campaign to be a venue for more women to engage in municipal politics. I am running because if elected,  I would like to make removing barriers for women interested in municipal politics a priority.

There are hundreds of women in Edmonton doing great things for their communities and are everyday heroes of our great city. I look forward to tapping the potential of those great women, so that we can build a vision together for the future of our city.

If you have ideas about how we can tap the potential of women in a way we can improve our city, feel free to send me your feedback. I would love to hear your ideas.