My husband Len and I have been proud to call Pitt Meadows home for the past 16 years. It has been a wonderful place to raise our two children, Scott and Cayley.

It was an honour to be named Pitt Meadows Citizen of the Year in 2005 and I was extremely grateful to all of the citizens who have put their trust in me to represent them on council for the past six years.

I love Pitt Meadows and the people who live here. We have a great community; positive things are happening.

Some of the successes that we have celebrated during my tenure are:

• The establishment of an economic development corporation—this will attract new business and help create jobs so that our residents can work close to home.

• The Golden Ears and the Pitt River bridges—connects us to the entire region and opens the doors to opportunities.

• The artificial turf field, Spirit Square, and the South Bonson Community Centre—facilities to better serve our citizens.

Scheduled to open in the near future:

• A new library—a larger facility, to better serve our growing community.

• The arena facility upgrade—a revitalized and safer facility that ice users can enjoy and be proud of.

• The Youth Action Park—will provide hours of skateboard enjoyment for both residents and visitors.

• Our seniors centre—a facility that will provide senior housing and recreation.

We need to work with every age group to assure we are providing programs and facilities that meet our growing needs. I want to lead Pitt Meadows to a bright and prosperous future, while maintaining its wonderful charm that we are so proud of. As Pitt Meadows continues to grow we need to assure that council stays focused and true to the visions laid out in our strategic plan.

Our key focus areas need to be:

Transportation: North Lougheed Connector—finding an acceptable solution to assure this project is completed with minimal financial impact on our taxpayers.

A functioning intersection at Lougheed and Harris—we need to continue to work with senior levels of government to make sure project happens sooner rather than later.

Pedestrian and cycle friendly road networks.

Development: North Lougheed development—this is one of our last large parcels and it needs to be developed right and not rushed.

Harris Road Business Park—is a work in progress providing jobs close to home.

Housing: Affordable and accessible—providing a plan.

Public safety: Fire and policing—keeping up with our growing city, to keep our citizens safe.

Emergency preparedness—we need to assure our citizens that we are prepared to face challenges that come our way.

Natural environment: Encouraging green programs and continuing to support agriculture.

Finding sustainable solutions to reduce our solid waste and carbon footprint.

Fiscal responsibility: Efficient and responsible, we need to pay down debt and look at innovative ways to provide the facilities and services that our citizens demand while being accountable and sustainable.

Communication: Public engagement and accessibility.

We are not always going to agree—I wish we could!

But I believe that most people will accept an outcome if they are encouraged and welcome to provide input in the decision making process and council has truly listened to their concerns.

I am dedicated to the job and working for your family.

Pitt Meadows is a growing city and our citizens expect and deserve a full-time mayor.

I will be that mayor! Thank you.

Coun. Deb Walters is running for mayor of Pitt Meadows.