Coun. Karen Elliott is running for mayor.
First elected in 2014, Elliott said she spent the last month considering if she would run again for a council seat, but ultimately decided that running for mayor was the better choice.
鈥淣ow is not the time for me to step back, but rather to step forward,鈥� she said in a news release about her announcement.
It was Mayor Patricia Heintzman鈥檚 decision not to run again, announced this week, that shifted her focus to the mayor鈥檚 chair, she said.
鈥淏ased on my own contemplation and encouragement from others who I deeply respect, I will be submitting my nomination papers next week to run for the position of mayor.鈥�
Coun. Susan Chapelle and former SORCA president Jeff Cooke have also announced they will seek to be mayor in the Oct. 20 municipal election. A fourth candidate is expected to announce this weekend.
Elliott moved to Squamish in 2012.
Previously, she and her husband lived in Melbourne, Australia, where their daughters were both born.
Elliott publicly supported Squamish鈥檚 Byrdie Funk in her fight to change federal citizenship laws for so-called 鈥渓ost Canadians.鈥�
Funk, like hundreds of others across the country, found herself without citizenship due to an archaic law that impacts certain residents born outside of the county during specific years.
Elliott said at the time she could empathize with Funk鈥檚 situation because she was abroad for the birth of her second child and discovered her baby daughter would not have citizenship or a passport until a citizenship application was processed, which took about a year.听
In her time on council, Elliott has been a vocal opponent of the Woodfibre LNG project, and, in a recent column in The 小蓝视频, pointed to a District real estate and facilities strategy as a key challenge for the incoming council.
鈥淲ithout a doubt, implementing this strategy will be one of the most important and challenging tasks of the next council: budget priorities need to be balanced, and creative funding pathways and partnerships need to be developed to get the work done,鈥� she said.听 鈥淭he majority of the District鈥檚 facilities are at end-of-life, operating at overcapacity, or are no longer functioning to provide effective service for the community."
The replacement, upgrading, or expansion of these facilities will require an investment of more than $100 million, she noted.
Her news release focused on housing affordability, regional transportation and ways to support a thriving and diverse local business community as a priority.
鈥淢anaging tourism growth, using our engagement processes to build community connectedness and resilience, and protecting our natural, agricultural and recreational assets for future generations,鈥� were other areas Elliott says will need to be tackled.
鈥淚 am also deeply committed to strengthening our relationship with Squamish Nation and exploring ways to pull together to address the many common and pressing issues our governments face,鈥� she said.
Elliott runs Karen Elliott Consulting & Coaching, which works with organizations and businesses. She holds a masters degree in applied behavioural science specializing in consulting and coaching in organizations and a bachelor of arts degree.
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