First year as mayor marked by social agenda

By Ron Seymour Thursday, January 4, 2007 http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/article_4146.php
Kelowna has had 21 mayors, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the photo gallery outside council chambers.The pictures show the first through to the next-to-last mayor, but there’s no depiction of the current office holder, Sharon Shepherd.“We’ve had groups of schoolkids come through on tour, and they sometimes ask, ‘Hey, where’s your picture?’” Shepherd said with a laugh.“It’s my own fault. Getting an official picture taken just hasn’t been a real high priority for me,” she said. “But it’s coming. I’ll get one up there soon.”Admirers of Shepherd might suggest her tardiness in sitting for an official portrait reflects an endearing lack of vanity or concern for the trappings of office.But if she’s still the popular, friendly politician who easily defeated incumbent Walter Gray in November 2005, she’s also clearly settling into the top spot at City Hall, taking the administration in new directions.Where previous mayors were often focused on economic matters, Shepherd is much more animated by social causes, as was made clear when she was asked to reflect on the significant events of the past year and her expectations for 2007.“I was disappointed we weren’t able to hire someone to co-ordinate the drug and alcohol policy,” she said, referring to the seemingly stalled effort to find someone to implement the recommendations of the Four Pillars coalition.“But I think we were able to do more to involve the youth in the decision-making process of the city,” said Shepherd. Two youth forums, on transit and social issues, were held in 2006, and two more are planned for this year.Shepherd ran on a platform that promoted the idea of sustainable development – which encourages, for example, the idea of more environmentally friendly technologies in new construction. Last year, the city sponsored a four-week project called Future OK, inviting people to provide input, online and at a public forum, on a range of development issues.The promotion of affordable housing also consumed a lot of city resources last year, culminating in a task force that produced eight recommendations. Early this year, council will decide whether to adopt the suggestions, including one to streamline the approval process for secondary suites everywhere in the city.Shepherd also hopes to create a new council committee to focus solely on transportation issues, such as expansion of bus service.During the 2005 election campaign, Shepherd vowed not to accept any contributions from developers. That helped to make her the candidate of choice for people who were concerned about the type and pace of construction occurring in Kelowna.“But I’ve never been an advocate for stopping growth,” she says, noting the city issued a record number of building permits in 2006, including several 20-plus storey highrises and a massive new residential development on the downtown lakeshore.“New development, and the expansion of UBCO and Okanagan College, can bring a lot of wonderful opportunities to our community,” Shepherd said. “Our challenge is to manage the growth in a sustainable fashion.”