Tell us a bit about yourself and why you are running in this election:

I have been fortunate enough to be a city councilor since 2011. I have been in Kelowna for 55 years and my husband was born and raised here. I have been employed at the Ramada Hotel for 40 years as Director of Sales and have had a media career for close to 30 years writing the popular "Straight form DeHart" Business Column, which has supported the community free of charge.

I believe that elections should be about looking forward, not just looking for change for the sake of change. New voices are definitely important, but so is long-time experience. I believe both can be accomplished in any election.

I have spoken to thousands of residents, business owners, community leaders, and stakeholders, listening to their ideas, concerns, and future hopes for our city.

I have a proven track record of showing up, being extremely accessible, listening to residents and working hard on their behalf. I also bring experience, past perspective, and knowledge. One very important aspect is bringing to the table relationships with other levels of government. Those take years to nurture. I bring energy and determination to keep Kelowna moving forward.

Bringing new ideas to the table is welcoming, but continuity also matters, and I believe we are best served with building on the progress that we have made while continuing to address the challenges of a fast-growing city.

I'm not running to hold onto what we accomplished in the past, I believe that my experience, record and my great commitment to this city has made a difference.

If you feel comfortable sharing, what is your faith background, religious tradition, or philosophical worldview, for example: Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, secular, or another worldview?

I was raised Catholic and have continued in that faith. My Kelowna parents attended the Ukrainian Catholic Church on Gordon Drive and that was my choice of Worship attending and supporting them.

I do on many occasions visit other places of worship with friends that have invited me. Also many pastors across the city have invited me to their services and I have enjoyed attending those also as a councilor and resident for many years. I actually have many pastor friends.

How do your personal values shape your leadership, and what are those values?

My personal values shape everything I do as a leader. I believe treating people with respect, whether it be a resident or employee, listening, and serving our community with honestly compassion and integrity. I have been very involved in the community and have raised over $1.2M for United Way with my Maxine DeHart - United Way - Drive Thru Breakfast, which I believe shows my compassion and caring for others in our community. I try to lead with example and am very accessible to speak on this topic or any other.

How would you balance your personal beliefs with your responsibility to represent all Kelowna residents?

That is an easy question. I have never had any concerns balancing the above. My responsibility as a councilor is to represent all Kelowna residents, but also being respectful of their beliefs. This also goes to the word of "respect" others beliefs.

How would you like to see city spending prioritized?

I believe the city's spending should focus on the core services residents rely on, enduring there is something for everyone in our community that includes investing in parks, recreation, opportunities for families, creating space for seniors and supporting a safe and vibrant community while maintaining the infrastructure we all depend on.

I depend on the City of Kelowna's Citizens Survey to help me along this path. That survey tells us what the public is looking for and how they feel about our city.

What role, if any, do you think City Council should have in setting standards for materials and programming available to minors in city-funded facilities and public libraries?

I believe council has a responsibility to ensure that city-funded facilities and public libraries are available to all and provide safe, age-appropriate environments for children and youth. I visit the library often and see so many children and families using our free facilities.

What steps would you like to see taken to increase transparency and accountability at City Hall?

I believe Kelowna already has strong transparency and accountability at City Hall and I am proud of the work that has been done to keep residents informed. I have never had an problems answering questions that have come forward to me in the past.

That said, there is always room for improvement and I would continue to support clear communication about major decisions, budgets and projects as I always have in the past and to make information as accessible as possible to residents for their input.

My goal is to make sure that all residents understand not only what decisions are made, but why.

What public safety issues are you seeing in Kelowna, and how do you believe these issues should be addressed?

One of council's priorities in the past four years has been crime and safety. We have worked very hard on these issues. The Mayor's Task Force on Crime and Safety gave us many avenues to pursue and I voted in full agreement.

I will continue to press senior levels of government for stronger action to keep chronic offenders off our streets, increase prosecutorial resources and establish mandatory care facilities for individuals who are unable to care for themselves and are a high risk in our community. Continue to work wit RCMP and bylaws for safe streets, reduce break-ins, theft and property crime.

In the past four years council has added 33 new RCMP, 17 bylaws officers and 18 Firefighters to help with this, along with the restart of the Auxiliary program. I attended UBCM this past week and I had several conversations with the Provincial Government and Ministers to bring our concerns forward.

I am not shy to speak up for our community on public safety. I fully understand crime and public safety as at the Ramada Hotel, where I am employed, we are continually dealing with crime and safety, so I am well aware what efforts need to be continued and am willing to advocate for our city and it safety.

What do you think can be done locally to bring down the cost of housing?

What is a complex questions. Kelowna met their provincially mandated target in rental housing and exceeding them by 150% in the first year. Four years ago, the rental vacancy rate was below 1% and today it is closer to 7% giving residents real choices and more price options, although affordability still remains a challenge for our citizens. We can continue on this path, helping the development community to build more affordable housing and lobbying the provincial government to help, as they mandated our targets.

What policies would you support to help stimulate Kelowna’s job market?

I would support policies that make is easier to start, grow and invest in Kelowna. That means supporting small business, as I always have, entrepreneurs and attracting new good paying jobs and diversity in our economy. We recently took a vote to move the Economic Development Commission work from the RDCO to the City of Kelowna so that we would have more control an on our destiny and work towards helping stimulate Kelowna job market.

After 40 years working in a Kelowna business, I understand firsthand what it takes to create jobs, grow a business and compete in our economy. I would support policies that make it easier for businesses to invest, hire and expand. I believe Kelowna should take a stronger city-led role in economic development as stated above.

What ideas do you have to better balance infrastructure and city growth?

Kelowna is growing fast and I believe we need to make sure our infrastructure is keeping pace with that growth. I would prioritize, as I always have, in building the roads, transportation options, water, sewer, parks and recreations facilities that we need along side development, rather than catch up afterwards.

I also believe growth should pay its fair share in infrastructure, while the city continues to plan for the needs of families, seniors and businesses for future generations. Good growth to me means building a city where infrastructure and quality of life GROW together. I have learned this over my previous years on council.

What role do you believe parental consent and notification should play when a minor makes personal disclosures or requests support from a school counsellor, and what exceptions, if any, should apply?

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