Incumbent Keremeos Councillor Arlene Arlow is proud of the fact she made no promises she didn’t keep over her past three years as village counsellor.
Arlow recently announced plans to run for a second term in this year’s muncipal elections, slated for November 15.
Arlow brings business and an agricultural background to council chambers. She is a business owner in Keremeos and was raised on a farm in Alberta.
She is also an avid volunteer in the community, often seen helping out at community functions and events such as the recent Sizzlefest. She lists such organizations as the Elks, the Royal Canadian Legion, Search and Rescue and Christmas Light up as other opportunities for volunteering that she has taken advantage of.
“I believe I’m a good candidate for council because I am familiar with past and current issues,” she said. Arlow sees three main issues in the community being:
- a need for better bylaw enforcement.
- maintaining and supporting business.
- the farmworker and transient issue.
“Council did not share my view during the last three years that residents are ready to pay more for increased bylaw enforecment, something I hope changes in the coming term,” Arlow said.
“The downtown business core is smaller than it was 20 or 30 years ago,” she added, “that’s a big concern to me, and the farmworkers and transients issue is still a problem.”
Arlow has also worked to help resolve issues with foreign farmworkers, who she said need to be given more credit.
“I recently cleared leftovers and empty drink glasses from tables at the Mexican Worker appreciation dinner,” she said. “They work hard for us and I was thrilled to able to work for them.”
During the next four years (municipal terms are expanding from three to four years following the 2014 election) Arlow will continue to be a “steward of the public purse.” She said she will continue to engage other levels of government .
“Our government is dependent on other levels of goverment,” she observed, “It’s important to keep communicating with the province and the federal government on issues affecting the village.”