The incumbent City Councillors in Williams Lake gave their farewells at the end of Tuesday, Oct. 27’s City Council Meeting.
A short meeting was wrapped up by giving the outgoing councillors, Sheila Boehm, Angie Delainey, Joan Flaspohler, and Jazmyn Lyons, one last Roundtable Discussion to give a final word to their community, reflecting on the last four years as councillors.
All of them had big, heartfelt ‘thank yous’ to the community and the City of Williams Lake staff.
“ I’m very grateful for my one term, and I’m very grateful for the experience that I learned, got while doing this,” said Jazmyn Lyons. “[I’m] definitely leaving with a lot more knowledge than I went into it, and I’m very happy that I did do this. I am proud of the work that we did, and especially the sheer amount of funds that we managed to fight for and get. And I’m very grateful to everyone who put their names forward to run for council, because that is huge.”
Sheila Boehm says she had a great eight years as councillor.
“I’ve been on more boards than probably anyone put together- and tried very hard to represent my community in the best way I knew how,” said Boehm.
“I have enjoyed these two terms very much. I also have learned very much and done a very good job, and I feel like we’ve done well and that the community has done well under our terms.”
Boehm added that she felt that during her time, she loved everyone she got to work with as a city leader.
“I think I’ve gotten things out of everybody on every council, on every board. I’ve gotten to know and to appreciate different points of view, which is amazing. I will definitely miss the people.”
Joan Flaspohler said that she is proud of how she did not feel intimidated and scared to say what she felt she “needed and was comfortable in saying” during her time as councillor.
She had a few parting shots in her good-bye and thank you. She encouraged the community of Williams Lake to attend more council meetings and events, and watch more carefully.
“ To community members watching this, hopefully you understand, or one day will, that it is either the wealthy or retired individual that has the time as an elected official to be at every event or incident in this city. The truth is, that being at an event or reporting on something that has happened in the city should never be the determining factor on an elected official’s value to their community — they are responsible for so much more. An effective local official will focus on policy and planning, creating the necessary discussions and meetings that produce solid solutions in the background — changes in your city that you can actually see or feel — the work is not as noticeable or glamorous as pretending to be the media, but it is what creates real, tangible results. This is what an elected official is supposed to be.”
She continued with a message for the community to expect more from their city officials.
“Expect them to be more importantly, a creator, not just a messenger or self-promoter; expect them to figure out feasible solutions, and expect them to encourage the development of these changes with the organization you are paying for,” Flaspohler said.
“The only way you’re going to know if this is happening is for you to watch or attend council meetings or sessions and become involved, because social media posts definitely don’t tell you everything. If you want Williams Lake to be better, you as well need to be part of the team; armchair warring just amplifies the issues; it doesn’t create solutions or change. Get up and please help be physically involved and watch meetings.”
Flaspohler wished the new councillors “all the best” in trying to make Williams Lake successful. She encouraged them to “question everything”, and to do their own research and “dig deeper”.
She ended by saying she has been honoured to have held the position of City Councillor for the community, and thanked them again for their support.
Mayor [re-]elect Surinderpal Rathor had one final ‘thank you’ to the outgoing councillors.
“ For their great service to Williams Lake over the last four years, I appreciate the time, effort, and heart you have given to our beautiful community and your commitment to make it a better place. So many times you and I did not see eye to eye, but we had a high respect for each other. That, I appreciate it.”
“Public service takes dedication and personal sacrifice, and I’m sure nobody knows more than you at this point,” Rathor said.
“I also thank your family for their support, because you couldn’t be here without the family support. I encourage each of you to stay active and involved. Your experience, ideas, and passion for William Lake will continue to make a big difference. There are many ways to serve, and I hope you will continue sharing your talent with the community we all love.”
The new councillors of the Lake City will have their inaugural city council meeting on Nov. 3.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing cariboonews@vistaradio.ca.
