Making changes and staying informed

Tracy King is up for any challenge. Having worn many hats and been involved in the community that raised her, she’s now ready to make changes politically.

King has spent over two decades in the banking industry before working as a small business owner and volunteering around the city. She says it’s the perfect time for her to jump into municipal politics.

“It’s a really good time in my life to step forward. I have the time and the energy to start a new journey and I love Lloydminster,” she said. “I think it’s a great place to raise my family, work, live and I want to pay it back and get involved and help shape it in the future.”

She says Lloydminster still feels like a small town with big-city amenities.

“We still feel like we know and care about our neighbours, we run into people we know wherever we are. It’s easy to work and have a really good work-life balance,” said King.

King says she’s always had an interest in politics.

“I try to stay pretty informed, it’s the thing that’s probably ignited a passion back in me once I decided to get involved,” she said.

She says there are challenges that are being heard and the community, and King, want to be part of the conversation and help.

“I think financial responsibility is a big one, and making sure we’re balancing development with the cost to our taxpayers, that’s important to me,” she said.

She says with being fiscally responsible, it’s important that people can still access affordable services.

“I think we have wonderful services here and I want to keep those services where they’re at and keep them affordable for all,” said King.

An issue King wants to see change is the land use bylaw.

“I do believe it needs revisions,” she said.

She says following an amendment made to the bylaw, it was delayed and made an election issue.

“It’s a matter of, we all just need to understand it, all of us, what does it mean, what does it look like in the future,” she said. “A couple of concerns for me would be variances.”

The variance change in the bylaw brings it to 25 per cent, which she says is too large to go forward with.

She also cites the issue of discretionary use and says council should be more involved in that process.

“There are some cases where the council needs to be involved in making decisions that have a bigger impact or a big impact on the community,” said King. “I might like to see more talk around some of the issues and go more in-depth on approval.”

She says the current bylaw has had a number of amendments.

“The existing bylaw in place has had many, many amendments and it’s quite clunky, it’s not that efficient,” said King.

She says it is important to leave the professionals to do what they’re best at, but there are issues she believes should go in front of council.

She says the city is growing and it’s important to innovate.

“I think our community is growing and changing, we have to keep finding new ways to do things more efficiently,” she said.

King says it’s important for the community to understand what’s going on in city hall.

“We just need to do more and communicate more,” she said.

King says she’s dedicated to this community and wants to see them not only prosper, but attract more people.

“I’m dedicated to the community, I have a strong sense of fairness and empathy and I care about the financial health of the city,” “I have the time and energy and the commitment to work really hard.”