An award-winning Cranbrook nurse and nursing instructor has announced her intentions to run for City Council in the coming municipal elections this autumn.
“I’m emotionally invested in this city,” Melodie Hull told the Townsman on Thursday. “I grew up here and have lived here for very large parts of my life. I love it here.
“I want to be part of that. I want to be part of a dynamic, cooperative team of leaders and decision-makers that make Cranbrook an outstanding place to live and do business.”
Hull said that seeking a spot on
Council has been something she’s considered for many years, “I’ve only discussed it with some of my friends and colleagues for the past year. But I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
Hull’s interest in seeking a Council seat would be a next step in a a lifelong commitment to community service, she said.
“It’s like the epitome of civic service to your community through government, at any level.”
Hull said she bring her skills into research and inquiry, creativity and leadership on to council, and bring those skills to bear on the policy issues that concern her most:
• Housing issues, and the need for more affordable, low-income and transitional housing;
• Revitalizing downtown to make it a community hub, “and the essence of our city;”
• Preserving heritage and heritage buildings;
• Water management, including managing run-off to stop the overburdening of Joseph Creek.
• Broadening the tax and employment base through managed business development.
“Because of my background in working with people, I’m very concerned about the marginalized and disenfranchised,” Hull added. “I believe a community should be welcoming and inclusive.”
Hull went to elementary school in Cranbrook, and returned as an adult to work in the hospital here. After her nursing career in the Lower Mainland and in other countries, she again returned to Cranbrook, where she worked at the College of the Rockies as a Nursing Instructor. She has written textbooks on nursing, and received several nursing excellence awards, including last year’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the BC Coalition of Nursing Associations.
But it all comes back to a focus on community involvement for Hull.
“Each time [she’s lived in Cranbook] I’ve had something to do with community service and volunteering.”
The 29-day campaign period for the BC General Local Elections begins Saturday,September 22, and ends with General Voting Day on Saturday, October 20.
Hull felt that now was the right time to announce to candidacy.
“I think people should know that I’m running — I’m out and about anyway, so people see me, they read about me, they know me, and I want them to know that I’m preparing myself.
“I’m looking forward to it — I’m a little nervous about it, but I’m good with the public, and I’m okay with the campaign. And I can be quite competitive.”
Along with Melodie Hull, City Councillors Danielle Eaton, Wesly Graham and Mike Peabody have said they’d be running the coming election. Cranbrook Mayor Lee Pratt will also be seeking re-election.