Nelson resident Leslie Payne has a poetry quote that best summarizes her approach as a potential city councillor.
“Ask what’s possible, not what’s wrong and keep asking. So that’s the way I look at life. I think we have something pretty incredible here; I think there’s always room for improvement and that’s the way I’m going to look at this job.”
Payne moved to Nelson six years ago from White Rock and is now retired.
One of her key things as a councillor would be protecting Nelson’s water shed both from a climate change and population growth perspective. ” This summer we saw a long period without any rain to refill and got to level three water shortage pretty quickly. So, that’s something that certainly comes under the municipal government area of responsibility and I, as a long time environmentalist, see that as pretty foundational.”
She says it’s critically important to ensure the water source is safe, the delivery system is well maintained and look at the possibilities of where do we get water if we need an alternative source.
Payne worked in sales and marketing in her early career, travelling across the country. She says this has enabled her to see life from a corporate perspective managing a budget and staff of 20.
She spent time as a stay-at-home mom raising her daughters, which is when she says she really started to invest in the community as a volunteer. That included a being a board member at the preschool her daughters attended, a leader with Girl Guides for 16 years, and with the White Rock Social Justice Film Festival Board of Directors.