She's confident Delta council can work together as it faces several emerging issues.
Making a comeback in last Saturday's civic election after a three-year absence, Heather King says she's looking forward to working with Mayor Lois Jackson and the re-elected councillors.
She said her much-talked about land swap idea involving Paterson Park has been modified following a lot of door knocking and hearing other ideas.
"Some of the people were saying, 'Rather than develop Paterson Park to a full extent, why don't we see if we can look at some of the land owned in Ladner Harbour and finally get an historic Ladner Harbour just in the nick of time before the TFN does their development and depletes our potential for a vibrant Ladner,'" she said. "Some of these things were very good ideas and they're from the public."
Another issue council has to deal with is coal trains running past North Delta neighbourhoods to the newly approved Fraser Surrey Docks coal facility. It's something, King said, that council perhaps can't stop, but it can have a say as far as mitigation with a good working relationship with MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, MLA Scott Hamilton and others.
"I really do think we can try to find some sort of prevailing, leading edge legislation at municipal hall, working towards a way to protect or legislate against coal dust. I don't think we are realistically going to be able to stop the expansion of the Fraser Surrey Docks, but maybe we can."
King said she will also push for an economic development officer at municipal hall in order to be in control over what kind of industry lands on Delta's doorstep.
"Rather than having to choose between jobs and the environment, I'm tired of having to make that decision. So that's one of the things that I'd also really like to push for, an industry promoter who can bring in some really high-paying jobs.
"We have a hospital and very active airport, so bringing jobs forward that are research and development, that are into transportation, there's so much potential there."
As far as the concerns recently raised by doctors at Delta Hospital regarding the lack of a full surgical program, King said the proposal by the Delta Seniors Planning Committee to have part of Paterson Park developed into a centre for research and development of health sciences could be incorporated into an increased role for the hospital.
"If we somehow could incorporate surgical research and development and have a practicum at Delta Hospital, that could be something that could work in both directions there. We might be able to have our own expertise perhaps operating from an area on the Kwantlen portion of Paterson Park that deals with the educational health sciences research and development there."
Saying it's her mandate to work closely with the mayor, King suggested an online survey for the public can help focus council on a regular basis on the direction people want civic politicians to move.
"That unifies us as a council and I'm very interested in working together and I will support Mayor Jackson to the nth degree, provided it mirrors the reflection of what the public wants. I have great confidence she is a good mayor who will lead us for the next four years."
King served one term on council, from 2008 to 2011, before launching an unsuccessful bid for the mayor's chair three years ago.
