Who is Gayle?
Who is that with the smile and curly silver hair?
Who are you, Gayle?
Most of all, I love my adventurous husband, Howard, my adult children, almost-10-year old granddaughter, and amazing Portuguese Water Dog pup, Abby. They ground me, tell me when I am wrong - even pup Abby! - and fill my life with love.
I am quirky, celebrating thrift shop treasures with glee, loving stealth camping in our VW Camper, and relishing an odd pleasure from being status-conscious Santa Barbara’s first live aboard Dean.
Tenacious, married for 53 years, and still counting, even though it has been to two different husbands :)
Stamina with humour, living for in a tent for five months and then a 200-square foot cottage for seven years while building our Salt Spring home.
Hardworking, to a fault, just ask anyone who knows me. . . .
I also bring that sometimes annoying ability to think out of the box to come up with unique solutions and my core commitment to create a respectful environment for all.
Given the daunting challenges of becoming one of the first four Local Commissioners for Salt Spring, why would I be interested?
I have been thinking about how to better address serious CRD service delivery concerns for a very long time. . . since the Community Alliance broached this discussion just before the incorporation referendum in 2017 and, more intensely, while facilitating the hardworking Governance Working Group in 2018. As a Local Community Commission (LCC) emerged as a promising option, I also recently served as chair of the LCC Advisory Group, as well as an enthusiastic campaigner leading up to the referendum .
Will the LCC fulfill its promise?
I believe that depends upon who is elected. I am willing to be one of the team of Local Commissioners, working very hard to ensure that it achieves that potential.
Why do I think I could be an effective Local Commissioner?
I am a fairly rare combination of patience, tenacity, and hard work.
My craziest example of hard work and tenacity is getting my doctorate while also raising three very young children. Probably the hardest thing I have ever done, especially when my 8-year old son was hospitalized with kidney failure during an 18-unit, semester. I refused to quit. Instead, I figured out that I could survive if I cared for my children all day, worked on my dissertation from 10-3 and slept from 3-6. Could I do that again? Would I do that again? A resounding No! But, it does illustrate the hard work and a tenacity that I bring to everything to which I commit.
This tenacity served me well as Dean of Santa Barbara City College, resulting in the development of over 50 programs, while also supervising nearly 600, managing a $6 million budget, and writing - and being awarded - over $13 million in competitive grants.
It also fueled me to write and publish eight books since I retired; serve on Islands Trust Advisory Planning Committee; boards of Islands Pathways, Transition Salt Spring, Community Alliance, and the Chamber; and also worked as a Commissioner for both PARC (2008-2013) and Transportation (2019 - 2023).
And, I work tirelessly each week with ASK Salt Spring.