Taking it to the Street: Paradise council candidate hopes second run will do it
By Mark Squibb | Vol. 32 No. 2 (March 27 2019)
Kim Street has once again put her name in the hat for a seat on Paradise town council.
She’s campaigning for the one left vacant by former councillor Paul Dinn, now Topsail-Paradise MHA, in February.
She ran in 2017 Paradise municipal election and earned 1,568 votes, the second highest number of votes for an unsuccessful candidate, after Coreen Bennett’s 1,761 votes.
“I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed talking to people at the door, I enjoyed listening to what they had to say. It was a really good experience for me,” she said. “It’s been something that I wanted to do for a long time. I just needed to make sure what I thought was enough experience in life, work, boards, and volunteer work.”
Street was born and raised in Paradise and, through the Lynch and Clarke families, can trace her Paradise roots back to the 1800s.
She can remember a time when Paradise wasn’t the busy suburb it is today.
“Paradise didn’t really have a lot when I was growing up. I had to leave Paradise to do everything; for school, for extracurricular, to do whatever… it was really a bedroom community. So, it’s wonderful to see how much it’s grown over the years,” said Street. “It’s exciting. I want to be a part of that. I want to see more growth in Paradise. I want to see something in the arts and culture in Paradise. I want to see healthy, livable neighbourhoods, good designs, economic opportunities. I want to see that. I want to be there to be a part of those decisions and help bring that to fruition.”
Street is a past board director for both the Canadian Home Builders Association NL and the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating NL and is active on various boards and committees.
She also served as a volunteer committee member to help develop Imagine Paradise, the town’s 10-year municipal plan and set of development regulations.
Launched in August of 2014, the process took about two years, with the plan being adopted by council in July of 2017.
“On that committee we worked with citizens and town staff and town council for public review and input on the new 10-year municipal plan. So that’s where it reinforced my desire to seek a council position when the time came up,” said Street.
Improvements to public transportation, ensuring infrastructure is solid, care for the environment, and encouraging opportunities such as urban agriculture are high on Street’s priority list.
She says that she’s learned some valuable lessons from her family, including parents Dave and Ethel Street.
“It’s important to me, from my parents and my grandparents, that if you have an opportunity to give back, you always take that opportunity,” she said. “The community is really important to me. I have a great background in being involved with associations and volunteer work… I’ve got a big heart for Paradise. I’ve lived here my whole life. And I feel like I’ve got a lot to offer. I’d be honoured to represent the people of Paradise.”
The by-election is Thursday, May 9. Nomination Day is April 11.