King is queen of Holyrood council

By Alexandra Brothers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / September 1, 2023 Edition

Holyrood councillor Sadie King has been dedicated to serving her community as a member of town council for over 26 years.

King, 77, is a retired teacher who was born and raised in Holyrood. She first got involved with town politics at the request of a friend. That friend, who was resigning from council, asked her to run, and she agreed. It happened “just like that,” said King, “it was no big deal.”

At the time, King said, her interest in the goings on of the town had not been fully developed.

“I wasn’t really worrying about what council was doing at that time,” she admitted of her introduction to municipal politics. But over time, as she got more involved with the council, her concern for Town affairs grew.

Starting out, King involved herself with some of the beautification projects around Holyrood.

“I really liked making the town a nicer-looking place to live,” she said.

Unattractive aspects of the town were always one of her pet peeves, she said. Some of her favourite memories on council stem back to when she was leading the beautification team. “I really like to see the town improving all the time,” she said.

One of her most notable contributions as chairperson of the beautification committee was orchestrating the construction of the town’s boardwalk. King first got the idea to build a boardwalk while she was working with a volunteer committee planting flowers around Holyrood. The Town got a grant to start the boardwalk project under King’s supervision and continued to expand it every year thereafter until the boardwalk reached its current length. King said she is proud to have been a part of the project since the boardwalk has drawn many people to Holyrood over the years.

King has served in other roles too over the years with council. She is currently involved with the public works and recreation committees, both of which, she said, are key to the improvement of the town. The public works committee takes care of Town infrastructure such as roads and water lines and involves making “major decisions” about some of Holyrood’s biggest concerns, she said.

King said the infrastructure and communications committees have been her favourites since joining council because they allow her to be “really involved in what’s going on in the town.” Everyone who is involved with these groups work incredibly well together, she added.

Her love for the work she does with council has kept her dedicated to her role as councillor for more than two decades.

“I enjoy council,” she said. “I like to be involved in decision making, I like to try to do what’s best for the people here. I’ve always been interested in the community.”

When it comes to determining what she thinks is best for Holyrood, King has no problem standing up for what she believes in, as her colleagues in the chamber can attest. Sometimes her strong views – such as advocating for higher taxes last fall to pay for Holyrood’s increasing infrastructure costs – makes her seem like a lone, but determined, ranger.

“I’m not afraid to voice my opinion,” King allowed. “If I don’t think its for the good of the town, then I don’t agree with it… Everything I do, I want it to be for the good of this town.”

In addition to her work as a councillor, King juggles duties president of the Seniors’ Club and as a member of the library board.

She said she would encourage others to get involved with the community, particularly when it comes to local politics.

“Don’t be afraid to get involved, she said. “We need more people involved in politics. I’d like to see more young people involved.”

King said the kind of broad outlook and open-mindedness that young people have to offer is exactly what towns like Holyrood need.