Thank you to the GP Round Table!

I've been loving the GP Round Table group on Facebook. Over 700 people are engaged in kind, fact driven, but often controversial discussion. How rare is that!? Here is a note I just left them. If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to checkout the group: www.gpRoundTable.ca

---

I wanted to say a big "thank you!" to everyone in this group. No matter the result tomorrow, I'll be proud of my campaign. And you all will be a big part of that. This group is exactly what I hoped for but more than I expected was possible in our day-and-age. I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Our community is awesome. It has real opportunities to become even better. There are also some big challenges coming up. We have the energy, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and resources to excel. But we need to work together to navigate the future.

The first job of Council is to listen well. And one of the vital jobs of citizens is to discuss well. I hope this group can provide a model of future dialogue. Our community needs us all to stay engaged between elections. Whether I am on Council or not, I plan to help keep the conversation going. I hope you will join me.

I've spent close to a year preparing for tomorrow. Along the way I've had thousands of conversations. I've taken part in big events and small gatherings. I've had coffee with "movers and shakers" and with some real characters. I've had discussions in City Hall and online. I am thankful for these experiences.

But my most fun conversations have all taken part on a doorstep. These occurred when a stranger let me interrupt their day. I've been so thankful for how gracious our community is with its time.

I'm still knocking on doors and talking to everyone I can. But as my campaign comes to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to re-post my favourite story below. I think it says a lot about the job of Council and the importance of conversation. It is also an experience I am humbled by and grateful for.

Thank you for being a part of this group. Thank you for engaging with our community. Thank you for providing experiences and ideas. And thank you for doing it with me. I appreciate you.

Sincerely;

Dylan

~~~~~~~~~~

This pen says a lot about City Council’s work.

Just last week, I was door knocking. A senior gentleman took me for a tour of his wood shop. He knows he only has a few years left in his house with a work space. He dreads losing his hobby as has happened to so many of his friends. This senior’s big desire is to donate his tools to a shop available for public use. But he told me he was getting nowhere sharing his vision.

Several days later, I learned about a well-organized group pursuing the same goal (www.makegp.org). A challenge ahead of them was gathering resources. But I knew someone they didn’t.

I went back to the man’s house to get him connected with the group. The smile on his face was priceless! He insisted I take this hand-crafted pen as a thank you.

I have many reasons to seek a seat on Council. I want to help build a budget that works for residents. I want to be a part of strengthening regional partnerships. I want to ensure we have the infrastructure and plans needed for decades of prosperity. I want to create a safe community for all of us. But more than anything else, I want to create a connected community. I want to help people come together to make Grande Prairie better.

If I get elected, I look forward to using this pen at Council meetings. The pen will remind me of what the job is about. Council needs to do the hard work of going out to listen to people’s hopes, concerns, and ideas. Then it needs to act on what it hears to get people working together. Doing the hard work of collaborating with our community is how Council can best help our city.

No matter what happens on October 16th, I am thankful for this gift. It’s a reminder about the impact we can have just by listening to others.